Tag: Dave Matthews Band

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In brief 10/23/2024

Photo via UVA Athletics Communications.

Off court

Tony Bennett retired as head coach of the University of Virginia men’s basketball team after leading the program for 15 years.

UVA announced Bennett’s immediate retirement on October 17, shocking the Cavaliers faithful since it came just 20 days before the team starts its regular season and four months after the coach signed a contract extension that would have kept him at the university through 2030. For Bennett, the decision was made after months of deliberation and a growing discomfort with the changing world of college basketball.

“It’s not fair to these guys, and this institution that I love so much, to continue on when you’re not the right guy for the job,” a choked-up Bennett said during an October 18 press conference. “I’m a square peg in a round hole. That’s what it is.”

In his time at UVA, Bennett, the winningest coach in program history, led the Hoos to a 364-136 record, with two ACC Tournament titles, six ACC regular season championships, 10 NCAA tournament appearances, and a 2019 NCAA championship. The three-time national coach of the year was also named ACC coach of the year four times. Ten Virginia players were selected in the NBA Draft during Bennett’s tenure at the university.

Associate head coach Ron Sanchez was named interim head coach for the 2024-25 season. Sanchez, who led the University of North Carolina Charlotte men’s basketball team from 2018 to 2023, is no stranger to the program, having been on Bennett’s staff for 12 years, including three years at Washington State and nine years at UVA.

“I’m at peace,” Bennett said during the press conference. “When you know in your heart it’s time, it’s time.” 

Just the ticket

File photo.

After a 45-day warning period, Albemarle County began issuing citations on October 21 for motorists caught speeding in the Hydraulic Road school zone.

Drivers going 10 or more miles per hour over the speed limit are subject to a $100 fine, though the citations are not reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles. With the enforcement of citations, Albemarle County Police hope to see a decline in speeding by the Lambs Lane campus that includes Albemarle High, Journey Middle, and Greer Elementary.

Between September 3 and October 11, ACPD reviewed and issued 4,902 warnings, according to a release from the county.

“With the transition to full enforcement, we aim to see improvements in driver behavior, ensuring a safer environment for students, families, and staff as they travel to and from school,” the county said. “For school children and other vulnerable road users, drivers must stay alert and obey the posted speed limit. Driving too fast for certain conditions is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes.”

For more information on the speed cameras and citations, visit the Albemarle County website.

Not too much

Hometown rock group Dave Matthews Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in a Cleveland, Ohio, ceremony on Saturday, October 19. Other inductees included Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Frampton, and Mary J. Blige. Matthews followed up the event with a social media post recognizing the band’s beginnings in Charlottesville and thanking longtime manager Coran Capshaw. 

Photo by Tristan Williams.

Almost there

The final phase of Biscuit Run Park—a 1,190-acre state park off Scottsville Road—has begun. Heralded as Albemarle County’s largest park, Biscuit Run’s first phase has included the installation of the park’s eastern entrance off Route 20, a trailhead with 75 parking spots, and public restrooms. Construction crews are currently focused on the Route 20 entrance. Expect delays on Route 20 for the rest of the month.

Shooting death

Following what Charlottesville police have described as a “gang-related” shooting the night of October 19, one person is dead and another injured. Police were called to Rio Hill Apartments in the 1600 block of Rio Hill Drive around 8pm, where they found the deceased, 23-year-old Charlottesville resident Zerrion Eubanks-Warfield. “The incident involved multiple gunshots, with several vehicles and apartments struck,” police said in an October 20 statement.

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In brief

Photo by Tristan Williams.

Rock solid

Dave Matthews Band has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the star-studded class of 2024.

Musical acts become eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first recording, and are inducted based on voting by more than 1,000 music historians, industry professionals, and current Hall of Fame members. Since 2012, fan voting has been a part of membership consideration, giving the winner of the poll one additional vote toward induction. In its first year of eligibility (2020), DMB was the first and only group to win the popularity poll, but not be inducted into the hall.

