Front Porch Step Suspends Upcoming Tours, Tourmates Speak Out

There have been major developments in the Front Porch Step controversy over the last few days, some that will majorly affect those who had tickets or were planning to see shows where he would be performing at.

Allison Weiss announced she would no longer be touring with Jake Mcelfresh on the United Kingdom tour they were scheduled to be on, but she did say that there was hope the tour would go on without Mcelfresh.

Now, Mcelfresh has spoken out once again, revealing that he has suspended not only the U.K. tour, but has also, willingly, dropped off this year’s Vans Warped Tour.

“As I posted 3 days ago, I am taking the appropriate time to assess these very serious allegations against me and I am not taking them lightly. Until I can do that in a complete manner with all the information I have at my disposal, I will not be continuing with any current touring activities for the time being.”

But Mcelfresh isn’t the only one speaking out against the allegations and the impact it’s had on his tour schedule. Have Mercy and Head North have released statements about the issues at hand.

From Have Mercy:

“We have been receiving your emails, tweets, and posts regarding us not responding to the allegations brought upon Front Porch Step.  While we have been planning to disassociate ourselves from FPS for several days, we have been working very hard behind the scenes to book our own tour so we are not left stranded for the spring. 

We, Have Mercy, in no way condone the alleged actions that have come to light over the past week, and hope that message above all is clear to our fans. Safety in music, and life, should never be risked for selfish decisions. We were incredibly excited at the opportunity to hit the road this spring, and that is still our top priority.

Over the coming weeks, we hope to have news about a new tour with Head North and other trusted friends.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

From Head North:

“We are sorry to have remained silent about this issue for so long.  We do not in anyway condone the situation at hand with Front Porch Step regarding the recent allegations that presented themselves this past week.  

The whole situation is incredibly upsetting and our thoughts go to anyone at all affected by this. We are very sorry to anyone planning on coming to a show, but have been working on an alternative plan to make sure we can still come to towns this spring with new music in hand.

We will post more information about that as it becomes available.”

The petition on Change.org against Mcelfresh has received over 12,000 signatures from supporters since it was started last week.

Warped Tour Founder Speaks About Front Porch Step Controversy

As the Front Step Porch accusation controversy keeps progressing, Vans Warped Tour founder, Kevin Lyman, has once again taken to the internet to speak about the petition started to get Jake Mcelfresh (aka Front Step Porch) taken off the tour due to allegations of sexual harassment against underage girls.

Lyman, who had previously posted on Twitter that the situation at hand would be examined and addressed when he returned from his vacation, has revealed that he would be returning earlier than expected to “deal with the situation that had been brought” to his attention.

I will be back to work earlier then expected to deal with the situation that has been brought to my attention.

— KevinLyman (@KevinLyman) January 1, 2015

As if having to cut your holiday vacation short to deal with a major controversy wasn’t bad enough, it looks like a lot of bands are trying to cash in on the drama by asking him if they can replace Mcelfresh on the tour.

So many have been taking advantage that Lyman has had to ask them to stop asking and posting request to do so on his social media accounts.

We should also point out there has been no official word on his decision or towards which side he’s leaning towards.

Please don't ask to have your band replace FPS if he is not on the our, iI am in no mood for it right now

— KevinLyman (@KevinLyman) January 2, 2015

A few days ago, Mcelfresh posted statement online in which he said that he was aware of the accusations against him and would be taking step to address the situations at hand. As for his record label, Pure noise Records which were the first to comment on the matter, they have not released any statement since their initial response a few days ago.

At current time, the petition against Mcelfresh has reached over 10,000 supporters.

Front Porch Step Issues Official Statement About Allegations

It’s been more than 24 hours since news broke that a petition had been started to get Front Porch Step taken off of the 2015 Vans Warped Tour line-up.

Now, Front Porch Step himself, Jake Mcelfresh, has issued a formal statement about the matter at hand.

“I am aware of the serious allegations and sensational things being posted on the internet about me and my personal life. While this is personally difficult to experience, I am taking the appropriate, meaningful, and objective steps to address the severity of these things and the horrendous words being used. I would truly hope that others who have or will propagate these serious allegations will do the same.”

For those not familiar with the situation, the petition on Change.org was started to get Mcelfresh taken off the 2015 Vans Warped Tour after allegations were made against the musician that he had sent vulgar messages to underage girls. The accusation also states that once the girls had asked Mcelfresh to stop, he would continue with the sexual statements and harassment.

Mcelfresh’s record label, Pure Noise Records released a tweet yesterday informing followers that they were not at liberty to speak about the situation because of the legality of the issue.

Kevin Lyman, founder of the Warped Tour also tweet late in the evening yesterday, advising followers that at that precise moment, he could not speak about the matter because he was on vacation, but once he returned to the States, he would make sure that the issue would be examined, thoroughly.

Currently, the petition has garnered almost 8,000 electronic signatures as can be seen below.

Petition Issued to Get Front Porch Step Off Of Warped Tour 2015

UPDATE 2: 

In the early morning hours, Jake Mcelfresh tweeted his followers that he was aware of what was happening and that he would be making a statement about the accusations.

I am aware of everything going on right now and will be addressing it soon. I'm so sorry this happened.

— FRONT PORCH STEP (@Frontporchstep) December 31, 2014

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UPDATE 1:

Kevin Lyman has issued a quick tweet about the allegations against Jake Mcelfresh. Don’t expect any answers because the Warped head honcho is currently on vacation with his family.

I am on vacation and when I get home #frontporchstep allegations will be completed vetted. I deserve a few days off to be with my family.

— KevinLyman (@KevinLyman) December 31, 2014

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While Pure Noise Records were riding a high yesterday with the release of their Winter Sampler and new album announcements from some of their acts in the new year, today brings some bad news for the record label.

