It shocked me when I read it. But after thinking about it awhile, perhaps it didn't surprise me at all. Something that is full of shock and anger, and sympathy for the victim, especially since it is one whose career I had followed for the length of time that I've written this blog.
We've had a nice spate of cool, autumn weather to usher in the autumn season, and that meant sitting out under our back canopy, and listening to my currents playlist, the one that makes up the "Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100" that I feature here on this blog. Listening to some really good songs, and finally, "Skeleton Paintings", the most recent song by Avi Buffalo, who is, in actuality Avigdor Zahner-Eisenberg. Zahner-Eisenberg, who has pretty much been using the Avi Buffalo name going back to the outfits' second album, was actually the name of a band he fronted, had retired it in early 2015 and concentrating on writing and producing other artists, until he released a solo endeavor in late 2019.
As is usually the case when I hear an artist, I go online and check to see if he or she has any new product out. But when I went down his Wikipedia page, I saw something rather upsetting:
"On July 27, 2020, Avi Buffalo was accused of rape by a former bandmate."
Further research revealed that, in fact, former keyboardist of the West Coast area (Long Beach)-based band Avi Buffalo, Rebecca Coleman, now fronting Pageants, had accused Zahner-Eisenberg of sexual abuse, rape, harassment and misconduct. And all this occurred around 2008, when the band was just starting up and started recording.
 |
| Avi Buffalo circa 2009. L to R, Rebecca Coleman, Avi Zahner-Eisenberg, Sheridan Riley, Devin O'Brien. Coleman has recently come out and accused Zahner-Eisenberg of rape and sexual assault that year. Both Coleman and O'Brien left and formed Pageants shortly thereafter. Riley now drums with the band Alvvays. |
Avi Buffalo (and from this point on, I will refer to this name as that of the band, and Zahner-Eisenberg as that of the individual) was formed in 2006 with a bunch of high school students: Zahner-Eisenberg, keyboardist Coleman, plus Devin O'Brien on bass and Sheridan Riley on drums. Apparently Zahner-Eisenberg had pursued Coleman to start a relationship and by 2008, she finally relented. However, he had constantly cheated on her, and constantly belittling her and criticizing her musicianship and decided to break it off, moving on to O'Brien, who she had an interest for in the first place.
By 2009 Avi Buffalo was getting some notice and publicity; the four of them signed a two-album contract with Sub Pop Records, a prestigious label mostly associated with the Seattle grunge scene, but still highly visible in the indie pop and rock world, even though the members were still in high school. . On April 22 of that year, Zahner-Eisenberg, in response to a request from the LA Times for a photo shoot, invited members of the band, including both Coleman and O'Brien to his home, leading them to believe the "shoot" was in his home. Coleman got there first, at which tine, he started making unwanted moves on her. Although she consented to "fooling around" with him, she made it explicit that they were not going to be having sex. Zahner-Eisenberg apparently ignored her and penetrated her anyway. When O'Brien arrived, Coleman begged him to stop, but he didn't. He then forced her to leave through the bathroom window and non chalantly told her to come back through the front door to make it like O'Brien didn't know what was going on.
Avi Buffalo's Video for "What's In It For" (2010)
The following day, after school, Coleman tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her by the arm, and said that he knew he raped her and that he was sorry.
Now with a record contract, and about to release the band's self-titled first album, Avi Buffalo went on tour, opening for the band Beach House (a band with five blog top 20's that was also on SubPop), as well as the prestigious annual SXSW (South by Southwest) music festival, and were on the road. Unfortunately, the issues didn't stop. Coleman and O'Brien were now a serious item but that didn't stop Zahner-Eisenberg. During one tour stop, Coleman learned that she would be staying at Zahner-Eisenberg's sister's house while the other members would be elsewhere, and once again, he would anally rape her. He would often harass both Coleman and O'Brien.