Eligibility, nominations, and inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been the subject of much national attention since its founding in the 1980s. After decades of snubbing Rock and Roll icons, the hall now balances honoring iconic figures years after they became eligible and inducting newer acts.

Joining DMB in the Class of 2024 are Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Frampton, Mary J. Blige, Kool & The Gang, Foreigner, and A Tribe Called Quest. While this year marks the largest group of inductees ever, several nominees were snubbed, including Sinéad O’Connor, who died last year.

“Dave Matthews Band is honored to be in the @rockhall Class of 2024,” the band said on X/Twitter. “Congrats to our fellow nominees and thanks so much to all of our fans for the support!”

The Class of 2024 will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 19 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mascot mania

Finalist for new middle school mascot. Charlottesville City Schools.

Along with a new name and building, Charlottesville’s only middle school will soon have a new mascot. Voters have until April 30 to tell Charlottesville City Schools their preference from the list of finalists: the Black Knights, “another type of knight”(e.g. Junior Knights, Orange Knights), the Chargers, and the Monarchs.

The final choices were selected through an earlier survey conducted by the school district, with each potential mascot illustrated through stock photos and AI-generated images to give voters a feel for potential logos. CCS emphasizes that the “images shown are only starting points,” and it will work with a designer once a mascot is selected.

Regardless of which mascot comes out on top, the school’s colors and logo will be orange and black to match Charlottesville High School’s colors.

The district has not given a timeline for the selection of the mascot or revealed a final design, but Buford Middle School will formally be renamed Charlottesville Middle School when the new building is officially opened for the 2025-26 school year.

UVA assault

University of Virginia police responded to an assault April 21 on the 1400 block of University Avenue. The incident, which occurred around 2am, left one adult male victim with serious injuries. He was sent to UVA Medical Center. University police transferred the case to the Charlottesville Police Department, and detectives have begun an investigation. Photos of individuals sought by CPD are available at charlottesville.gov/1741/police. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact CPD at 970-3280 or the Crime Stoppers tip line at 977-4000.

Burn out

One of the tiki torch-bearers from August 11, 2017, has pleaded guilty to participating in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Tyler Bradley Dykes, 26, of Bluffton, South Carolina, who was arrested in Charlottesville last year, took a guilty plea on two felony counts regarding his assault on Capitol police officers. According to the plea agreement, Dykes faces a maximum of eight years in prison, plus a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Dog’s day

The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA raised more than $100,000 this year during its 11th annual bow-WOW-walk fundraiser, which was held on April 20 at Boar’s Head Resort. The event featured both a competitive 5K race and a leisurely dog walk. Pet owners could also enter their furry friends into competitions for best trick, best costume, and pet-owner look-alike. According to CBS19, more than 250 people attended the fundraiser, whose proceeds will go to homeless animals and programs at CASPCA.

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Arts Culture

PICK: The Agents of Good Roots

Publicity Photo

Best of what’s around: The Agents of Good Roots have a long history of jammin’ in Virginia. Founded in RVA in the early ’90s, the group rolled through the same mid-Southern musical trenches as the Dave Matthews Band, signing with RCA, and touring the college circuit extensively (see their music archive for early Trax and Flood Zone gigs). As the four members grew up, they found new passions, and broke up. Reuniting in 2017, the Agents still play for fun, and to Save the Music. Proceeds benefit Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry. 

Sunday 11/1, Donations accepted, 8pm. facebook.com/frontporchcville.

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In brief: PrezFest, Monticello High news, and more

Former President Bill Clinton closed out the Miller Center's PrezFest last week at UVA. Courtesy Miller Center

Presidential address

Following a brief introduction by UVA President Jim Ryan—where Ryan mentioned he’d gotten food poisoning from the White House the first time he met Bill Clinton—the former leader of the free world then took the lectern in Old Cabell Hall to close out the Miller Center of Public Affairs’ first-ever PrezFest, aka Presidential Ideas Festival.

