River Shook killed their old self to make this record — those are their own words. After a decade leading Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, Shook disbanded the group in summer 2025, stepped out under a new name, and released a self-titled solo debut in June 2026. No Depression named Shook their Spotlight Artist for the month, calling the album their “most clear-eyed, vulnerable album yet,” with songwriting that “shines as it never has before.” The tour reaches The Hangar on the Hudson in Troy on September 26.
About the Show
The self-titled debut arrived June 26 via Blackberry River Records, built by two people: Shook and former Disarmers guitarist Blake Tallent recorded the whole record in a small rural North Carolina home studio on a shoestring budget, dialing back the distortion and turning up the focus. Saving Country Music gave it an 8.2 out of 10, praising Shook’s “uncanny ability to craft incredibly infectious melodies” alongside a serrated punk edge that runs through even the most country-leaning tracks. The album carries “arrow-to-the-heart lyrics, unforgettable characters, rock-god guitar solos, and shimmering pedal steel” — with Shook’s voice, per their Bandcamp bio, cutting “through darkness like a beam of light.” Standout tracks include “Country Angel,” which Saving Country Music called “a soaring, epic work of twangy country mixed with an indie rock rise,” and “Beater Car,” about showing up to a son’s graduation empty-handed after years of chasing music.
This is not Shook’s first pivot. In 2022, they released Cruel Liars as Mightmare, moving away from outlaw country toward indie rock while building out their production skills. The self-titled is the next move — and by Shook’s own account, something more than evolution. “I had to die,” they wrote. “I had to completely kill my old self, and with it, my own inhibiting beliefs about myself.”
The fall tour runs from Canada through the Midwest and Northeast before pushing west in November. Troy falls just two days after a Manhattan stop at Cafe Wha? and is one of the last Northeast dates on the schedule.
No supporting acts are listed for the Troy date. This is a 21+ show.
Venue & Logistics
The Hangar on the Hudson is a covered outdoor event space on River Street in Troy, along the Hudson waterfront in the Capital Region. That combination of open air and covered roof makes it a good September bet — warm enough to still feel like late summer, protected if the weather turns. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the show starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are $23. Refunds are available up to seven days before the event. Buy tickets