Guitarist Eric Peterson Taking Break from Sarah Shook & the Disarmers

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Guitarist Eric Peterson has been Sarah Shook’s right hand man for nearly a dozen years, first playing a gig with her on Halloween in 2010, and since then, following her from numerous projects, and being a founding member of The Disarmers. But after the shows this weekend in Savannah and Atlanta in Georgia, Eric Peterson will be taking a leave of absence from the band to address a lingering health issue with his right arm that has been affecting his ability to play.

“Eric and I have been close friends and steadfast bandmates for over 11 years now and I think I’ve only played one show without him in that time,” says Sarah Shook. “We’ve gone through a lot together and it’s hard to even really process at this point. This is an unexpected and painful situation and we’d like to thank y’all in advance for your grace and understanding during this time.”

Peterson followed Shook through her previous bands The Devil and The Dirty Hands as her primary guitarist. He’d also previously been a member of the Chapel Hill-based rock band The Kamikazees, notable for being one of the early projects of Dex Romweber who went on to form the Flat Duo Jets—one of Jack White’s primary influences.

Eric Peterson was one of Sarah Shook’s earliest believers, convinced Sarah could be a musical force beyond Chapel Hill. It was upon his goading that she formed The Disarmers, and recorded and released the debut album Sidelong. Sarah Shook and the Disarmers just released their third album Nightroamer on February 18th, and are now touring behind it (see dates below).

“We’re holding out hope that we can find a resolution for Eric and he can rejoin us in the not-too-distant future,” Shook says. “And we have some talented and bright sub guitarists lined up for the duration of this period so please make them feel welcome when you see them here or onstage. Until then we love you, thank you for being here, and we’ll see you on the road soon.”

TOUR DATES:

11 Mar – Savannah Stopover Festival 2022 – Savannah, GA
12 Mar – The Earl – Atlanta, GA
18 Mar – Radio Room – Greenville, SC
19 Mar – Mercy Lounge – Nashville, TN
20 Mar – Cherry Street Tavern – Chattanooga, TN
24 Mar – Treefort Music Fest 2022 – Boise, ID

26 Mar – Volcanic Theatre Pub – Bend, OR
27 Mar – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
28 Mar – Polaris Hall – Portland, OR
30 Mar – Bottom Of the Hill – San Francisco, CA

31 Mar – The Guild Theatre – Menlo Park, CA
01 Apr – Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA
02 Apr – The Wayfarer – Costa Mesa, CA
04 Apr – Zebulon – Los Angeles, CA
05 Apr – The Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ

06 Apr – Orpheum Theater – Flagstaff – Flagstaff, AZ
07 Apr – Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery – Santa Fe, NM
08 Apr – Lulu’s Downstairs – Manitou Springs, CO
09 Apr – Hi-Dive – Denver, CO
28 Apr – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
04 May – The Englewood – Hershey, PA
06 May – Club Cafe – Pittsburgh, PA
07 May – Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD

17 May – The Camel – Richmond, VA
18 May – TV Eye – Queens County, NY
19 May – Askew Bistro & Entertainment Venue – Providence, RI
20 May – 3S Artspace – Portsmouth, NH

21 May – All Roads Music Festival 2022 – Belfast, ME
22 May – The Hangar on the Hudson – Troy, NY
24 May – Cafe Nine – New Haven, CT
25 May – Milkboy – Philadelphia, PA

26 May – DC9 – Washington, DC
27 May – The Southern Cafe and Music Hall – Charlottesville, VA
10 Jun – Pagosa Folk ‘N Bluegrass 2022 – Pagosa Springs, CO
01 Jul – Roostertail Music Festival – Madison, IN

08 Sep – Rock & Blues Cafe – Zaragoza, Spain

09 Sep – Cultural factory in Aviles – Avilés, Spain
10 Sep – Café Berlín – Madrid, Spain
11 Sep – Sala Upload – Barcelona, Spain

17 Aug – Fåfängan – Stockholm, Sweden

18 Aug – John Dee – Oslo, Norway
19 Aug – Tryckhallen – Falkenberg, Sweden
20 Aug – Biljardkompaniet – Kristianstad, Sweden
21 Aug – Ideal Bar, VEGA – Musikkens Hus – Copenhagen, Denmark
23 Aug – Omeara – London, United Kingdom

24 Aug – Night People – Manchester, United Kingdom
25 Aug – The Hug and Pint – Glasgow, United Kingdom
26 Aug – Cluny – Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
28 Aug – Stanford Hall – Bottesford, United Kingdom
28 Aug – The Long Road Festival 2022 – Lutterworth, United Kingdom

31 Aug – Badehaus Berlin – Berlin, Germany
01 Sep – NOCHTWACHE – Hamburg, Germany
02 Sep – Buchholz Saloon – Altlandsberg, Germany
03 Sep – Burgerweeshuis – Deventer, Netherlands

04 Sep – Der Aa-Theater – Groningen, Netherlands
05 Sep – Dbs – Utrecht, Netherlands
07 Sep – Kafe Antzokia – Bilbao, Spain
08 Sep – Rock & Blues Cafe – Zaragoza, Spain

09 Sep – Cultural factory in Aviles – Avilés, Spain
10 Sep – Café Berlín – Madrid, Spain
11 Sep – Sala Upload – Barcelona, Spain
© 2025 Saving Country Music

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