A few lines caught our attention during Clinton’s lengthy address on the role of the presidency. Whether they’re shots at Donald Trump, or generally just good advice for any commander in chief, we’ll never know.

  • Says Clinton, “I think the best presidents have sought to define ‘We the people’ in a way that broadens both the idea and the reality of who counts in this country.”
  • On those who have already served: “So far, they’ve had enough humility to know that no one is right all the time and power must be exercised with some care.”
  • On reputations: “Look, we can all act pious…everybody that’s ever been in politics who wanted to make change has had to feed the beast.”
  • On President Thomas Jefferson: “When he thought of slavery, he trembled to think that God is just, but he didn’t tremble enough to go sign the paper freeing all the slaves.”
  • On the fear that if President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, they’d take everyone’s jobs: “Sound familiar?”
  • On immigration: “There shouldn’t be a Republican or Democratic way to process people at the border.”
  • On being investigated: “I used to have fun with the people that were investigating me. I’d rag ’em and make fun of ’em and try to keep everybody in a pretty good mood.”
  • On significance: “[The recently photographed black hole] is so big, and it’s magnetic pull is so great, that if our entire solar system went by close enough, it would be sucked in and disintegrated immediately into a pile of dirt that could fit in a thimble. Now think of that. If that’s true, it’s not so important to be on Mount Rushmore, is it? But it does not make the life of any public servant less significant. It makes the trappings, the image, the b.s. less significant.”
  • On division: “We should not be despairing if we’re worried about America dividing. …There have never been permanent gains or permanent losses in human affairs, and we’ve got a lot of hay in the barn. We just need to saddle up.”
  • Bonus quote, on August 12, 2017, when then-Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe told white supremacists and neo-Nazis to get out of the state and not come back, while Trump called them very fine people: “The governor of Virginia, on that day, was my president.”

Quote of the week

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the next guy’s like: ‘You know, I still have a slave. He’s been in our family for years. Sorry.’”—Comedian Wanda Sykes, on Governor Ralph Northam’s apparent inability to remember if he was in the blackface photo in his medical school yearbook.

In brief

National champs

The UVA men’s lacrosse team took down defending champs Yale May 27 to secure its first NCAA championship since 2011. The No. 3-seed Cavs outscored the No. 5-seed Bulldogs 13-9 in Philadelphia, and will bring home Virginia lacrosse’s sixth national championship.

DMB death

When Jasen Smith went to find his wife’s misplaced souvenir T-shirt at a Dave Matthews Band concert in St. Louis, she says he never returned. She then found him unconscious, with blood dripping from his ear, after suffering a skull fracture from blunt force trauma to the back of his head. He died the next day, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The mysterious death is still under investigation.

Dramatic

Madeline Michel

Monticello High drama teacher Madeline Michel will receive a special Tony for excellence in theater education at the awards show June 9 in New York. The award includes a $10,000 gift for the school’s theater program.

Inappropriate

Former Monticello High coach George “Trae” Payne III will serve 30 days of a five-year sentence for sending a 17-year-old female student three inappropriate photos on Snapchat in 2018. Payne entered an Alford plea and said the teen did not deserve to be in the middle of his depression, the Progress reports.

The Cooch is back

Former AG Ken Cuccinelli Zuma Press

Former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, best known locally for demanding documents from UVA climate researcher Michael Mann in 2010, has been tapped by President Trump to head U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Washington Post reports Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opposes the nomination of the conservative firebrand.

Emmy winners

UVA student journalists Yahya Abou-Ghazala and Robby Keough won the school’s first Student Emmy Award for video they created as third years covering the March for Our LIves student walkout March 14, 2018, a month after 17 students were mowed down in Parkland, Florida.

*Shrugs*

After Governor Ralph Northam’s blackface scandal, Eastern Virginia Medical School launched an independent investigation to determine whether he appeared as the man in blackface, Ku Klux Klan robes, or not at all, in the now-infamous photo on his 1984 yearbook page. Its conclusion: They don’t know. Also on the list of things investigators couldn’t determine is how the picture was ever printed in the first place.

