Big Thief Bassist Max Oleartchik Leaves Band for “Interpersonal Reasons”

Big Thief have announced that bassist Max Oleartchik is leaving the band. “Our love for each other is infinite, and we are so grateful for all we have shared these many years together since the beginning of our journey as a band,” the group wrote. “We wouldn’t be who we are without Max.”

The band continued, “This change was made for interpersonal reasons with mutual respect in our hearts. It’s a big change for us and the four of us ask for your trust, respect, and care as we grow into the next chapter of our lives.” Find Big Thief’s full statement below.

Max Oleartchik, the son of Israeli musician Alon Oleartchik, was born and raised in Tel Aviv. He met one of his eventual bandmates, Buck Meek, as a teenager at a summer program at the Berklee College of Music. The two reconnected as adults in Brooklyn, and Oleartchik joined Meek and Adrianne Lenker in Big Thief in 2015. Oleartchik went on to play on all five of the band’s studio albums: Masterpiece (2016), Capacity (2017), U.F.O.F. (2019), Two Hands (2019), and Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (2022).

Big Thief:

A message from Adrianne, Buck, James, and Max –

After many beautiful years together, Max is no longer in Big Thief. Our love for each other is infinite, and we are so grateful for all we have shared these many years together since the beginning of our journey as a band. We wouldn’t be who we are without Max. This separation marks the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one for Big Thief.

This change was made for interpersonal reasons with mutual respect in our hearts. It’s a big change for us and the four of us ask for your trust, respect, and care as we grow into the next chapter of our lives.

xo Big Thief