EDMONTON—A local music festival has cancelled a performance by a former Misfits singer after discovering social-media accounts under his name are promoting what it calls conspiracy theories and extreme right-wing views.

Up and Downtown Music Festival artistic director Brent Oliver said it was brought to his attention Tuesday evening that Michale Graves, who was slated to play Oct. 6 at The Temple Nightclub, has posted a long list of controversial links on Instagram, YouTube and Twitter as well as his own blog.

“We found stories ‘disproving’ mental illness, asking if feminism is a cancer, supporting Alex Jones and Infowars, supporting Donald Trump, supporting other fascist and basically backwards ideas that are really antithetical to what we believe as an organization and as a not-for-profit music festival,” Oliver said.

“It was a pretty quick decision.”

Graves did not immediately reply to StarMetro’s requests for comment via Twitter and email.

The New Jersey musician briefly sang for the Misfits in the late 1990s and has since released several solo albums of hard rock with horror-themed lyrics.

One of the recent posts on the “official” Michale Graves blog states America is on the brink of disaster because of an “engineered civil war.” Another, targeting journalist Jamil Smith, is titled “MTV Hates White People.”

The festival announced the cancellation in a Facebook post at noon Wednesday. Within hours, it had drawn a slew of comments both criticizing and supporting the decision. At least one user said he would not attend the festival because of it.

“We have people calling me everything from weak and classless and lame and stifling free speech, to people supporting the decision and are more supportive of the festival for it. I get both their opinions,” Oliver said.

“That’s fine. (Graves) can say whatever he wants, and the people who are all over me can say whatever they want. I’m a big boy; I can take it. But ultimately I don’t want to work with someone like that — end of story.”

Oliver said he was not aware of Graves’ leanings when the artist was booked and said the festival will do a better job vetting performers in the future.

He said some have pointed out that Up and Downtown headliner Tanya Tagaq, an Inuk throat singer and author, is also very politically outspoken on social media.

The difference, Oliver said, is her outspokenness aligns with the festival’s values.

“We have a safer spaces policy, we have a policy of inclusion, we try to be as inclusive a space as a festival and our venues as possible,” Oliver said.

“If any other promoter wants to take the (Michale Graves) show ... they’re welcome to have it, people are welcome to go. I’m not buying a ticket.”

It appears the show will, in fact, go on.

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Hours after Up and Downtown dropped the show, the Starlite Room — which shares a building with The Temple — announced on its Facebook page that The Temple will host the show as planned on Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. but run it separate from the festival.

A matinee performance scheduled for 2 p.m. on Oct. 6 at The Temple has been cancelled. Tickets purchased for either show will be honoured at the 8 p.m. concert.

The sixth annual Up and Downtown Music Festival runs Oct. 5-7 in various venues.

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