Killer’s cancer

The man serving four life sentences for abducting and murdering UVA student Hannah Graham and Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington now has stage four colon cancer.

Monticello High grad Jesse Matthew was transferred from Red Onion State Prison, a supermax facility in Wise County, to Waverly’s Sussex I State Prison last week to receive treatment.

“This is justice and perhaps karma,” said Harrington’s mother, Gil Harrington, to a reporter from Richmond’s CBS 6.

Albemarle Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Tracci says under the terms of Matthew’s 2016 plea agreement, he is not eligible for release or parole.

In a rare, post-diagnosis interview with the same Richmond channel, a reporter asked the convicted killer whether he was sorry for the 2009 and 2014 murders.

Said Matthew, “I don’t think I can answer that question right now truthfully.”

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In brief: Perriello saves the day, lots of $$$, and council retreat chaos

Tom Perriello. Photo by Scott Elmquist

Perriello’s Sierra Leone rescue

A desperate mother needed to get her 5-year-old daughter out of Sierra Leone in 2003, and asked a stranger at the airport to take her child to her grandmother in the U.S. Fifteen years later, Zee Sesay learned that the man who brought her daughter to safety was former congressman Tom Perriello, according to BuzzFeed. Perriello calls it “one of the crazier experiences” of his life.

Another renaming?

City Councilor Wes Bellamy pounced on the last few moments of the December 17 City Council meeting to suggest renaming Preston Avenue, which gets its moniker from Thomas Preston, a Confederate leader, slaveholder, and former UVA rector. Is Jefferson Street next?

Big bucks

Local philanthropist Dorothy Batten—yes, the daughter of Weather Channel co-founder and UVA grad Frank Batten—will donate $1.35 million to a Piedmont Virginia Community College program called Network2Network, which trains volunteers to match community members with open job listings. 

Quote of the week: “I have never been disrespected the way I have been here in Charlottesville.”—Police Chief RaShall Brackney

Bigger bucks

Following the Dave Matthews Band’s recent announcement that it, together with Red Light Management and Matthews himself, will give $5 million to local affordable housing, came the news that another $527,995 in grants will be doled out to 75 local nonprofits through the band’s Bama Works Fund, which awards similar grants twice a year.

Remains IDed

Police arrested and charged Robert Christopher Henderson with second-degree murder December 20 in connection with the death of Angela Lax, who was reported missing in August. County detectives, who found skeletal remains in the woods along the John Warner Parkway’s trails in November, suspect that Henderson killed Lax in June and dumped her body.

Clerk’s Office closing

Hope you don’t have any important deeds to file or a marriage license to pick up during the first week of the new year, because the Charlottesville Circuit Court Clerk’s Office is moving to new temporary digs during a massive courthouse renovation and will be closed December 31 through January 4 for the holiday and for the move.

Maybe a little bit of “vitriol”

What happens when City Council has a daylong retreat, and two people live tweet the gathering? Here are some excerpts from the December 18 event with Mayor Nikuyah Walker, councilors Wes Bellamy, Kathy Galvin, Heather Hill, and Mike Signer, as narrated by Molly Conger, aka @socialistdogmom, and Daily Progress reporter Nolan Stout. Click to view their threads.

 

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Arts

ARTS Pick: Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band returns to John Paul Jones Arena this weekend. Image: Rene Huemer

Home stretch: Charlottesville’s history is built on many difficult stories, but the formation of the Dave Matthews Band is one of our city’s happy tropes. Formed in 1991 by the band’s namesake, the group quickly emerged from gigs on the jazz bar scene to weekly sell-outs at Trax nightclub. The band’s national fame escalated quickly, with repeat Billboard chart-busters—DMB is the only band with seven successive albums debuting at No. 1. The group’s current tour for Come Tomorrow ends with two nights at home.

