Fruit Bats with Matthew Logan Vasquez

Fruit Bats play The Commonwealth Room on Friday, October 16, with Matthew Logan Vasquez opening. Fruit Bats is the moniker of singer-songwriter Eric D. Johnson, who's spent over 25 years building a reputation as one of indie rock's most in-demand live acts. He's usually backed by a full band, and over the years that's included David Dawda, Josh Mease, Frank LoCrasto and Kosta Galanopoulos.

This tour follows a busy couple of years. In 2025, Johnson put out Baby Man, a solo record he tracked in two weeks and one he describes as raw, stream-of-consciousness songwriting. After that, he returned to the full band for The Landfill, released on Merge Records on June 12, 2026. He calls it his most collaborative record to date, and the most live a Fruit Bats record has been since 2009's The Ruminant Band. He frames the album as a mountain rising from the trash we've created—the collective weight of the past. The title track and lead single, "The Landfill," is described as "a holy vision / of what could be / and couldn't be / and could have been."

With the full band back behind him, the set will draw from that collaborative energy rather than the solo work that came just before it. Matthew Logan Vasquez opens the night, so there's a full bill of songwriting on the table. Doors open at 7 PM, and the show starts at 8 PM. The Commonwealth Room is in South Salt Lake, and the show is ages 21+.