Califone’s Tim Rutili and Ben Massarella played a major role in ushering guitarist Eric Johnson into the local rock scene. They recruited the Naperville-bred musician for the touring version of their group in 2000, and a year later their label, Perishable Records, released Echolocation, the debut album from his rootsy pop band the Fruit Bats. But by the time that disc came out, in September 2001, Johnson had split with Califone to concentrate on his own music. And last summer he left the nest completely when he signed to Sub Pop Records, which released the second Fruit Bats album, Mouthfuls, on April 8.
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But though Johnson has parted ways with Perishable, he learned more than a few tricks while in Califone. He was struck by the way Rutili and Massarella would overdub most parts in the studio and then bring in a full band to play their songs live. “The whole thing was a complete schooling for me,” he says. “It’s the only way I know how to work now.” Most of Mouthfuls features just Johnson, keyboardist Gillian Lisee (who’s also his girlfriend), and producer, drummer, and former Califone member Brian Deck, but when the Fruit Bats perform Friday night at Schubas, Johnson and Lisee will be joined by bassist Chris Sherman, guitarist Reid Coker, and drummer Jason Toth.
Signing on with Califone forced Johnson to put his own music on the back burner, but Rutili was impressed with the I Rowboat songs and offered encouragement. And Johnson had another project in the works too. “The Fruit Bats was supposed to be a crazy, 20-member psychedelic folk band like the Holy Modal Rounders,” he says. “At least that’s how I envisioned it.” But the concept had changed by the summer of 2001. Johnson decided to record as the Fruit Bats with the help of I Rowboat guitarist Dan Strack (who got married and left town shortly after making the album) at Perishable’s in-house studio, Clava. Johnson played most of the parts, but he was joined on some tracks by Rutili, Massarella, Jim Becker of Califone, and Charles Kim of the Sinister Luck Ensemble, another Perishable act. (He estimates that nearly 30 people have played in the band in less than two years, including all the members of Califone, Chris Mills, Jim Elkington of the Zincs, and former Poster Children drummer Howie Kantoff.) Echolocation, a collection of homespun pop tunes adorned with folky instrumental touches and marked by Brian Deck’s subdued production style, struck a chord: the Fruit Bats embarked on four small U.S. tours, playing in support slots for the Shins, Modest Mouse, and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Jim Newberry.
