Thus far, 2017 has been treating String Cheese Incident well. The band recently wrapped up their Winter Carnival 2017 Roots Revival tour, which saw the band play intimate venues in ski towns close to the band’s heart and integral to their formation years ago. String Cheese is also on the precipice of releasing their latest album, Believe, which is due out April 14th and available for pre-order here. However, sometimes when things seem to good to be true, they are, and fans of SCI are learning this the hard way with the sudden news of Michael Kang’s future departure from the group.
In an official statement from String Cheese sent out this morning, the band notified the public that the beloved Michael Kang will be leaving the group following a recent diagnosis of severe lactose intolerance, sending shockwaves throughout the jam band community. You can read the band’s full statement below.
It’s with heavy hearts that we bring the news that Michael Kang will have to stop touring with String Cheese Incident for the foreseeable future. After doctors diagnosed him with severe lactose intolerance in early January, Michael insisted he would keep playing, citing that if Kyle Hollingsworth could play their New Years run with a broken wrist, he wasn’t going to let a little indigestion stop him. Unfortunately, medical experts have insisted that he take some time off to focus on his health. The recent Roots Revival tour was bittersweet for us, as Michael specifically wanted to relive some of the good old days with Cheese before his departure. He plans to pursue non-dairy musical endeavors during his tolerance break, and we are so excited to see what he cooks up. You can expect to see him play with Phish, The Disco Biscuits, Leftover Salmon, Lettuce, Cake, and Blackberry Smoke in future months. He also has plans in the works for an Allman Brothers Band tribute dubbed ‘The Almond Butters Band,’ so keep an eye out for announcements about this exciting new project in the future.