After a bit of turbulence, it seemed liked Thee Oh Sees had finally reached a nice cruising altitude with its current configuration which featured two drummers, Ryan Moutinho and Dan Rincon. But, alas, Moutinho has decided to leave the band. In a post on his Instagram account, Moutinho announced that the band’s Montreal show on November 16, 2016 was officially and voluntarily his last with John Dwyer and gang. He didn’t list specific reasons, but said his decision was personal. You can find his post below.

Moutinho, who previously drummed for the Meatbodies, teamed up with Dwyer, Rincon, and bassist Tim Hellman in 2015 to be part of Thee Oh Sees’ touring band. The foursome’s first trek came following the release of Mutilator Defeated At Last, which dropped in May 2015. Moutinho and Rincon were not involved in the recording of the record, which found Dwyer working with Hellman, Nick Murray on drums, Chris Woodhouse on synth and mellotron, and Brigid Dawson on backing vocals. Moutinho, however, did have a hand in the last three albums the band put out, Live in San Francisco, which has an accompanying DVD, and two studio albums, A Weird Exits and An Odd Entrances. The second of the two studio albums, An Odd Entrances, came out on Friday, November 18, 2016 via Castle Face Records, two days after Moutinho’s last show with the group.

Dwyer, with his fancy guitar work and boundless energy, is always a pleasure to see live, but when accompanied by Moutinho and Rincon, who were prominently featured center stage, the group were on fire. We had the opportunity to catch five shows with this makeup, including one of the group’s recent gigs at Bowery Ballroom. These performances are among our all-time favorite live shows. Below, you’ll find photos and videos from the Bowery Ballroom show and SXSW 2016.

We aren’t sure if Dwyer will try to find another drummer to fill Moutinho’s shoes. Prior to Moutinho and Rincon signing on in 2015, the last and only other time Thee Oh Sees touring band featured two drummers was in 2011-2012 when Lars Finberg and Mike Shoun were with the group.

Thee Oh Sees are on tour through the end of the month. The audience for the band’s Toronto show on Thursday, November 17, 2016, was the first to see the group perform as a trio (Dwyer, Hellman and Rincon). You can find Thee Oh Sees remaining dates below.

(UPDATE January 2017: Thee Oh Sees have a new drummer, read more here)

Thee Oh Sees at Bowery Ballroom, 11/11/2016

Thee Oh Sees at SXSW 2016, Hotel Vegas, 3/16/2016 & 3/18/2016

Thee Oh Sees Tour Dates
11-23 Missoula, MT – Stage 112 – tickets
11-25 Seattle, WA – Neumos w/ Alex Cameron – tickets
11-26 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre w/ Alex Cameron – tickets
11-27 Portland, OR @ Rev Hall w/ Alex Cameron – tickets
11-29 San Francisco, CA – The Chapel w/ Alex Cameron – tickets
11-30 San Francisco, CA – The Chapel w/ Alex Cameron & Apprentice Destroyer – tickets

All photos by Mindy Bond