Sorority Noise at Bowery Ballroom
Sorority Noise at Bowery Ballroom last week (photo by Chelsea Pineda)

Sorority Noise cancel tour following rape accusation against Cam Boucher

Yesterday, Sorority Noise and Old Gray frontman Cam Boucher responded to allegations of rape, saying he would like to “firmly state” they are “false,” and that he took the time to speak with previous partners, and that “following those dialogues, I can confirm the accusations against me are baseless.”

The accusation was posted by former TWIABP member Nicole Schoenholz, who said it happened to her friend, and today a Reddit user has come forward claiming to be the friend in question, and reinforcing that that Nicole’s accusations were true. “Let me get something straight — this absolutely happened,” she said. Her story is quoted in full below.

Now, Sorority Noise dropped off The Wonder Years’ tour that they were currently on in the UK, and they say, “We are looking after Cam and taking him to receive treatments to ensure his health at this time. It is difficult for us to say more at this moment as the rest of us are doing our best to handle the situation immediately in front of us… We are sorry to let any of you down and extend our deepest regrets to those affected.” Read their full statement below.

As of this time, Old Gray are still scheduled to go on a farewell tour this year. Four hours ago, they upgraded their Philly show to a larger venue.

https://twitter.com/sororitynoise/status/984127085290680323

From Reddit post titled “RE: Cameron Boucher is an abuser”:

Let’s start off by saying that I am the “friend” of Nicole’s that was raped by Cam Boucher. I’m making my statement on here as to preserve some sort of anonymity and keep my own social media separate, although I’m sure you freaks can figure out who I am.

I had been talking to Cam for a few months or so in 2013 – mostly texting, nothing serious although we both had some sort of romantic/sexual feelings for each other. Later that year I played a show with my old band in Albany. Cam came to the show and offered to let me stay at his house so I could catch a bus back to New York the next day. I agreed, we drove to his house, I printed out my bus ticket, I asked if I should sleep on the couch. He said no, you can sleep in my bed – so I did, and we started having a consensual sexual interaction. I fell asleep a little while later and I woke up to him touching me. When I finally woke up we started engaging in sex again, but my back was turned and he penetrated me without my consent, knowledge, or a condom. I immediately felt like something was wrong but I compartmentalized it for a month or so until I realized it was, in fact, rape.

Let me get something straight — this absolutely happened. I have never talked to Cam about it until last night. I have made that conscious choice. The only people that know about it are a handful of very close friends and old bandmates. Since the incident, I’ve moved to a different city, I’ve been in different bands, I’ve seen my friends that are fully aware of the abuse start bands with him, I’ve had an ex-boyfriend tell me they should have let him rape me and leave me to die, I’ve gone on tour with this dude, I’ve been hospitalized due to panic attacks associated with this trauma…but I’ve also been in a handful of really wonderful relationships, I’ve had a lot of great sex, I’ve been on a number of great trips and tours, I’ve experienced a lot. I made the decision five years ago to tell people I trusted about this and unfortunately one of them broke my trust. I never intended to have this in the public sphere, mostly because I don’t want to deal with backlash or people telling me this isn’t abuse. I wonder sometimes if Cam even remembers it.

Essentially, this isn’t as cut-and-dry as you want it to be. Cam is charming, very sweet, and he makes me forget a lot of the time that he is capable of such disgusting behavior — but he DID do it. He did rape me. I’ve just chosen to not call him out.