Sargent Home founder Cathy Pellow has stepped down from her place on the label after allegations towards her have surfaced on-line. Henry Kohen of the band Mylets posted a prolonged assertion detailing his time dwelling in a residence shared by Sargent Home workers. Kohen stated he was molested by affiliate of the label Graeme Flegenheimer, and was ignored and ultimately made enjoyable of by Pellow after reporting the incident to her.
“First I might wish to say thanks to the buddies, former/present SH artists and workers, and followers who’ve reached out to point out assist and share their very own experiences,” wrote Kohen. “I want to be clear right here and acknowledge that Cathy has reached out to me privately, expressing curiosity round my earlier video.
“You will need to me that there’s an understanding that this concern transcends any of my very own private experiences and that, even within the occasion that any of the next could also be misplaced recollections for Cathy, there’s an plain tradition and sample of conduct that’s ingrained within the basis of Sargent Home that must be addressed. I want to discuss two occurrences that I personally went by after which contact on the larger image.
“In September 2015 after I was 19 and nonetheless dwelling in Sargent Home I used to be molested by venue proprietor and Sargent Home-regular Graeme Flegenheimer whereas attempting to kick him out of the home. I instructed Cathy about this, about how he had lingered round after a celebration till everybody left and started asking me extraordinarily inappropriate questions, how he groped me and made passes at me after I refused to get right into a mattress with him, how he had climbed the entrance wall of the home to get again inside and looked for me after I locked him out, how he had then proceeded to ship me insulting and express textual content messages all through that night time.
“I used to be not taken critically, met with basically a shrug and an ungainly chuckle, and some nights later I arrived to the home to seek out him again over as a dinner visitor. Their skilled and private relationship remained intact for lengthy after I had instructed Cathy.
“This was the impetus for me deciding to maneuver out of Sargent Home, a transfer that might additionally lead away from my aspirations of getting a life centered round music. I had heard Cathy strongly and publicly condemn perpetrators and advocate for victims utilizing the Sargent Home platform and the dearth of acknowledgement or motion completely contributed to my suppression and denial of what had occurred to me.
“In October 2013, after I was simply 17, at a present in Chicago on my very first North American tour, Cathy took me apart and instructed me with the utmost gravity to by no means ever neglect that the one purpose anybody would ever listen or worth my music was due to her.
“I really have by no means forgotten this! Later this similar night time, she would stroll throughout and injury my data and shirts with muddy footwear and ultimately go on to name my Mother a cunt in entrance of the whole tour line-up, my dad and mom, and followers who had caught round.
“I’m embarrassed to speak about both of those occasions they usually actually usually are not the extent of my experiences, however I need to exorcise them from my head and they’re additionally necessary in understanding the tradition surrounding Sargent Home.
“I witnessed routine excessive degradation and verbal abuse of workers and artists, intentional belittling and manipulation resulting in rivalries and insecurities inside the artist-base, blatant and even proudly misogynistic language surrounding the ‘acquisition’ of emotionally-vulnerable feminine artists, purposeful withholding of monetary info besides when making imprecise allusions to how indebted the artists have been to her, open disdain for the fan bases of bands, forceful and focused breaking of artists and worker’s private boundaries, and an all-encompassing strategy of ‘othering’ that instilled a continuing feeling of paranoia.
“I’ve no ambitions to ‘cancel’ Cathy, to close down Sargent Home, no emotions of vindictiveness. What I’m asking for is for there to be an acknowledgement of previous behaviors with a purpose to guarantee any artists, workers, or followers that this kind of systematic remedy is not tolerable and that those that have been harm can get accountability with out the concern of getting to place themselves on the road legally or financially and with out having to revisit existentially embarrassing or hurtful instances of their lives.
“By the label’s constructed outward messaging and aesthetic, many individuals are drawn to affix Sargent Home whether or not as artists, workers, or devoted followers and I imagine these folks all deserve an impression constructed on good religion when contemplating pouring themselves right into a model.
“To these of you who might communicate alongside me right here, I ask that you just please please do (offering you might be presently legally in a position to). Although I can not communicate for you, I promise I bear in mind your struggles and ache as properly and I do know that you just carry your experiences in the identical manner I do.
