Two Acts Quit David Meinert's Band Management Company

The Lumineers. These guys didn't quit yet. Josh Bis

Two of the acts currently signed to David Meinert's management company announced Friday that they plan to completely cut business ties with the Seattle businessman. Meinert was accused by five women of sexual misconduct, including two rape allegations, in a story published Thursday by KUOW.

Hey Marseilles said on Twitter Friday night that they are "working on a path forward" that will not include Meinert. Andrea Gibson, a spoken word poet, told me Friday that they would "not have any involvement" with any Meinert-owned company.

The Lumineers, the most commercially successful act currently managed by Meinert's company, have not made any public announcement regarding Meinert nor have they returned requests for comment.

David Meinert is a popular figure in Seattle. The 52-year-old either owns or co-owns the 5 Point Cafe, the Comet Tavern, Grim's, and Lost Lake. But one of his most successful business ventures has been managing bands, including Blue Scholars, Common Market, and the Presidents Of The United States Of America. Onto Entertainment, his management company, listed three acts on their website on Thursday when KUOW published the accusations against him: Hey Marseille, The Lumineers, and Andrea Gibson. Gibson's name has since been removed.

Gibson told me in an e-mail that they signed onto Meinert's company when Christen Greene, their manager for the last 13 years, started working with Onto. They said they never met or worked directly with Meinert.

"I’m appalled, disgusted, and heartbroken by the news," Gibson said. "I absolutely believe every brave woman who came forward. As a survivor of sexual assault, I know how excruciating it is to share truths such as this."

Gibson said they were cutting ties with Onto.

"I will have no involvement with any company he is involved with moving forward," Gibson said. "My heart goes out to the survivors. I am deeply grateful for their courage."

The Lumineers have not returned my requests for comment. The folk rock group was discovered by Meinert's company in 2011 when they were an unknown group in Denver. The Lumineers' first single, "Ho Hey," topped commercial charts for nearly a year, peaking at number 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 in December of 2012. Their first album sold over 3 million copies, their second album sold over 1 million.

I will update this post if I hear back from The Lumineers.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misgendered Andrea Gibson. The spoken word poet uses the pronouns they/their/them. The Stranger apologizes for the error.