Meltasia put online event on hold; founder admits to inappropriate behavior towards women

As the garage rock scene continues to react to the several sexual misconduct allegations against musicians and others in the scene that led to the shutdown of Burger Records, New York garage rock festival Meltasia has put its online event on hold, and founder (and Stalkers frontman) Andy Animal has admitted to his own inappropriate behavior.

“As a part of the community I need to clear the air and say that I fully admit that I was for a long time a misogynistic, drugged out, asshole brat who embraced this ‘sleaze rocker’ attitude,” he wrote. “I’ve battled with low self esteem and jealousy, which made me overcompensate and act like a selfish maniac. I would sometimes put women in awkward positions. Say nasty things. Slap asses when there was no signal given to do so. This kept up for way too long because my wild-man lead singer ego told me it was ok to act like a Rock & Roll caricature. I realize explaining my past actions is not gonna fix anything. I really am sorry for any trauma that I’ve caused. No one deserves to be put through that. The fact is that the sketchy bullshit that we’ve all become used to throughout Rock & Roll history just needs to end.”

As for the virtual Meltasia event being on hold, Andy adds, “With everything going on right now, it just doesn’t feel right to be promoting any form of entertainment at this moment, even if it is charity based.”

Read his full statement:

I have decided to put the online Meltasia event on hold at the moment.

To avoid confusion for anyone who has never heard of the record label “Burger Records”. Burger Records has just recently shut down operations after a massive movement calling them and their associates out for all kinds of sexual misconduct. This movement is beyond just one record label or one scene, this is about misogyny in the music community (and the world) in general.

As a part of the community I need to clear the air and say that I fully admit that I was for a long time a misogynistic, drugged out, asshole brat who embraced this “sleaze rocker” attitude. I’ve battled with low self esteem and jealousy, which made me overcompensate and act like a selfish maniac. I would sometimes put women in awkward positions. Say nasty things. Slap asses when there was no signal given to do so. This kept up for way too long because my wild-man lead singer ego told me it was ok to act like a Rock & Roll caricature. I realize explaining my past actions is not gonna fix anything. I really am sorry for any trauma that I’ve caused. No one deserves to be put through that. The fact is that the sketchy bullshit that we’ve all become used to throughout Rock & Roll history just needs to end.

The most important thing that can come out of all of this pain is to truly change Rock & Roll’s misogynistic ways. I support that. I wanna see the younger generation living a life where they can go to a show and hangout with artists they admire without some negative shit happening. I have been analyzing my bullshit for some years now and have worked hard to become a better person. I’m not gonna fold. I will keep pushing forward. Rock & Roll will never die but it needs a good kick in the ass.

When I started Meltasia in 2014, the goal was to create a positive, diverse and memorable atmosphere that was different from the other festivals. With everything going on right now, it just doesn’t feel right to be promoting any form of entertainment at this moment, even if it is charity based. Meltasia is a group effort and we’ve all decided It’s best to give some space for reflection and to figure out how we can all contribute to improving a situation that’s been lingering for way too long.

Stay tuned!
-Andy Animal