Modest Mouse has sidelined guitarist Simon O’Connor from its upcoming North American tour after a teen fan’s allegations about Instagram messages surfaced online. The sudden lineup change comes just days before the band is due back onstage in California, turning an already busy summer run into a very public personnel shake-up.
In a statement posted to Instagram, the band said O’Connor would not join the upcoming tour and that Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav would handle guitar duties. The statement did not detail the allegations or say whether O’Connor’s absence is temporary.
What The Allegations Involve
According to The Seattle Times, a Reddit user who identified as 17 said the alleged exchange happened when they were 16. The screenshots reportedly show O’Connor sending an erotic meme and commenting on the fan’s bikini photos after viewing an Instagram Story tied to the fan’s upcoming 17th birthday.
O’Connor responded on Reddit by saying he mistook the account for one tied to a longtime online harasser. As Exclaim reported, he said he sent a tasteless meme as a misguided "gotcha," realized the mistake, unsent the messages and apologized.
In his Reddit response, O’Connor also wrote that he opposes sexual behavior involving minors and understood that some people would not believe his explanation. The public record so far consists of the fan’s account, the screenshots and the guitarist’s response.
Tour Moves Ahead With A Replacement
Modest Mouse is scheduled to restart its next tour leg Tuesday in Ojai, then play dates including Del Mar and San Francisco. The group’s listed tour schedule shows the run continuing into the fall, meaning Jabour is stepping into a tightly packed itinerary rather than a one-off show.
Jabour brings a long résumé of angular indie-rock guitar, with AllMusic listing him as a guitarist and member of Les Savy Fav. For fans, the immediate question is less whether the concerts will happen than what the altered guitar parts will sound like onstage.
New Album, Sudden Lineup Change
O’Connor had become a fixture of Modest Mouse’s live band in 2021 and appears on An Eraser and a Maze, the group’s latest album. The official album page lists its release date as June 5 and identifies Modest Mouse with Portland, Oregon.
That makes the timing especially jarring: the band is promoting a fresh record while changing a musician who helped bring it to the stage. The Seattle Times reported that Modest Mouse has not determined whether O’Connor will remain involved after the upcoming tour, leaving his long-term status unsettled.
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