The Amity Affliction Announce They’re Moving On Without Ahren Stringer
Fans of The Amity Affliction over the last couple of weeks have been sort of left in the dark about the status of the band and their founding co-vocalist and bassist Ahren Stringer. Issues surrounding him and the band have caused tour cancellations in recent memory. Now, just weeks after Stringer revealed he was ousted, the band has officially posted their side of the story.
In an Instagram post made earlier today, The Amity Affliction announced that Stringer “will no longer be touring or recording” with the band. From what I can tell, that’s just a lengthy way of saying he’s been fired. Though the band made pains to not diminish Stringer’s issues, they contested that the rest of the band should be able to move on and continue pursuing their dreams despite those issues.
Rather than paraphrase too much of what they said, here’s their statement in full:
“We are aware our fans have been waiting for us to comment on the situation between Ahren and the band.
“This will be our only statement.
“We have been choosing to stay silent until now, as we wanted to handle this privately with respect to all involved. Unfortunately, it has become clear to us that this is no longer possible and we owe it to you, our fans, to comment.
“Ahren will no longer be touring or recording with The Amity Affliction.
“We acknowledge that we have all had our fair share of issues over the years. But sadly, over time the relationship between Ahren and the band has completely broken down while he has been dealing with challenging elements of his personal life.
“The band have had to cancel tours and pass on many opportunities in hopes of supporting Ahren, but moving forward we find it impossible to continue to tolerate certain behaviours that have been directed at ourselves and those close to us. Ahren has made it very clear on numerous occasions that he does not enjoy or want to continue touring.
“We still have a lot to give as a band and we’re excited to continue touring and sharing new music with you. We also understand that we need to prove ourselves to you all, and thank you for sticking with us.
“The music we’ve created with Ahren will forever bind us and we are thankful for the good times we had together. We wish Ahren all the best in his personal and professional future.
“We look forward to seeing you all on tour.
“Joel, Dan and Joe”
Though no one outside of the band really knows the exact details of what’s going on, it’s obvious from past statements that Stringer’s been dealing with addiction for a while now. In September, Stringer shared a statement on Instagram that he was “happy, sober, and thriving” and would be playing a few shows with the band before taking 2025 off to focus on “continued personal growth.”
It’s gotta be tough pushing a founding member out of a band when you know they’re dealing with some heavy shit. That being said, the rest of the band have their own idea of what they want out of their careers and it’s not fair for them to have to sideline that stuff because one member is having problems. Here’s hoping that both sides can now figure out what they want and work toward those goals.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you’re not alone! There is help! Call 988 suicide and crisis line for 24/7 substance use support.
