There’s a particular warmth to a Fruit Bats record — something golden and slightly hazy, like afternoon light through a dusty window. Eric D. Johnson, the songwriter and singer at the project’s center, has spent two decades perfecting a sound that splits the difference between indie rock and pastoral folk.
On July 25, 2026, Fruit Bats bring that warmth to Assembly in Kingston, NY — a mid-summer show in one of the Hudson Valley’s most welcoming rooms.
Johnson’s work under the Fruit Bats banner has earned him a devoted following built on records like Spelled in Bones, Gold Past Life, and A River Running to Your Heart. His melodies are immediate and lasting. But beneath the easy surfaces, there’s a searching intelligence at work — songs that grapple with memory, place, and the challenge of staying present.
Live, Fruit Bats deliver on the promise of the recordings and then some. Johnson is a generous performer who understands that a concert is a communal experience, not a recital.
Assembly offers the kind of intimate, well-curated environment that lets a band like Fruit Bats connect directly with their audience. No barriers, no distractions — just the songs and the room.
A July evening in the Hudson Valley, a room full of people who love good music, and Fruit Bats on stage. That’s a hard formula to improve on.
Tickets are on sale now through Assembly.