Friday 12/14 & Saturday 12/15  $85-115, 7pm. John Paul Jones Arena, 295 Massie Rd. 243-4960

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Living

Dinner is served: Chef brings women together to help the homeless

“I met a man who had worked in restaurants his whole life but had had a stroke and lost all ability to use his hands. This struck me to the core—this could be me," says Duner’s executive chef Laura Fonner, who recently launched a program to provide PACEM clients with home-cooked dinners every Tuesday night. Photo by Jackson Smith

Duner’s executive chef Laura Fonner has spearheaded a drive to provide chef-driven, home-cooked suppers for PACEM—an organization that provides cold-weather shelter for the homeless—each Tuesday throughout the winter months. She was inspired to take action after helping to serve at a PACEM dinner late last winter.

“I met a man who had worked in restaurants his whole life but had had a stroke and lost all ability to use his hands,” she says. “This struck me to the core—this could be me. I vowed in that moment that this is something I wanted to get involved in.”

Fonner credits her “secret weapon”—a group of some 80 women in an exercise boot camp she runs in Crozet—with helping launch the program, enabling her to run two shelter dinners (one for men, one for women) in two locations (church members feed PACEM guests on the other nights of the week). Members of Charlottesville Women in Food are also helping with cooking and donations, and Fonner has received food from Autumn Olive Farms, Gryffon’s Aerie, and Sam Rust, as well as financial contributions from The Pie Chest, Tin Whistle Irish Pub, Nona’s Italian Cucina, and Vivace.

With recent donations, the group has also assembled baskets of self-care items and a grab bag of holiday cookies for those staying at PACEM, which moves among various places of worship each week.

Fonner is thrilled to see her dreams so readily turned into reality. “I’m blessed to be surrounded by so many strong and caring women,” she says.

To donate or volunteer, contact Fonner at lfonner23@gmail.com.

Tailgating for change

Trish Clinton—who trained at Tennessee’s famed Blackberry Farm luxury hotel and resort and is now executive chef for Zeta Psi fraternity at UVA—has cooked up a Dave Matthews Band tailgate to benefit Charlottesville’s Sexual Assault Resource Agency. The tailgate will be held at Zeta Psi from 2-4pm on Friday, December 14, before the band’s concert at the John Paul Jones Arena.

Clinton, a self-proclaimed “die-hard” DMB fan, conjured up the plan after becoming frustrated watching the Kavanaugh hearings last fall.

“I found myself angry—you could hear in [Dr. Ford’s] voice what anyone that has experienced sexual assault has felt,” she says. “I needed to do something to make those people feel more supported and put my anger to action. I thought ‘why not combine my loves—food and DMB—to give back?’”

Clinton is partnering with Tailgate Caravan, which has held other philanthropic tailgates at DMB shows, and has tapped into the band’s broad fan base to enlist attendees, with over 100 signed up already (she’s capping it at 200). The suggested minimum donation of $35 per person will cover a full buffet spread, open bar with DMB-themed cocktails and draft beer, and raffle prizes. While fellow members of Charlottesville Women in Food have donated beer and services, Clinton is seeking additional help and donations—large or small—of cash and raffle prizes. For more information, email trishtye@hotmail.com.

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New venture: Riverbend dips into public housing

Residents of the 1976-built Crescent Halls have complained for years about its deteriorating condition.  Jack Looney

Music and real estate mogul Coran Capshaw’s Riverbend Development, known for 5th Street Station, the Flats, and City Walk, among many other projects, is now aligning itself in a different direction: a partnership with Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority to build new public housing for residents of the crumbling Crescent Halls.

Riverbend and the nonprofit Virginia Community Development Corporation will build units on city-owned Levy Avenue—now a parking lot for city employees—and green space on South First Street.

“They’re not looking to make a profit,” says former mayor and current CRHA redevelopment project coordinator Dave Norris. “They’ve agreed to waive the developer’s fees.”

The housing authority owns and manages all public housing in Charlottesville, and had a request for proposal for a redevelopment partner, says Norris. “Riverbend submitted a proposal and rose to the top because they’re local, they know the community, and they know how to negotiate the process.”

