Modest Mouse Removes Guitarist Simon O'Connor from Upcoming Tour
The indie rock group announced that guitarist Simon O'Connor will not join its fall tour after allegations of inappropriate messages to a minor, and will be replaced by Seth Jabour.
Modest Mouse said on Friday that guitarist Simon O’Connor will not take part in the band’s upcoming tour, adding that Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav will fill in on guitar.
The decision follows accusations from a 17-year-old Reddit user that O’Connor sent an erotic image and made comments about bikini photos when the user was 16. O’Connor responded on the same Reddit thread, apologizing and claiming he mistakenly believed the user was a known online troll.
“There has been a person who has popped up from time to time with the intention of, for lack of a better term, messing with me… I assumed that this was the same person I had dealt with before and, with poor judgement, I decided to reach out… After a few minutes, I realized that I had made a mistake and this was not the person who I had dealt with before. I unsent the messages and immediately ceased communication.”
A band representative directed inquiries to the group’s Instagram post and declined further comment. The tour is scheduled to begin on August 4 in Ojai, California, and conclude on October 23 in Sacramento.