Women detail sexual misconduct allegations against former The Dead South band member

Kenyon stepped down from the band on Aug. 19 immediately after allegations were being posted to the Survivor’s Stories Regina Instagram web page on July 31, Aug. 15 and Aug. sixteen. The nameless publishers have considering that eradicated hundreds of posts alleging sexual misconduct in excess of issues about civil lawsuits.

CBC has spoken to the three gals who wrote the nameless posts and independently verified their identities. 

Kenyon has not responded to several requests for remark. No one from the band could be achieved for remark. 

The Lifeless South are a Juno-award winning Saskatchewan-primarily based bluegrass quartet. In 2014, the band was picked up by a German history label and have been touring overseas ever considering that.

Tinder conference

The very first woman who posted on the Instagram web page advised CBC she matched with Kenyon on Tinder in 2015, when they were being each in their mid-twenties and she was attending courses at the University of Regina. 

She mentioned they agreed to meet at a neighborhood bar the same working day.  

She mentioned she remembers heading again to her condominium and kissing him, but will not recall what transpired between them immediately after that. 

“I feel he took advantage of the point that I was actually intoxicated,” she mentioned. “I only remembered bits and parts. I know there is an full time period that I will not recall.”

She mentioned she woke up the upcoming early morning to discover him in her room, without trousers on. She mentioned he was masturbating and questioned if she required to have sexual intercourse again.

She said she advised him no two times, but that he finished masturbating and ejaculated on her without her consent. She mentioned she also will not know if Kenyon experienced employed security the night time prior to. 

“I realized it was mistaken and I was damage and I was baffled and I failed to know why he would do that,” she mentioned. “I just felt so disrespected.”

She mentioned she instantly drove him property to get him out of her property, deleted him off of her Tinder account and by no means talked to him again.

‘It can make me truly feel disgusted’

The woman mentioned that immediately after the alleged incident, she begun to see the band’s tunes videos posted on the net and its pictures in the newspaper, and that considering that then its star has only risen. 

“It can make me truly feel disgusted. For a prolonged time I blamed myself and I failed to actually realize what experienced transpired,” she mentioned. “So each time I would see them I guess I felt that variety of anger and a variety of fear and probably a bit of shame.”

The nameless article she produced was at first reported and taken down by Instagram, but the Survivor’s Stories Regina web page reposted it on July 31.

Kenyon commented on the article from his non-public Instagram account. 

“Your braveness in sharing this is appreciated. Thank you for bringing this to light-weight, and I see now that my actions brought about damage. I desire you healing. I am sorry, and I will do improved. Also, I’m sorry your original article was taken down – you should have to have a voice,” he wrote. 

The woman mentioned that considering that she’s posted her tale to Instagram, she has felt a massive bodyweight elevate off of her shoulders. 

“I realized it wasn’t ideal, but looking through people’s reviews actually produced me truly feel like I was a target and it wasn’t my fault,” she mentioned. “So it can be supplied me toughness for confident.”

‘He failed to allow me stop’

Two more allegations of sexual misconduct against Kenyon were posted on the web page considering that then.

The next woman to article, who shared her tale Aug. 15, mentioned she was at her friend’s property in 2007 when she was 14 and Kenyon, who was 17 or 18 at the time, was there hanging out with her friend’s loved ones member and other guys their age.

She mentioned they were being all ingesting and she remembers waking up puking in the toilet with him beside her. She mentioned she felt relieved to not be by yourself. Then he led her into a different room. 

She mentioned he coerced her into supplying him oral sexual intercourse and when she attempted to quit several moments he saved pushing her head down and telling her to keep heading. 

“He failed to allow me quit,” she mentioned. 

She mentioned finally one of Kenyon’s male buddies walked in and begun yelling at him. 

She mentioned that despite the fact that Kenyon wasn’t violent, the alleged incident is a traumatic memory she will by no means ignore. 

“I went to go property and I cried about it a whole lot. It was actually strange and bewildering. I failed to know how to system it,” she mentioned. “Then I attempted to inform my buddies about it and basically they advised me like it was your fault, you were being way too drunk.”

She mentioned that at school the next Monday, a person in her class approached her and commented that she and Kenyon “hooked up” and she “gave him a blow task.”

“It was a actually, actually shaming working experience,” she mentioned. “I by no means required to talk about it ever again.”

She mentioned it was 13 years later, immediately after the very first allegation about Kenyon was posted to the web page, that she was ultimately in a position to tackle it with her buddies and the men and women who were being there the night time it transpired. She mentioned it was the very first time men and women actually validated that it wasn’t ideal.

After putting up on Instagram, she sent Kenyon a Fb message to inform him it was her. As of the publication of this tale, she mentioned Kenyon experienced not responded to her message.

The message in component reads:

“I can properly say now that I’m a effectively-modified human capable of having a healthier connection but this face and its aftermath actually impacted my skill to respect and appreciate myself for several several years. It was the very first sexual face I experienced with a man past kissing. It taught me that I wasn’t authorized to vocalize my feelings or discomforts to my companions during and bordering sexual intercourse and intimacy. And it taught me not to inform anybody when I was sexually assaulted again. I dealt with these items by yourself mainly because the predicament taught me to be silent.

I will not want you to get cancelled, I will not want your everyday living to conclude and I will not dislike you but I do actually dislike what you did. My everyday living and experiences have led me to affiliate accountability and justice with healing. In my everyday living and occupation, I routinely interact with p
erpetrators of sexual violence and these interactions have taught me that behaviours like yours often appear from a place of discomfort and trauma. And though I can not presume this is the scenario with you, I sincerely hope that you do work to heal what you want to so that you will not want to lead to damage any longer. What you decide on to do with this is up to you but that’s what accountability would glance like to me.”

