Mouthfuls

Encouraged by Califone/Perishable Records honchos Tim Rutili and Ben Massarella, Johnson recorded the Fruit Bats' debut album, "Echolocation." At this point, Fruit Bats was basically a solo project for Eric, with help from original Fruit Bat Dan Strack and a host of other Chicago musicians. Former Orso member Gillian Lisee joined Fruit Bats in late 2001 as a full-time member. After the release of "Echolocation," the band spent a fair amount of time on the road – with Modest Mouse, The Shins, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, as well as three headlining tours. In late summer 2002, the Fruit Bats agreed to record their second album for Sub Pop. The result is "Mouthfuls," produced by Brian Deck (Red Red Meat, Modest Mouse, Ugly Casanova, Souled American. "Mouthfuls" picks up where "Echolocation" left off and is cleaner and clearer, but every bit as endearing.