By July 2010, Coleman had enough. She left Avi Buffalo, but before she could do that, Zahner-Eisenberg made her sign an agreement, sort of a contract, not to tell anyone about the sexual abuse and rape, upon her leaving the band. She and O'Brien would go on to form The Pageants, another band that may be familiar to blog readers. Coleman at that point absolutely did not want anything to do with him.
In July of this year, Coleman finally broke her silence. She posted on The Pageants Instagram account that she was, indeed, raped by Zahner-Eisenberg on numerous occasions back then. She also mentioned that she was pretty much stifled from saying anything about it earlier because of that contract, but now said "I don't know if this contract still stands. I do not give a fuck. Time's up!".
(Note: the above info was taken from an article by Ben Kay on Consequences Found website, dated July 29, 2020. You can read the whole article here )
Knowing this information makes it all the more tainted. As you know, my blog started in August 2010. On September 2 of that year, my friend Brian Sniatkowski, a big fan of indie and alternative music, had posted his "song of the week", "What's In It For". He described it as "...Sounds like they have a very strong Shins influence". It was a good video with the four members of the band playing in an "Avatar"-like woods setting. The song, from their debut album was critically-acclaimed, and comparisons were made to not only The Shins, but I also got the impression that it left a sort of "groovy vibe" that was a throwback to the "sunshine pop" of the late 1960's. And that from a band that was still essentially teen-agers. In fact, the vibe that I get now from the current band ScreenAge reminded me of Avi Buffalo back then. The song was essential on keeping my then-fledging blog a weekly event when discovering new music. The band and their debut attracted a buzz on the project in indie music circles.
All that, we now know, of course, took place AFTER Coleman and O'Brien left the band; but it was not known at the time. Unaware of the circumstances, "What's In It For" debuted on my blog playlist of September 6, at #21, which still stands as the highest debut on the SNS 100. On October 4, it took the top spot, and held that for five weeks. At year's end, it landed as my #2 song of 2010, trailing only The Black Keys' "Tighten Up". While I had expected things to just get better for the band, it was, even then, pretty much over.
In 2011, Avi Buffalo--now just Zahner-Eisenberg and Riley, plus studio musicians, released a stand-alone single, "How Come". A bit more raw than the polished psych-pop of "What's In It For?", the song made it to #5 on my playlist that summer. Then in 2014, the band (which by then was basically Zahner-Eisenberg, calling himself Avi Buffalo with a random backup band) finally released its sophomore effort, At Best Cuckold, to fulfill its contractual obligation to Sub Pop. Two singles from it made the playlist: "So What" (#6) and "Think It's Gonna Happen Again" (#16). But, by early 2015, a frustrated Avi Zahner-Eisenberg, had called it quits with what was left of the band, tired of the relentless touring but also frustrated with his life in general. He stated he would lend his hand in production, and writing for other artists, but pretty much disappeared from the scene. Finally in 2019 he released an album Glow Cast on Eternal Sound, with Ari Prado. A single, the rather avant-garde "Skeleton Paintings" was released in late 2019. I added the song on my playlist on May 3 of this year, and it peaked at #26 on July 19, just a week or so before Coleman's accusations came out.
As for Coleman and O'Brien's band Pageants, they have been regulars on my blog. In fact, their first song, 2011's "Edible Rust" made it to #5 here, but the following year's "Musing of the Tide" hit #1, making Rebecca Coleman the first---and still the only---artist to have a #1 blog song with two different bands. The band's output has been rather sporadic, coming out with singles here and there. 2013's "August Moon" reached #17, followed by "Lingr" and "Chai"(both #7, 2017), and their most recent "Will O The Wisp" (#6, 2019). They are still very much together, both personally and professionally. Hopefully, now that Rebecca has come forth with something that she's bottled up for eleven years, can she start enjoying a profession that she's been in since her early teens, and that is making music. I look forward to what I believe would be their debut album.
