Sarah Shook & The Disarmers announce the upcoming European tour is their farewell tour

We are sad to share that this will unfortunately Sarah Shook & The Disarmers final tour. The band is dealing with some personnel changes and rather than replace beloved group members, bandleader River Shook is taking the opportunity to pivot into a long-planned solo project after this run concludes.  

River Shook about it:

Hey Disarmers fans, it’s River Shook here with some major news. As many of you know Eric Peterson, our original guitarist, took a leave of absence in 2021 due to issues with his right arm. At that time, we planned to continue touring and making records while Eric underwent multiple surgeries, the idea being that these procedures would eventually allow him to rejoin the band. Unfortunately, the surgeries did not fully restore Eric’s ability to play the guitar. It is really difficult to accept this situation and it wasn’t what we were hoping or planning for.

In addition to Eric's arm issues, the band has experienced numerous lineup changes over the past three years. The rotating door of new members has been confusing for fans and created additional work and stress. Most musicians don’t want to be on the road for 150 days a year and I get it. I have no ill will towards anyone who has come and gone; however, my brain needs consistency to perform my job to the best of my ability, and our lineup has been wildly inconsistent for years.

Which brings me to November. A couple days after Thanksgiving Jack Foster, our drummer of three years and the longest-running member besides me, resigned for personal reasons. As we were speaking on the phone I realized I’d been presented with a keystone moment: I could continue trying to keep a constantly falling apart band together or I could take this opportunity to start something brand new and run with it.

With Eric’s blessing, I’ve decided to hang up the old band name and radically restructure my future in the music industry. I am not even close to the same person I was when I started this band almost a decade ago, I came out as nonbinary in 2021, I changed my name to River, and I want my career to reflect my growth and evolution as an artist and as a human being. So. The Disarmers will fulfill our current commitments through the end of June, after which we will officially disband. Our farewell tour will kick off in February and will include the shows in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jacksonville and Sarasota, Florida, the Outlaw Country Cruise, the two-week tour in March, our sixth European tour in April and May, and our appearance at the Jackalope Jamboree in Pendleton, OR, on June 28. The farewell tour lineup consists of Blake Tallent on guitar, Mason Thomas on bass, Ethan Standard on drums, and Taylor Swan on pedal steel. Please make them feel welcome, these dudes are monster musicians and we’re so excited to rip into every one of these upcoming shows and pour our hearts out for y’all!

I’ve taken this band as far as I possibly can and it's time for me to start making moves to move on into what’s next. Please hear me when I say there isn’t a single aspect of this that I take lightly. Clear as day, this is the moment for making big moves. I have wild ideas for my future in music and I’m already building a team around me for what’s coming. Yes, there will be a new record with the new project and yes we will be touring. I’ll be able to share more with you in the coming months as things take shape.

Y’all have carried this band through triumphs and hard times, heartache and celebrations. Your love and support have made it possible for me to do what I love for a living and the role you play in my art, songwriting, performances, and my life, cannot be overstated. Because y’all are integral to my future in music, I’m starting a new email account so anyone who wants to can send me a direct email about this news and I will do my best to respond to every message. Again, I won’t have answers for everything yet but I want to be available for your thoughts, constructive criticisms, and suggestions. So thank you in advance for your patience! 

Y’all, thank you so much for your support and for your time and, as always, thank you for being here.

Go and see them on her final European tour:

10/04: London, UK - Colours
11/04: Bristol, UK - Exchange
12/04: Norwich, UK - Waterfront Studio
13/04: Manchester, UK - The Lodge
14/04: Glasgow, UK - Hug and Pint
15/04: Nottingham, UK -  The Chapel at The Angel Microbrewery
17/04: Sint-Niklaas, BE - De Casino
18/04: Groningen, NL - Vera
19/04: Schijndel, NL - Paaspop
20/04: Rotterdam, NL - Rotown
22/04: Essen-Werden, DE - Jugend- und Bürgerzentrum Werden
23/04: Fredericia, DK - Tøjhuset
24/04: Grenaa, DK - Pavillonen 
25/04: Odense, DK - Posten
26/04: Copenhagen, DK - Beta
27/04: Kristianstad, SWE - Biljardkompaniet
29/04: Stockholm, SWE - Debaser
30/04: Oslo, NO - John Dee
01/05: Örebro, SWE - Schreibers garage
02/05: Falkenberg, SWE - Rootsy Live Falkenberg
03/05: Göteborg, SWE - Pustervik
04/05: Malmö, SWE - Plan B