“I’ve nothing to advertise or acquire by this and I’m not sad with the present state of my life, I’m not a disgruntled ex-musician or searching for consideration by my grief. I need to particularly thank these few grownup musicians and workers who took the time to earnestly verify in on me as an individual after I was nonetheless a youngster; seeing previous cliques or business careers and simply recognizing a naive younger man who in all probability did not perceive what he was in the midst of.
“On the time I detested your efforts and I understood you to be bitter ex-devotees who had merely failed to stick to the steerage and genius of Cathy‘s management.
“Thanks all for taking the time to learn or hearken to this, I really feel disgrace, embarrassment, and loneliness as I end writing right here. It’s no accident that I really feel these emotions now in the identical manner that it’s no accident that it has taken me near a decade to talk up about one thing that follows me daily. It feels treasonous.
“Cathy,
“Your final textual content to me was despatched after I got here out publicly as queer. You stated: ‘Sending like to you Henry. I am so completely happy you have been in a position to share your reality right now.’
“I don’t anticipate this to be a simple course of for you, I hope you will notice worth mirrored in my reality and that others will present their truths as properly.
“I imagine that Sargent Home actually deserves this, to not be torn down, however to be held to the usual it purports to.”
Pellow has since responded to the allegations, apologizing and saying she’s closed the administration facet of the label and “shall be stepping away from Sargent Home.” Pellow‘s assertion was posed to the Sargent Home Instagram and reads as follows.
“I’ve been attempting to collect the proper phrases to say in gentle of a latest video uploaded to social media by an artist I managed named Henry Kohen wherein he shared some experiences throughout his time dwelling at my workplace / house,” wrote Pellow.
“To Henry, I sincerely apologize and had no thought how a lot my phrases and actions harm you. I’ve despatched you a personal message that additional expresses my remorse in regards to the occasions that impacted you. If you happen to select to share that message publicly, that’s in fact your resolution to make.
“I additionally need to apologize to any previous workers or artists who’ve been negatively impacted by my actions. I have been too oblivious and unaware of the hurt that my dangerous conduct had brought on, I do know that does not excuse the information and I take accountability for any ache I delivered to these round me. I really feel ashamed and am actually remorseful.
“I need to do proper by these I’ve let down and I’m open and welcoming to anybody who could be prepared to have a dialog with me. I see now how offensive I used to be to lots of people, however I’m human and hopefully deserving of an opportunity to make amends.
“Sobriety has been actually necessary to me lately, particularly throughout and after the pandemic. I don’t anticipate to achieve any sympathy from anybody, however I’m not the individual I was, and I’m striving to grow to be a greater individual and proper my previous errors. With that in thoughts, I’ve closed the administration facet and shall be stepping away from Sargent Home to concentrate on the issues I can do to repair these points and handle my very own psychological well being.
“I’m the one one that may account for my actions, so I ask that folks direct their anger or disappointment in the direction of me and never towards any of the artists related previous or current. I hope followers of the music launched by Sargent Home can separate my shortcomings from the work achieved for and by the artists that all of us love and cherish, they need to not take any blame for this.
“There’s quite a lot of work forward and I’m solely starting this course of. I’ve created a private Instagram account @cathyp_1956 in order that I can proceed the conversations with out being a distraction to the artists and those who proceed to do wonderful work at Sargent Home.”
Artist statements concerning the abuse have additionally begun to floor. Chelsea Wolfe revealed in an Instagram story that she dropped off the label final summer time for her psychological well being, whereas Lingua Ignota has issued the next assertion additionally as an Instagram story.
“I’ve been working very onerous to make my life as wholesome and completely happy as attainable. An enormous a part of that equation meant ending my relationship with Cathy Pellow, which I did final 12 months. I’m specializing in my future and shall be going into element about my expertise however I stand in unequivocal assist of the artists and workers talking out. I’m grateful to be free and therapeutic.”
King Lady additionally shared Wolfe‘s assertion, including “I second this. I additionally left just a few years in the past.”
