IONIA, MICHIGAN - JULY 19: Kyle Rittenhouse (center), the then-17-year-old who, in 2020, shot and killed two protestors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, claimed self-defense, and was found not guilty, speaks to supporters of the 2nd Amendment at a "Defend Our 2A: Michigan's Fight for Self Preservation" rally at a farm on July 19, 2023 in Ionia, Michigan. The rally was moved this year from the Michigan State Capitol where it was previously held. Other speakers at the rally are former Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack, and Mark and Patricia McCloskey. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Hardcore band Evergreen Terrace dropped out of heavy metal music festival Shell Shock II in Orlando, Florida, to protest the festival’s promotion of Kyle Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse became nationally recognized in 2020 at the age of 17 when he killed two men and injured a third at a racial demonstration in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was charged with homicide, attempted homicide and reckless endangering safety but testified that he acted in self-defense and was acquitted of all charges in November 2021.
Shell Shock’s organizers describe it as a concert charity event that raises funds for a charity that supports “first responders struggling with injuries, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” According to reports, Shell Shock booked Rittenhouse to make a special “guest” appearance on October 19.
In response, Evergreen Terrace announced in a Facebook post that they had dropped out of the festival.
Evergreen Terrace’s departure from the festival led to seven other bands’ departures, including Southpaw, American Hollow and Let Me Bleed.
Evergreen Terrace assured that while they have always and continue to support philanthropic efforts, they refused to “align with an event promoting a perceived murderer such as Kyle Rittenhouse capitalizing off of their pseudo-celebrity.”
The band said, “Unfortunately, we did not do our due diligence with this particular event. Even after they offered to pull Kyle from the event, we discovered several associated entities that we simply do not agree with. As advocates for free speech, we are respectfully canceling the Shell Shock festival.”
Evergreen Terrace went on to assure that they would personally donate to a veterans charity and encouraged their fans to do so as well.
The festival’s founder, Tyler Hoover, slammed the bands that dropped out on Thursday night, accusing them of encouraging cancel culture and declaring, “The most punk move you can find to do is stay on a bill that everyone hates. That’s being covered by the media. What happened to punk? What happened to rock? What happened to finger in the air?”
The Antihero podcast, one of the festival’s organizers, announced the festival’s lineup change on Instagram, along with the statement, “We have been silent. But we are prepping. The liberal mob attempted to destroy Shell Shock. But we will not allow it. This is now about more than a concert. This is a war of ideology.”
In 2022, Rittenhouse announced plans to sue LeBron James and Whoopi Goldberg for defamation.
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