Bassist Ben Kaufmann has been hospitalized due to a kidney illness and will miss the next few Yonder Mountain String Band shows. Kaufmann shared a message about his condition, a dissection of his renal artery, from his hospital bed and advised the tour will continue with Alan Bartram from The Travelin' McCourys filling his spot.

[Photo by Kory Thibeault]

The good news is that Kaufmann is expected to make a full recovery. He will soon undergo a procedure at a hospital in Boulder. Ben doesn't know how long he'll need before he's able to rejoin the tour, though he's hoping to perform in Austin on Saturday but he makes no promises.

Here's Ben's statement about his condition:

Dear KinfolkWe regret to inform you that due to an unexpected illness, Ben Kaufmann will miss the first few shows of...

Posted by Yonder Mountain String Band on Wednesday, April 8, 2015

We wish Kaufmann a speedy recovery.