A petition was started on Change.org asking Vans Warped Tour creator Kevin Lyman to drop the act from their 2015 line-up. Lyman and company posted on the official website that Mcelfresh would be one of the acts next year.

According to the description of the petition: “There have been multiple instances of Jake Mcelfresh talking to underage girls and sending them vulgar photos. He has been asked to stop by these girls every time and continues with the sexual statements and harassment.”

In a tweet to their followers, Pure Noise has issued a simple statement that they are not able to speak about the matter due to the “serious legal nature” of it.

Read a tweet from the record label below.

Yes, we're aware of the rumors. Due to the serious legal nature of them this will not be handled over night. Thank you for your patience.

— Pure Noise Records (@purenoiserecs) December 30, 2014

As of now, Mcelfresh has not responded to the accusations, but considering Pure Noise has already announced they cannot further discuss the matter, we don’t think he’ll be commenting on the accusations any time soon.

Being that it is not our place to take sides, only report the story as it happens, we will be leaving the link to Change.Org here and if you feel the need to add your name to the growing list of backers, you are more than welcomed to do so.

Steve Klein’s Attorney and New Found Glory Release Statement

UPDATE:

An hour or so after Steve Klein’s attorney released a statement on her client’s behalf, New Found Glory have also released their own statement about the claims made against Klein.

FROM NEW FOUND GLORY:

“Upon our return from Warped Tour Australia, Steve made us aware of possible allegations that might be made against him. At that point, not knowing all the details, we made the decision to part ways in order for him to deal with these personal issues. Us 4 members of New Found Glory have given our entire lives to this band and will continue to do so. We’ve been able to play all over the world for the most amazing fans. We can’t wait to get in the studio to make a new album and we can’t wait to get back on the road! Just coming off the Parahoy cruise and a surprise show in our hometown we are more inspired than ever! Thank you so much to everyone around the globe for always sticking by us. The future is bright.”

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It’s been a really long day for everyone involved in the charges against ex-New Found Glory guitarist, Steve Klein. All day, we have been updating the original article with pieces of information as they are revealed and we are sure it’s not going to end here.

Just a little while ago, a statement was released from Klein’s attorney, Debra White, discussing the difficulties of handling a case especially when it has already been released to the media and people are ready to crucify the defendant.

FROM DEBRA WHITE:

“It is a difficult challenge to defend oneself in the media when there is a pending criminal case. This is because people are quick to assume that if a person is charged with a crime, they are also guilty as charged. And it is especially difficult because criminal defense attorneys insist that their clients not talk about the case to ensure that their constitutional rights are protected. Furthermore, attorneys are limited by law as to what can and cannot be said about a case to the public. 

In the matter of Steve Klein, since his case has now been brought into issue by the media, I am permitted to make a few statements. To that effect, I offer you the following indisputable facts about the accusations:

1. Steve Klein is not accused of having any lewd actual physical contact with any minor. 

2. ALL charges against Steve are derived solely from online consensual video chats between Steve and some female strangers he met on an adult website. Steve believed the females were over the age of 18.

3. The females alleged to be “minors” in this case are not known females. This means that no one, not the prosecution, not the police, and not the defense, actually know who the females are and no one knows their true age. 

4. The possession of child pornography charge is based solely on Steve allegedly “possessing” the videos of chats with the female strangers from the adult website. 

This is about all I am permitted to disclose at this time. But I can tell you, from my many years of experience in this specialty area of criminal defense, I wholeheartedly believe that Steve Klein is innocent of all of these charges. 

Steve is devastated by these accusations. He has lost his band, his livelihood, and his ex-wife continues to push for full custody of his children using this case as her pawn while he literally fights for his life. Despite this heavy hand, Steve remains strong and hopeful that he will be vindicated.”

He Said//She Said: The Conor Oberst Rape Chronicles Begin

Mid-day yesterday, news had broken that Bright Eye frontman, Conor Obrest was being accused of raping a woman ten years ago. The woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, had decided that it was time to speak out about what transpired the night that Oberst allegedly raped her.

The accusation all stems from an articles that written on XO Jane back in mid-December which resulted in many of the comments beginning to circulate on Tumblr and like with all things associated with Tumblr, it blew up. Now, the anonymous victim has started her own blog which she recounts in detail what happened.

Some of her post directly from her blog can be read below while the full post can be read here:

“Look, I didn’t intend for any of this to happen. I was a somewhat regular commenter on xojane and felt safe there. Call it dumb, naive, etc but when I hit that post button, I did not think my comment would be anything more than an exchange with one or two other commenters sharing their stories. Was I stupid to think that making an accusation about Conor like this was just going to remain some blip in the comment section of a feminist website? Obviously. But I didn’t realize that Conor was still *that* popular, to be honest. I guess I felt too safe in that community. I had no intention for this to be all over the place, I really did not.”

Oberst has now spoken out about the accusation. The singer has released a statement through his publicist responding to it. The statement says that the accusation is “absolutely, unequivocally false” and that he would be consulting with a libel attorney about the claims.

His full statement can be read below:

“Usually we wouldn’t feel the urge to comment on spurious blog chatter but the recent allegations made about Conor Oberst by an anonymous commenter on the xoJane website are flagrant enough to demand our response. This individual’s accusations are absolutely, unequivocally false. Unfortunately, the internet allows for groundless statements like this to travel the world before the truth has any time to surface. This is a particularly serious and sickening allegation and there is no truth to it. Conor has nothing but abhorrence for the perpetrators of such crimes of sexual violence. The behavior attributed to him by this individual is in direct opposition to his principles. Conor is consulting with a libel attorney regarding this matter.”