Two Homewrecker Members Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Allegations have been made against vocalist Matt Barnum and drummer Matt Izzi
This past Sunday (June 21), a woman identified as Riley alleged on Twitter that frontman Matt Barnum had solicited nude photographs from her in exchange for alcohol when she was 16.
matt barnum from @Homewrecker_OH solicited nudes from me when i was 16 and he was 24~ in exchange for a bottle of whiskey even though he is "straightedge" and then manipulated me for several years which is nothing compared to what he did to other girls in our local scene.
— riley (@coorsbably) June 21, 2020
i never wanted to be the first person to come forward about this but i literally cannot stand by anymore and sit with what happened without addressing it. sorry to my friends who may be affected by this but you know who he is and denied it.
— riley (@coorsbably) June 21, 2020
matt targeted me and any other young and impressionable girl who came to shows and used his position as a founder of the ashtabula DIY scene and a member of Homewrecker as a way to manipulate us. People quit his band because of who he is and i expect them to speak up about this.
— riley (@coorsbably) June 21, 2020
from a friend on insta, pretty weird how matt barnum would act like being straight edge made him a better person than everyone else and then do shit like this pic.twitter.com/cRGixVQHOS
— riley (@coorsbably) June 21, 2020
Riley also shared a link to an Instagram account, @survivingmattbarnum, that has since been populated with similar stories of the frontman exhibiting abusive, manipulative behaviour towards women, some of whom were underage at the time.
Homewrecker were dropped by their label Good Fight Music not long after the allegations came to light. "Good Fight Music is no longer associated with Homewrecker effective immediately," the label wrote in a statement Sunday. "We will never tolerate, condone, or stay silent about sexual aggression on our roster, especially towards minors. BELIEVE WOMEN."
Yesterday (June 23), Homewrecker shared a statement concerning the allegations against Barnum, written by drummer/vocalist Izzi. "I empathize with all those who have been extremely brave to share their stories, as well as the ones who have yet to," he wrote, before concluding the post with the announcement of Barnum's firing from the band.
"I want to make it clear without question, Matt Barnum is no longer a part of Homewrecker," Izzi wrote. "I along with the rest of my bandmates vehemently oppose his actions and do not condone this despicable behavior."
Today, the @surivingmattbarnum account shared a number of stories revealing similar conduct from Izzi, leading to his dismissal from bands Crypt Rot and Scorched.
"Until early this morning, not one member of this band has ever even had the slightest idea of the predatory acts of drummer Matt Izzi," Scorched wrote on Facebook. "We have a zero tolerance stance towards this type of behavior. Immediately effective, Matt Izzi is no longer a part of Scorched."
Crypt Rot wrote, "Even though we have not been active, we want to come out and say we will not and never have condoned the actions of members of Homewrecker. If we ever continue, Matt Izzi will no longer be affiliated. We feel for all the victims of these actions."
Guitarist Paul Alosio and bassist Dalton Edwards have since confirmed their respective departures from the group, after sharing separate statements earlier this week.
Code Orange guitarist/vocalist Reba Meyers also shared a statement yesterday acknowledging Barnum's past work with the band as a touring crew member. "To the women hurt by his actions, or actions in this vein by anyone towards you or your friends, I hope you are somehow able to work through this struggle and find meaningful balanced relationships in spite of it," she wrote. "You truly deserve that. I'm sure you're hurting much worse than I and my band and myself send you all the love we have."