Devon Welsh has responded to allegations that his former Majical Cloudz bandmate Matthew Otto had committed sexual assault.
In a Reddit AMA yesterday (August 27), one user explained that folks in the Montreal music and arts scene had been notifying each other about Otto's behaviour in an attempt to keep artists and fans safe. The Redditor continued to say that Otto had nevertheless been spotted "being obnoxious, taking up space, and interacting with your fans" at Welsh's recent solo gigs — making others feel uncomfortable and unsafe.
They specifically asked Welsh if he was aware of the accusations, if his behaviour had influenced the breakup of the band and whether he values the ego of Otto over the safety of his fans.
In addition to sending the commenter a private message, Welsh responded publicly, saying:
Long story short, I believe the accuser absolutely and I'm very aware of how his behaviour has been distressing and obnoxious at recent shows. My relationship with him has been troubled for multiple reasons, a lot of them are personal so I don't want to go into them in public here. I completely understand why his presence would make you feel that way and I'm happy to hear anything more about it you'd like to say.
Read the full thread here.
UPDATE (8/28, 12 p.m. EDT): Regarding the situation, Welsh has now issued the following the statement:
I want to make some clarifications about the Reddit post that has been picked up by news outlets.
The band ended for reasons unrelated to the accusation. It was due to a number of factors, including personal decisions as well as disagreements that are not relevant to any of this. I don't think Matthew is a bad person. We have had a complicated relationship but it is personal and unrelated to any accusations of harmful behaviour.
I take all accusations of sexual assault seriously and this is no exception. I know Matthew has undergone an accountability process for the accusation that was brought up. In my post I simply intended to validate the experience of the accuser but I cannot speak on all the details of the accusation because I don't know them.
When I say Matthew Otto's behaviour was personally obnoxious and distressing at recent shows I was not referring to any knowledge of his behaviour making anyone feel unsafe or harmed. I'm happy to be approached at any of my shows if someone feels unsafe or is being harmed, by anyone.
While Otto was not an original member of Majical Cloudz, he joined the project after Matthew Duffy departed in 2011. Otto played on all the band's latter-period albums and EPs before Majical Cloudz broke up in 2016.
Welsh recently released his debut solo album Dream Songs. See his upcoming tour dates here.
In a Reddit AMA yesterday (August 27), one user explained that folks in the Montreal music and arts scene had been notifying each other about Otto's behaviour in an attempt to keep artists and fans safe. The Redditor continued to say that Otto had nevertheless been spotted "being obnoxious, taking up space, and interacting with your fans" at Welsh's recent solo gigs — making others feel uncomfortable and unsafe.
They specifically asked Welsh if he was aware of the accusations, if his behaviour had influenced the breakup of the band and whether he values the ego of Otto over the safety of his fans.
In addition to sending the commenter a private message, Welsh responded publicly, saying:
Long story short, I believe the accuser absolutely and I'm very aware of how his behaviour has been distressing and obnoxious at recent shows. My relationship with him has been troubled for multiple reasons, a lot of them are personal so I don't want to go into them in public here. I completely understand why his presence would make you feel that way and I'm happy to hear anything more about it you'd like to say.
Read the full thread here.
UPDATE (8/28, 12 p.m. EDT): Regarding the situation, Welsh has now issued the following the statement:
I want to make some clarifications about the Reddit post that has been picked up by news outlets.
The band ended for reasons unrelated to the accusation. It was due to a number of factors, including personal decisions as well as disagreements that are not relevant to any of this. I don't think Matthew is a bad person. We have had a complicated relationship but it is personal and unrelated to any accusations of harmful behaviour.
I take all accusations of sexual assault seriously and this is no exception. I know Matthew has undergone an accountability process for the accusation that was brought up. In my post I simply intended to validate the experience of the accuser but I cannot speak on all the details of the accusation because I don't know them.
When I say Matthew Otto's behaviour was personally obnoxious and distressing at recent shows I was not referring to any knowledge of his behaviour making anyone feel unsafe or harmed. I'm happy to be approached at any of my shows if someone feels unsafe or is being harmed, by anyone.
While Otto was not an original member of Majical Cloudz, he joined the project after Matthew Duffy departed in 2011. Otto played on all the band's latter-period albums and EPs before Majical Cloudz broke up in 2016.
Welsh recently released his debut solo album Dream Songs. See his upcoming tour dates here.