The accusations against Jake McElfresh, more popularly known as solo artist “Front Porch Step”, are so damning it’s hard to believe he has not been charged with a crime. At least, not yet. The 23 year-old acoustic artist halted plans for an early 2015 tour amid rumors that he carried out lurid text message relationships with underage girls he met on tour. If the tumblr accounts linked by Alternative Press are to be believed then McElfresh has more to worry about than the possibility of being among the first acts announced — and dropped — by Warped Tour in 2015.
Warped Tour Founder Kevin Lyman addressed the controversy via Twitter, first promising to investigate the allegations made in a change.org petition to remove Front Porch Step from Warped Tour. Two days later, he announced he would cut his holiday vacation short because of the controversy.
Lyman is the only person quoted as vetting any facts so far. Two of the individuals behind the AP-reposted tumblr accounts claim they met McElfresh at Warped Tour, so Lyman presumably has his own reasons to verify their claims: he cares about his fans’ safety and he doesn’t want Warped Tour held responsible for the possible criminal activity of McElfresh. Though no legal steps have been announced, it would make sense for McElfresh, Pure Noise Records (his label) or Warped Tour to lawyer up as well.
Alternative Press hints there are more tumblr stories about McElfresh but doesn’t mention to what extent, if any, they reached out to verify the authenticity of the posted stories or the identities of the accusers. Considering Rolling Stone’s botched fact-checking in a story about rape in a University Of Virginia fraternity, AP would be wise to handle this story carefully. So far, everything AP knows is posted in one blog entry which does not make mention of any direct contact between AP and the accusers.
Instead, the public is deciding for itself whether McElfresh is guilty of sexual misconduct throughout the country, not just in his home state of Ohio. Over 12,000 petition signers believe McElfresh is a risk to Warped Tour Fans based on fuzzy pics of texts posted with the petition, AP’s six tumblrs and other stories that have circulated into internet ubiquity. Objective truth aside, neither Ohio state authorities nor federal investigators have turned these accusations into criminal evidence against McElfresh.
AP’s tumblr reposts portray the stories of girls as young as 13 who were enchanted by McElfresh’s star power but became victims of his allegedly obsessive, perverted personality. According to the posts, he met the victims either in person or online through Front Porch Step social media, then innocent conversation escalated to direct messages or text. Tumblr users “Gracefulbooty” and “Richasslouis” admit they gave their phone numbers to him, the latter added:
This is the kind of monumentally poor judgment demonstrated throughout these tumblr posts: young girls who knew they were party to illegal behavior but too naïve (or charmed by McElfresh’s celebrity status) to resist him are psychologically victimized or just plain creeped out. The stories conform to the stereotype of the young groupie who throws herself at a man just because he sings and plays guitar. They also portray the stereotype of a rock star artist who not only travels from town to town but woman to woman.
People should be skeptical of the accusations against McElfresh precisely because they confirm those stereotypes so well. In its Top 15 internet hoaxes of 2014, The Washington Post recounts viral news stories that were proven untrue long after the stories were liked, shared and reposted on social media. Many of these stories play to stereotypes so strongly that people will share with the notion it is “too good/stupid/crazy to be true” without considering whether the news was verified, if at all. Here are a few of WP’s stories broken down by the stereotypical belief that made them viral:
| FRAUDULENT STORY | STEREOTYPES |
| A girl had a third breast implanted to get on an MTV reality show. | Young women are so obsessed with image and celebrity that they will do anything to get it. |
| Random men try to take advantage of an obviously drunk woman on camera. | Young white women cannot drink responsibly. Men are chauvinists who prey on vulnerable women. |
| Bicyclists symbolically fly white flags on Brooklyn Bridge as they “surrender” it to pedestrians. | Bicyclists selfishly act like they own the road. |
This is not to say men in touring bands are not occasionally charged for improper contact with minors, sometimes they are. Some women are also self-professed groupies, proud to have sex with a man just because he is in a band. The point is, people are more likely to accept news as fact if it confirms a personal bias.
Of the six tumblr posts, Richasslouis admits to the worst personal judgment but who can blame her? She was only 13 years old according to her post. She said she sent McElfresh nude pictures, fully aware of the possible consequences he could face if the pictures were reported:
User “Sleepyeyesandb0nykn33s” has the most believable retelling of events between McElfresh and herself. Hers is also sad because she claims responsibility for his allegedly illegal behavior. As with other tumblr accusers, McElfresh carried on a mostly virtual, electronic relationship with Sleepyeyesandb0nykn33s which was cemented by sexual advances but collapsed under McElfresh’s intense jealousy of other men pictured with her in social media. Her post is complete with cringe-inducing screen grabs of text romance and rage between herself and someone named Jake, along with a shirtless selfie of McElfresh in bed, or at least someone who looks like him. “Jake” even admits to some kind of improper behavior:
For verification, Sleepyeyesandb0nykn33s posted McElfresh’s phone number in screen shot of his contact information as it appears on her phone. A call to the posted number rings directly to an automated message from Verizon stating the number has been changed, disconnected or is no longer in service. The first seven digits of the number posted by Sleepyeyesandb0nykn33s match the digits from the texts posted on the change.org petition.
Sleepyeyesandb0nykn33s did not mention her age. Only McElfresh’s alleged text above and references to prom indicate this user’s age at the time of her involvement with McElfresh.
Tumblr user “lilgarbagebaby” has one of the more circulated stories about McElfresh, who allegedly pestered her for nude photos online.
That user is not linked by Alternative Press but the post is referenced by both “Untamedxworld” and “Moremetalthanyourmom”, both of whom claim McElfresh harassed them. Moremetalthanyourmom referenced several other posts about McElfresh, but many of them are now removed. User “Fatxjack” claimed to have a picture of McElfresh’s penis. According to the Fatxjack post, a tattoo in the picture matches one on McElfresh’s left calf muscle, but only a small portion of the tattoo is visible.
Parental intervention is absent in all but one post. Gracefulbooty writes with complete transparency for strangers on tumblr but confessed that her mom only knows half the story about her relationship with McElfresh.
For the sake of discussion, let’s suppose all the claims against McElfresh are untrue. Why would someone organize such a large-scale effort against him? AP’s cited tumblr accounts are all written with different styles, posted in different formats, many featuring pictures of McElfresh with different girls. This would be a highly elaborate hoax if one person or website is coordinating it all. With resources like that, one would wonder why Front Porch Step earned such wrath.
More likely, there is some truth to these reports but it must be found by wading through the muck of anonymity and teenage drama found everywhere in social media. Events recounted on tumblr took place throughout 2014, which leaves months for state and federal authorities to investigate claims against McElfresh. The difference between the internet mob and actual justice is the concept of proof. In court, a jury of peers needs evidence beyond a reasonable doubt in order to convict. On the internet, 12,000 petition signers only need pitchforks, torches and rumors.
