Kitchen Dwellers Welcome Back Mandolinist Shawn Swain After Pulmonary Embolism and Touring Hiatus

Today, Kitchen Dwellers have shared the good news that founding mandolinist Shawn Swain will return to tour with the band after spending most of 2024 away from the stage. Swain experienced a pulmonary embolism in May that forced him to withdraw from the road and prioritize his recovery. After seven months of Seth Yokel from High Country Hustle sitting in as a replacement, Swain will reclaim his place on the stage next weekend for Kitchen Dwellers’ four-night run in Montana next weekend.

“Ladies & Gentlemen, we are thrilled to announce that our very own Shawn Swain will be rejoining the touring party, starting with our upcoming Montana run this month,” the quartet shared in a message to their listeners. “After facing and overcoming various health challenges over the past year, Shawn has taken the necessary time to recover and is now feeling healthy and ready to return to the stage. Please join us for 4 NIGHTS in Montana as we celebrate music, resilience, and Shawn’s return to doing what he loves most.”

The Dwellers will welcome the return of their foundational string virtuoso with two nights at Bozeman, Mont.’s The ELM on Jan. 16 and 17, followed by a pair of dates at MIssoula, Mont.’s The Wilma on Jan. 18 and 19. The four-night Montana run will take the band directly into its Winter Tour, spanning a total of 15 stops across the Midwest, Northeast and Mountain regions through March 7. Later dates throughout the year include high-profile festival bookings like BajaWonderGrass, DelFest and Northlands Music & Arts Festival. For tickets and more information on the band’s full tour, visit https://www.kitchendwellers.com/tour.

“In the very beginning, it was just like, ‘Everyone make as much noise as possible,’” Swain offered on Kitchen Dwellers’ development as a band in their profile for Relix. “And now I think that it’s finally settled. Somebody will start off with an idea, it gets going, and then we all build around that and kind of pass it around. And then, sometimes, someone’s able to add one idea on top of another; it’s slightly different, but it still works great. I think that’s constantly evolving for the better.” Read the full article here.