For curiosity sake, I had wondered what happened to Sheridan Riley, the drummer for Avi Buffalo. Turns out that I've been listening to her as well, and didn't know it. Turns out that she landed in the band Alvvays as their drummer. The band's "Archie Marry Me" hit #20 on my blog in 2015 (before she was a member). "In Undertow" got to #13 in 2017 and "Plimsoul Punks" to #30 the following year. The band has released two albums, their eponymous debut in 2014 and 2017's Anitsocialites, which got to #82 on Billboard's album chart---something her ex-bandmates have yet to do. She has also been involved in other music projects; You can read an October 2019 article on Sheridan Riley here.
 |
| Avi Zahner-Isenberg has had his Avi Buffalo music removed from commercial platforms by the band's former label Sub Pop after being accused of rape and sexual assault. |
Getting back to Zahner-Eisenberg, apparently he has been accused of rape from others as well. He has yet to comment on the allegations, but the fallout was immediate. Sub Pop removed both Avi Buffalo albums from physical, digital and streaming platforms; his Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts were deleted as well. There is a private personal Facebook profile "Avi Zahner" but that's pretty much all that remains.
I have deleted "Skeleton Paintings" from my SNS 100 playlist (the song which was #91 last week and falling, would have been #99 this week, but I removed it from the list nonetheless), and he joins a small amount of artists that I will never consider again. The YouTube video of that song was taken down as well. At age 29, he is pretty much blacklisted, although a look at iTunes shows "Skeleton Painting" and the Glow Cast album still there (as they were released independently and not on Sub Pop).
 |
| Devin O'Brien (L) and Rebecca Coleman of Pageants. Both members were once part of Avi Buffalo. |
I will go on the record that, although I can tolerate many things, the few things I absolutely will not, are pedophilia, and rape, sexual abuse, and physical and emotional abuse of any kind, especially when it comes to treatment of girls and women. With all that has happened in 2020, issues like COVID-19, social unrest and injustice, the #MeToo movement seems to have been lost in the shuffle. We know what has happened to the likes of Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein and Matt Lauer and many others. While some are in prison, others are paying the price and suffering a severe downturn in their careers, if any have any career left. And while it's true that Avi Zahner-Eisenberg really never made it "big", most likely now, he'll never get the chance, and his name is now "tainted' in indie circles.
Of course, he still has his defenders. While the Avi Buffalo YouTube account is gone, there is one existing video of "What's In It For" (posted above) that was posted back in 2011 by someone not in the band. A couple of the newer comments address the accusations:
Danny Andrews commented: "I just read about all the rape accusations, and it makes me very sad. I'm normally skeptical of accusations before they are investigated, but apparently this isn't the first time someone has accused him of sexual misconduct. I can't say I'm too surprised, though, because despite being an extremely talented musician, Avi always seemed like a sex-crazed creep."
On the other hand, Eric N comments:
"Music is made by human beings who are inherently flawed creatures. If I like an album I will continue to like it even though the creator may be a jerk or worse. I don’t know much about the band members or the news except that one of the girls in this video claims she was raped by the singer. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty though I have no reason to doubt her or the veracity of the accusations. I strongly believe the accusations against Michael Jackson but every time Off the Wall comes on the radio or on my iPod I get a smile on my face because i love the song and the memories it brings. Avi Buffalo and Michael Jackson already spent my money so I will not cut off my nose to spite my face. If I enjoy it I will keep listening to it. The girls in the band I hope get a share of the pitiful royalties YouTube pays out so I hope she can get some money from her horrible memories. Just my opinion, others can disagree."
And that's a good point. Can I listen to an old Avi Buffalo song now, knowing what happened? Pop music has been littered with artists with skeletons in their closet (and out of them as well). Very few are squeaky clean. But, for example, could you listen to Jonathan King's 1965 hit "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", without thinking about him being convicted for child sexual abuse? Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2" from 1972 has always been a bar and sports anthem, but he too, was convicted of child sexual abuse. For some, Michael Jackson, the superstar that he was, might be in there too. Unlike these charges of abuse of children and women, there are many opinions of current politics. But if an artist who you've been a fan of for decades has an opinion different from yours and has been outspoken on it, can you listen again without prejudice?
