Modest Mouse drops O'Connor after teen message allegations

Modest Mouse has removed guitarist Simon O'Connor from its upcoming North American tour following allegations that he sent inappropriate messages to a teenage fan. The band announced the lineup change on July 31, stating that Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav would replace O'Connor for the tour, which is scheduled to begin on August 4 in Ojai, California.

The allegations surfaced on the band's Reddit forum earlier in the week. A user, who identified as a 17-year-old fan, posted screenshots of an Instagram direct message exchange they said occurred when they were 16. The screenshots appeared to show O'Connor, who is in his 40s, initiating contact with a sticker reading "Simon calls your bluff, BUZZZ" and sending what the fan described as an explicit meme featuring a naked man. The fan stated their age was visible in their Instagram profile and that O'Connor had viewed a story counting down to their 17th birthday.

In a statement posted to the Modest Mouse subreddit on August 1, O'Connor apologized to the fan but offered an explanation for the exchange. He claimed that for years an individual had repeatedly created social media accounts to harass him. O'Connor said that after a long...