Fruition is kicking off the month of March in the Southeastern US touring in support of their latest release(s). “Wild as the Night” and “Broken at the Break of Day” are companion albums release just a few months apart, November 2019 and January 2020 respectively. The songs were recorded mostly live in the the studio with minimal overdubs. And although there’s an obvious theme to the collections of songs, there’s a sonic variety that’s unified not by genre, but by the bands dedication to the authenticity of personal songwriting. Fruition has always been difficult to pin down to a specific category. They’ve been growing and developing since their beginning.
Original member, Kellen Asebroek explains. “We started out as a string band, playing on the street a lot. I remember someone told us that our whole energy was a rock band, but without a drummer. (We got a drummer not long after that.) Our sound has always been rooted in this kind of Americana, roots rock vibe. From there we’ve just evolved organically. We add unexpected elements when it works, From R and B, soul, to funk, to that country twang. We’ve always been down with taking creative risks, but there’s a unifying sound tied together with vocal harmonies at our core.”
The Portland based band has been on quite a journey for 12 years. From playing on the streets, or busking as they call it, in 2008 to performing for over 10,000 people opening for several Jack Johnson shows in 2018. Asebroek says, “Probably the biggest lesson we learned while busking is that you just never know who’s watching. So we play our asses off regardless if it’s for 5 people or 5,000. We give it our all and put our heart into every show.”
“At SXSW we did a full work schedule of busking all week long,” he continues. “Just putting ourselves out there, trying to make connections, sell CDs and get our name out there. The last night of the festival we went out for one last shift. We were so tired, it was dark, windy and miserable. There weren’t many people out, but we noticed someone with a SXSW badge stop by and drop his business card into our guitar case. It turned out to be Josh Nicotra, our current manager. It was such a huge step for us, and led to us reaching so many more people with our music, playing bigger shows and festivals.”
You get the chance to catch Fruition on Thursday, March 5th in a much cozier setting at The Open Chord in Knoxville. “More often than not, the smaller shows still tend to be some of my favorites,” says Asebroek. “Especially when it’s a small room that’s packed. It’s got a more intimate vibe, it allows us to let our guard down and just go for it!”
Update – photos from the show – March 5, 2020 at The Open Chord
