Longtime Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley is speaking out after being accused of sexual misconduct by his former Crystal Garden bandmate James Frost-Winn.
“I’m truly hurt by the one-sided account that appeared on a blog about me yesterday,” Tinsley, 54, said in a statement to Us Weekly on Friday, May 18. “I only wish the reporter had spoken to me first, so they would have heard the truth.”
His statement continued, “I will defend myself against these false accusations. I can only assume the motivation for the article and the lawsuit filed against me. These accusations have caused great embarrassment for my family, my friends and my fans. I will fight both in and out of court to repair the damage that has been done.”
Frost-Winn filed a $9 million lawsuit in Washington on Thursday, May 17, against Tinsley after claiming to Consequence of Sound that the violinist made unwanted sexual advances and comments toward him.
The Seattle-based trumpet player told the online magazine that he first met Tinsley in 2007 when he was a homeless 18-year-old. He said they quickly became friends over their mutual love of music and stayed in touch in the years that followed. Tinsley approached Frost-Winn about starting a band, which would ultimately become Crystal Garden, in July 2015.
“At that point, we had been friends for, like, eight years. We weren’t always hanging out, but when he would come into town, he’d treat me well,” Frost-Winn said. “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?”
After joining forces musically, Tinsley’s behavior toward Frost-Winn became increasingly inappropriate, the latter claimed to Consequence of Sound. Frost-Winn alleged that Tinsley (who is married and has two children) touched him, made explicit sexual comments and once masturbated next to him while he was asleep. Frost-Winn quit the band soon after.
In response, Dave Matthews Band released a statement to the publication, saying, “Though Boyd is no longer a member of the band, we are shocked by these disturbing allegations and we were not previously aware of them.”
