\n
<\/p>\n
Modest Mouse has booted guitarist Simon O\u2019Connor from its upcoming North American tour after he was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a teen fan.<\/p>\n
The indie rock band introduced Friday that O\u2019Connor, who’s in his 40s, is not going to be a part of them on the highway starting Tuesday in Ojai, Calif.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimon O\u2019Connor is not going to be becoming a member of us on the upcoming tour,\u201d the \u201cFloat On\u201d rockers wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cThe excellent news is that Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav might be leaping in to play guitar. We stay up for being on the market with you all.\u201d<\/p>\n On July 26, O\u2019Connor was accused by a Reddit person, who recognized themselves as a 17-year-old fan, of sending them \u201can erotic picture\u201d and commenting on their \u201cbikini pics\u201d by means of Instagram direct message.<\/p>\n The person, who posted a sequence of screenshots of their alleged conversations on the social platform, stated they had been 16 on the time of the interplay and had their date of start listed of their Instagram profile.<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor allegedly opened the dialog with a sticker studying, \u201cSimon calls your bluff, BUZZZ,\u201d earlier than sending what the person described as a sexually express meme of a unadorned man.<\/p>\n The person responded by suggesting O\u2019Connor\u2019s account had been hacked.<\/p>\n \u201cWant I used to be hacked simply had a celebration evening and every little thing with one eye ya know,\u201d O\u2019Connor allegedly replied.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever you probably did blindside me with a gaggle of likes after which little or no intro moreover bikini pics so we’re each accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor\u2019s message was rapidly deleted, however the recipient stated they’d taken a screenshot.<\/p>\n The person additionally alleged O\u2019Connor seen an Instagram Story counting right down to their seventeenth birthday earlier than later messaging, \u201csorry.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor responded Monday in a prolonged assertion, apologizing to the fan whereas saying he had mistaken them for somebody he believed had repeatedly harassed him on-line utilizing pretend accounts.<\/p>\n \u201cAll through my grownup life, there was an individual who has popped up once in a while with the intention of, for lack of a greater time period, messing with me,\u201d O\u2019Connor wrote on the Modest Mouse subreddit.<\/p>\n \u201cI assumed that this was the identical particular person I had handled earlier than and, with poor judgement, I made a decision to achieve out with a tasteless meme, a sticker that learn \u2018Simon calls your bluff,\u2019 and an try to point that I acknowledged the \u2018barrage of likes\u2019 and related picture content material from the earlier profiles\u2026. Nearly a \u2018gotcha.’\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter a couple of minutes, I noticed that I had made a mistake and this was not the one that I had handled earlier than,\u201d he continued. \u201cI unsent the messages and instantly ceased communication.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m genuinely sorry to the one that acquired these messages,\u201d O\u2019Connor added.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t should be put in that place, and I\u2019m sorry for the stress and a spotlight this has introduced them. I do know some individuals will select to not consider me, and I perceive that. I can\u2019t change what\u2019s occurred.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I can do is inform the reality, take duty for my mistake, and apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n The guitarist additionally wrote that he \u201cunequivocally\u201d opposes \u201cany sexual conduct in direction of minors.\u201d<\/p>\n The band didn’t clarify O\u2019Connor\u2019s tour absence or say whether or not he stays a member of their assertion Friday.<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor joined Modest Mouse\u2019s touring lineup in 2021 after performing in New York Metropolis\u2019s music scene as Simon Doom.<\/p>\n He additionally seems on the band\u2019s newest album, \u201cAn Eraser and a Maze,\u201d which was launched in June.<\/p>\n Fronted by Isaac Brock, Modest Mouse has been considered one of indie rock\u2019s largest bands since breaking by means of with the 2004 hit \u201cFloat On\u201d and the platinum-selling album \u201cGood Information for Individuals Who Love Unhealthy Information.\u201d<\/p>\n Brock is now the band\u2019s solely authentic member following drummer Jeremiah Inexperienced\u2019s loss of life from most cancers in 2022 at age 45.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n