Grind prospects Escuela Grind have taken to their social media to issue an official statement regarding the whirlwind of allegations and controversy - fallout from the band's recent Ball and Chain Tour.
In recent weeks, the band has been hit with several allegations ranging from participation in secret societies to turning a blind eye to an environment of sexual harassment among their hired crew.
Last month, guitarist Tom Sifuentes was dismissed from the band. Sifuentes alleges the band made the decision to move ahead without him after he expressed "safety concerns" regarding his hearing and the kind of volume the band perform with. See his original post - HERE
As the band was closing out the Ball and Chain tour and regrouping following the split with Sifuentes, a former driver for the band in Destiny Hopper leveed accusations against the band's hired tour manager at the time, Chris Cotter.
In addition to Hopper's account of uninvited advances and suggestive discussion, the driver also alleged that Escuela Grind not only fully paid her for the job, but that certain members were putting on a front with regards to their outward support of the LGBTQ+ community. Hopper's account of her time with Escuela Grind can be found - HERE
As the situation escalated, Escuela Grind guitarist Krissy Morash issued her own statement, advocating for her band, thanking Tom Sifuentes for his time and talent and clarifying that was Hopper's "incompetence" that ultimately promoted her being relieved of her duties.
The former tour manager for Escuela Grind in Chris Cotter would also have his say, addressing his time with the band, his working relationship with Destiny Hopper and the "toxicity" that seemed to be prevalant among the Escuela Grind camp. His statement via Lambgoat can be read - HERE
In an effort to address the ongoing fallout from the slew of accusations, Escuela Grind has now issues an official statement concerning their former driver and tour manager. The band clarified their stance on the personnel changes and confided that they should have better vetted their staffing decisions. The band also explained that they were unaware of the issues, until they surfaced online from the parties involved.
The full statement from Escuela Grind, which the band prefaced would be their final statement on the matter, can be read below.
“We have publicly stayed quiet about the conflict between our previous driver and previous tour manager. We felt it best to first let them each have their say.
The band faced challenges during a six-week tour where we were responsible for many supporting bands. We hired a full crew for the very first time. Mistakes were made in the hiring process, ultimately causing issues the core members had never experienced before on a tour.
Ultimately, we made mistakes. We tried to do what we thought was best, and in the end it wasn’t.
We did not know about the personal issues between our former driver and TM until they posted about it online. We immediately parted ways with him. We failed, but we have learned.
Our driver quit on their own terms. They were not abandoned. They chose to go when they did, and we did not know about their plans. Their flight was nonrefundable and non-changeable. The driver was paid in cash weekly. We mailed a check to them for their final week so that we had proper proof of receipt and deposit. We have many receipts of us trying to get in touch with them to pay them through alternative methods like Venmo, etc.
We take blame for not making our expectations clearer and properly vetting our driver. There was never a moment where either the TM or driver approached us about the concerns they presented in their statements. If approached, we would have acted on this information immediately. Absolutely nothing verbal nor physical was observed in the times we were present.
There was never a moment where our TM seriously expressed that he was uncomfortable with the jokes being made on tour. Jokes and nicknames were created just like any other tour. The TM encouraged and instigated many of these jokes, and it appears he is trying to absolve himself of wrongdoing by misrepresenting facts, while still admitting to his inappropriate behavior towards our former driver.
We understand that we let our fans down over the last weeks with our inability to address this situation directly and that has been difficult. Thank you for bearing with us.
Bands work in environments where social boundaries are constantly crossed. It seems like a paradox; to find the balance between having a crazy fun tour and being strait-laced professionals. We are working through our growing pains.
This is our final statement on this matter. We now focus on moving forward, and working to be the best we can be at all times.
We love y’all always.”