She reiterated that the objective in sharing her tale was not to get him “cancelled.”

“I feel putting up produced me realize what I actually want is for him to realize what he did to me,” she mentioned. “I actually hope that he can take it as an opportunity to reflect on his conduct and move forward in a healthier way that will not guide to him harming men and women and delivers him some peace.”

‘That’s Danny’

A 3rd woman posted on Aug. sixteen, producing about an alleged incident with Kenyon in 2007 or 2008.

She explained getting at a party at age 14 or 15. She mentioned Kenyon tricked her into heading to see a thing in one of the bedrooms. 

She mentioned the lights were being off and he shut the doorway at the rear of him and blocked it. She mentioned he then grabbed her and backed her into a corner. 

“I saved declaring ‘no way’ and just variety of just shoved him off and variety of strike him in the deal with and he variety of stumbled,” she advised CBC. “So I still left and went again to the kitchen area and advised my buddy, a male who was also buddies with that team, and he mentioned, ‘That’s Danny.'”

She mentioned that remark felt worse than the real face.

She mentioned she was urged to article about what transpired to her immediately after viewing the next article about Kenyon. 

“It could’ve effortlessly been me,” she mentioned.

She mentioned she wasn’t shocked to see the posts about him, but spoke up to assistance the other gals who arrived forward. 

“I just required to be in a position to say ‘me way too,'” she mentioned. 

She and the woman who produced the next post both mentioned they experienced hoped Kenyon altered his conduct immediately after substantial school, but mentioned they recognized it was an ongoing pattern immediately after viewing the tale from 2015.

“Danny will not actually seem to be like a lousy individual or an intense individual outwardly, but men and women can behave variety of absolutely generally and just have this variety of point in them and if no one’s speaking about it then it can be not heading to make just about anything ever resolved,” mentioned the 3rd woman.

Issues encompass track for six several years

The band’s track Banjo Odyssey was unveiled on their 2014 album Superior Enterprise. It arrived less than hearth that same year, with several men and women involved that the track is about rape.

Some of the lyrics include: “Tore up the restraining purchase, I will not care I’m comin’ in excess of Pulled you out by your hair, If men and women check with I was by no means there We are heading a lot quicker, And she’s declaring sluggish down.”

The band tackled the controversy on Facebook in August 2014, declaring the track is a satirical, tongue-in-cheek reference to the bluegrass genre and tells a tale about two cousins who interact in a connection.

“We sincerely apologize to anybody who has been damage or offended by these lyrics, as the previous point we would want to do is offend anybody,” the article mentioned.  

“Naturally, we do not condone rape or violence, and Banjo Odyssey (like several of our music) is published as a tale, and not as a thing to be taken virtually.”

The article was signed by all of the band customers at the time, Nate [Hilts], Colton [Crawford], Scott [Pringle], and Danny [Kenyon]. Kenyon is the only one no for a longer time in the band. 

The band did not quit taking part in the track at demonstrates. In a new statement on its web page it wrote, “We are speaking about the affect and future of our track Banjo Odyssey.”   

Sexual assault centre calls on band to quit taking part in track

The Regina Sexual Assault Centre wrote about that statement, and about Kenyon exiting the band, on Fb on Aug. 22. 

“How several moments did men and women elevate concerns with these lyrics and the band defended them? NOW that it can be particular, they want to be component of change and make room for victims? Say what?” the article mentioned. 

Moravia de la O, a counsellor at the centre, mentioned it appears to be like the band is making an attempt to feel critically about its job in perpetuating sexual violence. She mentioned no for a longer time taking part in the track would be a good beginning level. 

“The normalization of sexual violence through pop tradition, together with tunes and videos, has produced it significantly more hard for men and women to appear forward and inform their tales, for men and women to be held accountable. It negatively impacts, influences the myths that exist all around sexual violence and consent,” mentioned de la O. 

“For several, several survivors it could be incredibly triggering to see and hear depictions of sexual violence.”

The very first woman who shared allegations about Kenyon mentioned the track condones violence against gals and that it can be not ideal for men and women use an creative expression argument in this scenario. 

“They create music and sing passionately about committing an act of rape,” she mentioned.

“And regrettably they have admirers that hear to this and seem to be to feel it can be Ok and it actually isn’t. I will not feel any person against rape, against rape tradition and for gals would ever sing about raping their cousin.”

Report label, band problem statements

6 Shooter Documents, which signifies the band, mentioned in a statement posted to its web page on Aug. 19 that it is engaged in dialogue about Banjo Odyssey, “and our obligation as a history label with respect to each creative expression and social obligation.” 

“We truly feel it is significant to make it possible for the time for a thoughtful and extensive system pr
ior to getting action.”

The band also unveiled a statement on Aug. 19, declaring it “is opposed to, and does not condone, unsafe conduct of any variety.”

“We have started to prepare our band customers and crew customers on consent, qualified perform, and building safer spaces for our admirers and our crew,” the band’s statement mentioned.

6 Shooter mentioned its very first coaching session on consent was scheduled for Aug. twenty five and 26.

It mentioned it invited and encouraged all staff, artists, crew and agents to participate. 

“This coaching is necessary, and one of the several ways we will just take as a enterprise toward building safer environments for our local community,” mentioned the history enterprise in its on the net statement. 

6 Shooter did not return CBC’s ask for for remark.