Says Norris, “They want to be part of the solution. I don’t think it’s a coincidence Coran’s office is across the street from Crescent Halls.”

Residents have complained for years about the deteriorating condition of the Monticello Avenue highrise, including its malfunctioning elevators and air conditioning, and, earlier this year, a plumbing backup that left the first floor smelling like sewage.

The actual redevelopment of Crescent Halls is not part of phase 1, which relocates the building’s 105 households, says Norris. He says they will be given the option of replacement units, housing vouchers, or assistance moving into market-rate housing.

The project is going to be resident-directed, he says, and Riverbend’s willingness to work with the residents is “pretty extraordinary.”

Not all are comforted by Riverbend stepping in. Community activist Jojo Robertson says, “There is much skepticism and mistrust in the community, which we must acknowledge. I am concerned that people may be homeless during this process.”

Norris acknowledges that those living in Crescent Halls have been hearing for years about redevelopment plans. “I think what residents want to see is action rather than talk.”

He notes that it’s a “long, long wait” to get in public housing, and the redevelopment plans are “not just about improving the quality, but also the quantity” of public housing.

City Councilor Wes Bellamy calls Riverbend’s foray into the affordable housing arena “major. It is absolutely major.” He says city officials have been working on the issue for years.

While Riverbend is getting a lot of accolades for its move into public housing, there’s some skepticism because the company has its own projects that will be coming before City Council, including a massive apartment and mixed-use development in the heart of Belmont.

“I think it’s specifically to curry favor, and I’m all in favor of currying favor,” says Belmont resident Joan Schatzman, who has been a critic of Riverbend’s Belmont plans, but commended its involvement in public housing. 

The notoriously press-shy Capshaw did not return a request for comment from C-VILLE, nor did Riverbend president Alan Taylor.

Capshaw also manages the Dave Matthews Band and owns Red Light Management. Last week’s announcement of DMB’s upcoming tour said a portion of proceeds from the two shows at John Paul Jones Arena will support redevelopment of public housing in Charlottesville.

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Tinsley ouster: DMB claims it didn’t know about alleged predatory behavior

Former DMB violinist Boyd Tinsley denied allegations of sexual harassment. Jason Moore / Zumapress.com

In a move that has Charlottesville and the music world reeling, the Dave Matthews Band parted ways with longtime violinist Boyd Tinsley, 54, late May 17 following an explosive story that detailed a lawsuit against Tinsley for alleged sexual assault, harassment and long-term grooming.

Tinsley has denied the allegations in an online music news site Consequence of Sound article and in the lawsuit.

He had previously announced he would not be touring with the band February 2, the same day an attorney for James Frost-Winn filed a demand letter to settle his claims of assault and harassment. On Twitter, Tinsley said he needed a break to focus on his family and his health.

A statement from DMB says, “Though Boyd is no longer a member of the band, we are shocked by these disturbing allegations and we were not previously aware of them.”

Some find it hard to believe band members and Red Light Management knew nothing of Frost-Winn’s allegations, and social media lit up following the story.

“Of course they knew. The whole town has been calling it Fiddlegate for years,” says @arkSHOP on Twitter.

“A lot of the town knew,” says musician Jamie Dyer on Twitter. “I drew the line with Boyd in the early ’80s and he never messed with me again.”

Songwriter Lauren Hoffman writes on Facebook that three young men “separately confided their experiences to me” in the late ’90s.

Frost-Winn was 18 and homeless when he first met Tinsley in 2007. The two became friends, and in 2014, Frost-Winn joined Tinsley’s Crystal Garden band.

He filed a $9 million lawsuit May 17 in Washington state alleging Tinsley created a hostile work environment “where compliance with sex-based demands was tied to the band’s success,” Consequence of Sound reports.

Frost-Winn, a trumpeter, says Tinsley often requested his and band members’ dirty socks, and he describes waking to Tinsley masturbating beside him with his hand on Frost-Winn’s butt. Tinsley blamed the incident on a pill mix-up, according to court documents.

