Sargent House founder Cathy Pellow has stepped down from the label and management company after allegations against her surfaced online.
Henry Kohen of the band Mylets posted a video and a lengthy statement, detailing the allegations, as well as events that occurred during his time living in a residence shared by employees.
Kohen said he was molested by a “venue owner and Sargent House regular” in 2015 and when he told Pellow of the incident, he was ignored. “I was not taken seriously, met with essentially a shrug and an awkward laugh,” he said, “and a few nights later I arrived to the house to find him back over as a dinner guest. Their professional and personal relationship remained intact for long after I had told Cathy.”
Elsewhere in the statement, Kohen said: “In October 2013, when I was just 17, at a show in Chicago on my very first North American tour, Cathy took me aside and told me with the utmost gravity to never ever forget that the only reason anyone would ever pay attention or value my music was because of her.”
He continued: “I witnessed routine extreme degradation and verbal abuse of employees and artists, intentional belittling and manipulation leading to rivalries and insecurities within the artist-base, blatant and even proudly misogynistic language surrounding the ‘acquisition’ of emotionally-vulnerable female artists, purposeful withholding of financial information except when making vague allusions to how indebted the artists were to her, open disdain for the fan bases of bands, forceful and targeted breaking of artists and employee’s personal boundaries, and an all-encompassing process of ‘othering’ that instilled a constant feeling of paranoia.”
Since Kohen posted his statement, Pellow has responded to the allegations and apologised, adding that she would be “stepping away from Sargent House”. In a statement posted on the Sargent House Instagram, she said: “To Henry, I sincerely apologize and had no idea how much my words and actions hurt you. I have sent you a private message that further expresses my regret about the events that impacted you. If you choose to share that message publicly, that is of course your decision to make.
“I also want to apologize to any past employees or artists who have been negatively impacted by my actions. I’ve been too oblivious and unaware of the harm that my bad behavior had caused, I know that doesn’t excuse the facts and I take responsibility for any pain I brought to those around me. I feel ashamed and am truly remorseful.”
Numerous artists, including Lingua Ignota, Chelsea Wolfe and King Woman have since responded to the allegations, noting how they previously cut ties with Pellow. Brian Cook, meanwhile, who plays bass in Russian Circles and Sumac, defended Pellow on Twitter.
Cook wrote: “Cathy can be blunt and uncouth, but I’ve never witnessed anything warranting public outrage. Maybe I’m just lucky. Conversely, I’ve seen her routinely bail people out of bad situations. She’s housed people, paid medical bills, co-signed mortgages, talked people off of ledges.”
He continued: “I applaud people for being angry given the information they have at hand. But if I don’t know what’s actually going on, then consider that maybe you don’t have the full picture either. And I’m not casting stones until I know who I can actually trust in this mess.”
NME have reached out to Sargent House for comment.