Just two days after having the PR gods smile on them, making international headlines after an unknown number of vinyl pressings of Beyonce’s Lemonade album ended-up with the A-side of their new record instead, Canadian punk band ZEX is making headlines again, but this time, the gods aren’t so gracious.
ZEX’s record label Magic Bullet Records announced yesterday that they were dropping the band from their roster effective immediately amidst several ongoing and newly discovered accounts of sexual assault tied to ZEX’s guitarist Jo Capitalcide.
In their official statement, Magic Bullet added, “the routine boycotts of promoters, venues, and record stores when the band is booked or carried, and information shared first-hand by singer Gretchen Steel…about Jo’s behavior in their open relationship (which corroborates one of the accounts sent to the label by a survivor within the last 24 hours)” to their reasons for dropping ZEX. They also announced they will be making donations to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (or RAINN) and Cornerstone Housing for Women, located in the band’s hometown of Ottowa.
Finally, Magic Bullet is offering a full refund to anyone who’s purchased either of ZEX’s records, ending their statement by saying, “we have always subscribed to the punk notion of ‘looking out for one another’. Our hearts and support go out to survivors worldwide.”
-Taylor Wallace