The two slowly became friends again with Tinsley bestowing gifts on the young man. But he also began sending more sexually explicit texts. A screenshot of a March 18, 2016, text from Tinsley calls Frost-Winn “boner material” and says he’s masturbating to the thought of photos of Frost-Winn and suggests he shave his pubic hair for an upcoming photo shoot.

“You are the dirty pretty boy of the band,” says the alleged Tinsley text. “I have to sexually exploit you as much as I can without looking like I’m sexually exploiting you. I’m in full jerk right now, catch you later.”

In 2016, Frost-Winn left Crystal Garden.

His is not the first lawsuit filed against Tinsley. Getty Andrew Rothenberg, Tinsley’s former personal assistant, filed a $10 million suit in 2015 that alleged Tinsley’s “cult of personality has a dark side that Tinsley has gone to great lengths to hide,” and claimed Tinsley was a “sexual predator” who used gifts, jobs and access to other celebrities “to gain leverage over the people in his world which he currently calls Narnia.”

Rothenberg described eight unidentified people who had allegedly been victimized by Tinsley. Rothenberg was convicted of embezzling from Tinsley between 2009 and 2012, sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay $1.25 million in restitution. The lawsuit was thrown out.

“Everyone knew,” says a local familiar with the band who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. “There’s going to be other people coming out.” The source says rather than getting Tinsley help, those around him “enabled” his behavior.

“This was an open secret within the company,” says a former Red Light employee, who also spoke only on the condition of anonymity.

“The band was not aware of these allegations until they read about them yesterday in the media,” says DMB publicist Allison Elbl in a May 18 email.

In a May 14 interview in Vulture before the Consequence of Sound story came out, Matthews says, “I have a deep love for Boyd, and he has to deal with his stuff. In many ways, I’m sure it would’ve been a lot easier for him to just say, ‘I’m good. Let’s go play.’ But you can’t just throw yourself away, your wellness away, because you play violin in a band. It doesn’t make any sense to do that.”

Matthews adds, “I can’t say, ‘I can’t wait till he comes back,’ because I don’t know what’s going to happen. But right now being away is better for him. Nobody is happy about this situation. Except that we’re happy he can figure some stuff out. I hope he does. But I’m going to miss having that whirling-dervish Adonis-Muppet over there on my right. I know the audience is, too. But we can’t serve that desire.”

For years, Tinsley has hosted the Boyd Tinsley Clay Court Classic, a women’s invitational tennis tournament at the Boar’s Head Sports Club, which was most recently held in April.

“We’re just talking it over right now,” says Boar’s Head marketing and communications manager Joe Hanning about the future of the tournament. He says he’s “shocked like the rest of Charlottesville.”

“I’m truly hurt by the one-sided account that appeared on a blog about me yesterday,” says Tinsley in a statement. “I will defend myself against these false accusations. …These accusations have caused embarrassment for my family, my friends and my fans. I will fight both in and out of court to repair the damage that has been done.”

Frost-Winn’s lawyer, Jason Hatch, responds to Tinsley’s denial in Rolling Stone: “We are disappointed in Mr. Tinsley’s complete lack of personal responsibility for his actions.”

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News

UPDATED: Tinsley denies sexual harassment allegations that led to DMB firing

Boyd Tinsley. Press photo

Original headline

Tinsley fired: DMB claims it didn’t know about alleged predatory behavior

In a move that has Charlottesville and the music world reeling, the Dave Matthews Band fired longtime violinist Boyd Tinsley, 54, late last night following an explosive story in online music news site Consequence of Sound that detailed a lawsuit against Tinsley for alleged sexual assault, harassment and long-term grooming.

Friday afternoon, Tinsley denied the allegations.

Tinsley had previously announced he would not be touring with the band February 2, the same day an attorney for James Frost-Winn filed a demand letter to settle his claims of assault and harassment. On Twitter, Tinsley said he needed a break to focus on his family and his health.

A statement from DMB says, “Though Boyd is no longer a member of the band, we are shocked by these disturbing allegations and we were not previously aware of them.”

