Dave Matthews Band Violinist Boyd Tinsley, Facing Allegations of Sexual Misconduct, Removed from Band

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Dave Matthews Band Violinist Boyd Tinsley, Facing Allegations of Sexual Misconduct, Removed from Band

Boyd Tinsley, who announced he would be taking a break from the Dave Matthews Band to focus on his health and family back in February, has now been removed from the band in the mist of sexual misconduct allegations made against him by a former Crystal Garden member.

Consequence of Sound originally reported on the allegations made by trumpeter James Frost-Winn on Thursday before confirming Tinsley’s removal later that evening. The latter includes the statement that violinist Tinsley is “no longer a member of the band,” and that the band was not previously aware of “these disturbing allegations.”

Frost-Winn met Tinsley back in 2007, as he recounted to CoS, and the two developed a friendship based around a love of music and Tinsley’s generosity, which would later come with expectations. From buying dinner to gifting passes to the Outside Lands Music Festival when Dave Matthews Band headlined in 2009, Tinsley was financially generous. When Tinsley suggested Frost-Winn work with him on musical project Crystal Garden, Frost-Winn saw it as a great opportunity to further his musical career.

“It was cool. I knew this nice, down-to-earth celebrity guy; that’s pretty crazy. So when he mentioned this project, it was like, who wouldn’t want to do that?” Frost-Winn said.

Tinsley then began making peculiar requests, like to wear Frost-Winn’s dirty socks before going on stage, which would escalate into more aggressive behavior. Frost-Winn shared that Tinsley, frustrated during a recording session at his Virginia country house studio, smashed a vintage guitar into pieces. Later that night, Frost-Winn woke up on the studio couch to find Tinsley had been “masturbating next to [him] while [he] was sleeping, and [Tinsley had] had his hand on [Frost-Winn’s] ass.” Frost-Winn fled to another part of the house before eventually coming back to the studio.

“I sat there for hours; I was so freaked out,” he told CoS. “I felt assaulted.”

Frost-Winn, who was 18 when he met Tinsley, said that he now recognizes that Tinsley had been grooming him.

“In retrospect, he was absolutely grooming me,” Frost-Winn said. “I considered him like a brother, my family, especially after my mother passed—he was one of the positive role models in my life. I invested a lot into a relationship that was ultimately very bad for me.”

Frost-Winn said that everyone in the band wanted to ignore Tinsley’s inappropriate behavior because of his deceptive generosity and the opportunity they had before them.

There is oftentimes backlash for those who speak up about sexual misconduct, and men are viewed by some as unable to be victims of it. However, Frost-Winn said that the #MeToo movement has given him strength.

“The only reason I’m going public is because [my lawyers and I] feel like these are very serious matters, and we want justice. I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Frost-Winn told CoS.

Frost-Winn filed a lawsuit against Tinsley on May 17 on the basis that Tinsley created a “hostile work environment” through his inappropriate behavior and expectations. The suit seeks $9 million in damages. Read the full CoS report here.

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