The band Modest Mouse will perform at the upcoming Outside Lands festival in San Francisco on August 7, but the group is making a significant change to its lineup. Guitarist Simon O’Connor will not appear with the band following his departure from the act. This decision follows recent reports involving inappropriate social media messages sent by O’Connor to a minor.
Screenshots circulated on Reddit showing a conversation between the guitarist and a 16-year-old girl on Instagram. In these exchanges, O’Connor sent sexually explicit content. While he later issued a statement claiming he believed the account belonged to an acquaintance who intended to provoke him, the band moved quickly to separate from him.
Modest Mouse announced that Seth Jabour is replacing O’Connor for the festival performance. Jabour is a veteran musician who plays in Les Savy Fav and previously performed as part of the house band for Late Night With Seth Meyers.
Festival organizers confirmed the band remains on the schedule for the Sutro stage at this year’s event. The move signals a clear boundary from the band after the online documentation of the exchange became public.