Some find it hard to believe band members and Red Light Management knew nothing of Frost-Winn’s allegations, particularly when a lawsuit filed in 2015 by Tinsley’s former personal assistant alleged Tinsley’s “cult of personality has a dark side that Tinsley has gone to great lengths to hide.” The suit claimed Tinsley was a “sexual predator” who used gifts, jobs and access to other celebrities “to gain leverage over the people in his world which he currently calls Narnia.”

The suit filed by Getty Andrew Rothenberg cited eight unidentified people who had allegedly been victimized by Tinsley. Rothenberg was convicted of embezzling from Tinsley between 2009 and 2012, sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay $1.25 million in restitution. The suit was thrown out.

Frost-Winn was 18 and homeless when he first met Tinsley in 2007. The two became friends and in 2014, Frost-Winn joined Tinsley’s Crystal Garden band.

He filed a $9 million lawsuit May 17 in Washington state alleging Tinsley created a hostile work environment “where compliance with sex-based demands was tied to the band’s success,” Consequence of Sound reports.

Frost-Winn, a trumpeter, says Tinsley often requested his and band members’ dirty socks, and he describes waking to Tinsley masturbating beside him with his hand on Frost-Winn’s butt. Tinsley blamed the incident on a pill mix-up, Frost-Winn told Consequence of Sound.

The two slowly became friends again with Tinsley bestowing gifts on the young man. But he also began sending more sexually explicit texts. On March 18, 2016, a screenshot of an alleged text from Tinsley calls Frost-Winn “boner material” and says he’s “actually masterbating” to the thought of photos of Frost-Winn and suggests he shave his pubic hair for an upcoming photo shoot.

“You are the dirty pretty boy of the band,” says the alleged Tinsley text. “I have to sexually exploit you as much as I can without looking like I’m sexually exploiting you. I’m in full jerk right now, catch you later.”

In 2016 Frost-Winn left Crystal Garden.

“Everyone knew,” says a local familiar with the band who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. “There’s going to be other people coming out.” The source says rather than getting Tinsley help, those around him “enabled” his behavior.

“The band was not aware of these allegations until they read about them yesterday in the media,” says DMB publicist Allison Elbl in an email.

In a May 14 interview in Vulture before the Consequence of Sound story came out, Matthews says, “I have a deep love for Boyd, and he has to deal with his stuff. In many ways, I’m sure it would’ve been a lot easier for him to just say, ‘I’m good. Let’s go play.’ But you can’t just throw yourself away, your wellness away, because you play violin in a band. It doesn’t make any sense to do that.”

Matthews adds, “I can’t say, ‘I can’t wait till he comes back,’ because I don’t know what’s going to happen. But right now being away is better for him. Nobody is happy about this situation. Except that we’re happy he can figure some stuff out. I hope he does. But I’m going to miss having that whirling-dervish Adonis-Muppet over there on my right. I know the audience is, too. But we can’t serve that desire.”

For years Tinsley has hosted the Boyd Tinsley Clay Court Classic, a women’s invitational tournament at Boar’s Head that was most recently held in April.

“We’re just talking it over right now,” says Boar’s Head marketing and communications manager Joe Hanning about the future of the tournament. He says he’s “shocked like the rest of Charlottesville.”

Earlier today, Tinsley publicist Jules Feiler says he’s working on a statement from the violinist. At 3:51pm, he released this statement from Tinsley:

“I’m truly hurt by the one-sided account that appeared on a blog about me yesterday. I only wish the reporter had spoken to me first, so they would have heard the truth. I will defend myself against these false accusations. I can only assume the motivation for the article and the lawsuit filed against me. These accusations have caused embarrassment for my family, my friends and my fans. I will fight both in and out of court to repair the damage that has been done.”

Updated 4:37pm with Tinsley denial.

Updated 1:12pm with statement from DMB publicist Allison Elbl.

Correction May 22: Allison Elbl’s name was misspelled in the original story.