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.