Fruit Bats, the Eric D. Johnson–led band of hazy psychedelic dreamers, spent most of 2023 criss-crossing North America in support of their latest stunner, A River Running to Your Heart. Today, they announce a new run of spring and summer tour dates along with a surprise: Starry-eyed, in Stereo, 20 choice cuts culled from the past two years of awe-inspiring Fruit Bats live shows, all assembled on one tour-exclusive cassette! 

Of Starry-eyed, In Stereo and its lead single “On the Avalon Stairs,” Eric D. Johnson had this to say:

In early 2022, when we embarked on a national tour in support of the Sometimes a Cloud… compilation, our longtime sound guy / best bud / spiritual advisor Nathan Vanderpool thought it might be a cool idea to run some proverbial “tape” at any venue that could provide such a thing. In the scattered opportunities when we could, we did…and that directive then ran over into the A River Running to Your Heart tour last year, too. These songs are from a random assortment of shows in a wide spectrum of cities. A different vibe with each song and each night—very much how tour kinda feels… It’s a nice little memento of a couple of crazy and often magical years of live shows.

Also, quite surprisingly, I’ve never released any music on cassette before, so this seemed like the time. So get your tape decks ready to go.

As for the single, “On the Avalon Stairs” is maybe a bit of a deep cut. I dunno. We don’t play it every night, and it’s never made it onto any high-end playlists or anything. But if I actually had to pick my own personal favorite, that one is up there for me. It’s a little glimpse into my own fears and dreams and philosophies, and I’m always a little emotional singing it even if I’m not quite sure why. This version is from a rather beautiful night at the rather beautiful Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY.

Not on Fruit Bats’ tour route? Don’t worry: Starry-eyed, in Stereo hits digital platforms on May 10. Tickets for Fruit Bats’ upcoming tour go on sale Friday, January 26, at 10am local time. See below for dates!

Fruit Bats on tour:
Mar 29 Brooklyn, NY – Paramount (Solo, w/Guster)
Mar 30 Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway (Solo, w/Guster)
May 7 Big Sur, CA – Henry Miller Memorial Library
May 8 Ojai, CA – Ojai Deer Lodge
May 9 Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
May 10 San Luis Obispo, CA – SLO Brew
May 11 Mill Valley, CA – Mill Valley Music Festival
May 15 Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
May 16 Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
May 17 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
May 18 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
May 19 Missoula, MT – The Wilma
Jul 17 Boulder, CO – The Fox Theatre
Jul 18 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater (w/ Dr. Dog)
Jul 19 Kansas City, MO – Lemonade Park
Jul 20 St. Louis, MO – Big Top Open Air
Jul 21 Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Annex
Jul 26 Asheville, NC – The Outpost
Jul 27 Lexington, KY – The Burl Outdoors
Jul 28 Pelham, TN – The Caverns