Regardless, I am happy for Rebecca Coleman to come out and finally speak her mind. May she someday find happiness and success with Pageants or any other project she decides to pursue.
 |
| The Four Seasons in 1966. Tommy DeVito (top) died this past week at age 92 due to COVID-19. |
RIP JERSEY BOY: Sad news this past week as Tommy DeVito passed away due to complications of COVID-19, he was 92. DeVito was a member of Jersey-based band The Four Seasons, who had much success in the 1960's. However, the origins of the band go back to the early 1950's when a group of New Jersey singers formed a doo-wop band. His original group was called "The Variety Trio" which also included his brother Nick and Hank Majewski. In 1954, that band added another member, a guy named Frankie Valli. The band changed names numerous times, including to the Varietones, The Four Lovers (they charted on the Billboard Top 100 with "Apple of My Eye" in 1956, and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show), and other names over the years.
By 1960 they were struggling without any further chart songs. Tommy's brother Nick left the band, but a connection with future actor Joe Pesci linked him with Bob Gaudio, who had been in The Royal Teens (of "Short Shorts" fame), who joined the group, writing much of their songs. The name "The Four Seasons" was derived from a failed audition at a local New Jersey bowling alley lounge, "4 Seasons" in Union--a place I bowled frequently including in leagues in the 1970's and early 80's incidentally. Two years later, with Nick Massi replacing Majewski, they finally had their first hit, "Sherry" in 1962, and followed it up with several more chart toppers through the decade.
Tired of the traveling and touring, DeVito left the band in early 1970, well after they had their initial string of 1960's hits. He would make two more appearances with the classic lineup: In 1990 during the group's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and in 2005 at the opening of the Broadway musical based on the group, Jersey Boys.
DeVito's death leaves Frankie Valli (still performing), Bob Gaudio (retired from touring but still a member of the partnership with Valli), Joe Long and Charles Calello (both who had replaced, at times, the now deceased Nick Massi) as surviving members of the 1960's hit-making lineup.
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| Elise Farnsworth becomes the forth straight artist New Jersey to top my blog playlist, with "In the Morning Light". |
JERSEY STREAK: Moving from golden Jersey groups of the past, to those of the present, we have a new number one song, Elise Farnsworth's "In the Morning Light". The second featured track from her debut Turn Her Up, she becomes the fourth successive artist from the Garden State to take the brass ring, and it's also the seventh week in a row that the number one spot has been occupied by a Jersey artist. Real Estate's "Paper Cup" started the ball rolling with a one week stand on August 9; it was followed by Donna Missal's "How Does It Feel", which also held sway for a week. ScreenAge's "Blue Eyed Addiction" then took command for four weeks before Elise beat them out of the top spot this week. With "Lost Days" by The Outcrops staying at the top for four weeks back in April and May, that makes five Jersey acts that have reached the top this year. There were none at all in 2019, and you have to go back to Missal's "Keep Lying" to find the previous Jersey singer at the top, on October 7, 2018, completing a five-week run at the top. Before that you have to go back another two years for "Oh Paige" by The Hounds of Winter. Others from Jersey who have hit the top from the blog era include Rachel Allyn, Paul Czekaj, Vivian Girls, and Smash Palace. It's interesting to note that, except for Real Estate and perhaps Donna Missal, none of these had attracted any sort of sustained buzz; only Real Estate landed on Billboard's alternative or Triple-A charts. That's really a shame, since the state has many legends in popular music, dating back to the big band era.
So, can the Jersey streak continue? Unless Ms. Farnsworth repeats next week, or ScreenAge moves back into the top spot, probably not. The next Garden State artist moving up the playlist is Christina Alessi at #12 with "So In Love With You", followed by the Impact winner this week, Karen Wallo with "Rain Away My Sorrow" moving 22-15. Both artists have songs from solo albums and both are out on the (local) roads again with The Toll Collectors and Jersey Cowgirls.
With Winnetka Bowling League and Michael Kiwanuka moving into the 3 and 4 spots this week, it's a good bet that the next number one will come from either artist; both looking for their third blog topper. And don't overlook David Porfirio's cool instrumental "Driving at Dusk", which has a shot at being only the second instrumental to stop my list; the song moves 15-8 this week.
ADDS: Seven newbies this week, led off by Black Pumas, with the third track "Black Moon Rising", which, like the recent "Colors" was a prior release off their self-titled debut. That song, released in 2018 made it to #31 on the Triple-A chart then but is now being played on WEQX out of Manchester Vermont. They have released a new single, "I'm Ready" off of a deluxe version of the album, which I will add depending on whether "Black Moon" catches on. The song is an extension of their "psychedelic soul" sound which is so refreshing these days.
Close behind is the Pretenders' follow-up to Chrissy Hynde and company's top 20 "The Buzz". "Didn't Want to Be This Lonely". This one is a rhythmic throw-back to several decades. Beginning with an "I Want Candy" groove, the song maintains it's catchy Joan Jett-like vibe throughout the song. Chrissy's understated vocals, as usual, work very well in this context.
A newcomer to SNS, Morgan Wallen, debuts with "7 Summers". He is a country artist, but the song is scoring at Hot AC. With the SNS 100 devoid of country music the last few weeks (since the Blake Shelton duet with Gwen Stefani dropped out), it's nice to see this song and artist on there. A very melodic Thomas Rhett-like soulful vibe makes it a refreshing listen. The artist actually competed on The Voice on that shows season 6. Interestingly, he had been on both Usher's and Adam Levine's team (but not Shelton's). He was eliminated during the playoff round (giving further credence to winning a season no way guarantees you success...anyone who goes on these shows gets the needed exposure).
Saint Motel has a catchy and danceable song "Preach", which should outdo their recent "A Good Song Never Dies"; The Rolling Stones follow-up their pandemic anthem "Living in a Ghost Town" with "Scarlet", from a deluxe version of their 1973 effort Goats Head Soup; it features Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame. The song did not appear on the original version of the album, but was an outtake of it. There are actually three mixes of the song; one with Page, one with The Killers, and one with The War on Drugs. While many agree that Goats Head Soup was a decline from their classic era that started with Beggars Banquet and ending with Exile on Main St, the group was still in palatable form and their reputation that they gained exceeded any critical issues with the music on the album. As for "Preach", it is a very catchy, pop-rock effort and should grab a few spins.
Rounding out the adds are alt-rock charters Nothing But Thieves' "Real Love Song" and Machine Gun Kelly's "Blood Valentine", the latter currently number 2 on Billboard's alternative chart. The Thieves had a few songs in the lower part of my playlist over the years; This is Machine Gun Kelly's first song on my blog, his real name is Richard Colson Baker and is from Houston TX who melds rock and hip-hop.
INDIE SCENE: Several of my blog up-and-coming favorites are playing on the road or virtually live in the coming weeks. This Sunday, September 27, Elise Farnsworth is one of four local artists playing at Poricy Park in Middletown NJ, from 4 to 6 PM.......Shannon Marsyada is at The Montfort Lounge in Sheppton PA on October 2 from 5 to 9 PM.....Karen Wallo's band Jersey Cowgirls at Prospectors in Mt. Laurel, NJ on October 3 at 8 PM......and finally, C. Lynne Smith is part of a lineup online, on the "Queer Women in Music" Facebook page from 3 to 8 PM on Saturday, September 27.
Support your local artists!
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
September 20, 2020
This Week
|
Last
Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks
on List
|
1
|
2
|
NUMBER ONE:
Album: Turn Her Up
|
10
|
2
|
1
|
19
|
|
3
|
5
|
7
|
|
4
|
6
|
6
|
|
5
|
3
|
10
|
|
6
|
4
|
12
|
|
7
|
8
|
6
|
|
8
|
15
|
6
|
|
9
|
9
|
12
|
|
10
|
10
|
8
|
|
11
|
11
|
9
|
|
12
|
14
|
11
|
|
13
|
7
|
17
|
|
14
|
12
|
18
|
|
15
|
22
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
Album: We're In This Together
|
6
|
16
|
16
|
22
|
|
17
|
21
|
11
|
|
18
|
17
|
21
|
|
19
|
13
|
23
|
|
20
|
18
|
15
|
|
21
|
19
|
13
|
|
22
|
20
|
16
|
|
23
|
31
|
5
|
|
24
|
26
|
8
|
|
25
|
33
|
3
|
|
26
|
23
|
14
|
|
27
|
29
|
6
|
|
28
|
28
|
9
|
|
29
|
24
|
14
|
|
30
|
35
|
5
|
|
31
|
25
|
16
|
|
32
|
43
|
4
|
|
33
|
32
|
8
|
|
34
|
56
|
3
|
|
35
|
72
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
Album: She Is Miley Cyrus
|
2
|
36
|
48
|
4
|
|
37
|
57
|
3
|
|
38
|
54
|
3
|
|
39
|
46
|
10
|
|
40
|
50
|
4
|
|
41
|
53
|
7
|
|
42
|
30
|
22
|
|
43
|
61
|
3
|
|
44
|
45
|
7
|
|
45
|
27
|
13
|
|
46
|
36
|
16
|
|
47
|
51
|
10
|
|
48
|
34
|
17
|
|
49
|
37
|
11
|
|
50
|
41
|
26
|
|
51
|
47
|
7
|
|
52
|
44
|
14
|
|
53
|
49
|
7
|
|
54
|
38
|
10
|
|
55
|
39
|
17
|
|
56
|
52
|
21
|
|
57
|
58
|
16
|
|
58
|
42
|
13
|
|
59
|
55
|
11
|
|
60
|
60
|
5
|
|
61
|
84
|
2
|
|
62
|
40
|
16
|
|
63
|
64
|
5
|
|
64
|
65
|
4
|
|
65
|
63
|
7
|
|
66
|
68
|
4
|
|
67
|
67
|
4
|
|
68
|
66
|
7
|
|
69
|
69
|
10
|
|
70
|
62
|
15
|
|
71
|
77
|
2
|
|
72
|
---
|
TOP DEBUT:
Album: Black Pumas
|
1
|
73
|
59
|
15
|
|
74
|
71
|
5
|
|
75
|
80
|
2
|
|
76
|
---
|
1
|
|
77
|
73
|
8
|
|
78
|
---
|
1
|
|
79
|
78
|
3
|
|
80
|
---
|
1
|
|
81
|
---
|
1
|
|
82
|
---
|
1
|
|
83
|
83
|
2
|
|
84
|
86
|
2
|
|
85
|
70
|
6
|
|
86
|
89
|
13
|
|
87
|
---
|
1
|
|
88
|
76
|
6
|
|
89
|
92
|
4
|
|
90
|
75
|
12
|
|
91
|
79
|
11
|
|
92
|
74
|
9
|
|
93
|
82
|
6
|
|
94
|
85
|
5
|
|
95
|
81
|
17
|
|
96
|
87
|
18
|
|
97
|
88
|
9
|
|
98
|
90
|
16
|
|
99
|
93
|
19
|
|
100
|
94
|
19
|
Songs with the greatest increase in
favorite points over the prior week. ●
Songs with
25 or more plays on iTunes/iPods ▲ Songs with 50 or more plays.
