Brandon fried, drummer for The Neighborhood, was fired on Sunday, November 13 after vocalist Mara Zardoya accused him of sexual assault. After Zardoya called him on Instagram, Brandon Fried confirmed the allegations and acknowledged the behavior.
Zardoya, the lead singer of pop band The Marias, described the encounter in an Instagram story on Sunday, calling it “one of the most unpleasant experiences to date.” According to the story, the event took place in a pub, when the drummer touched her without her consent in an “invasion of space, privacy and body”.
She stated:
“I was in a pub last night when Brandon Fried touched me under the table. It was one of the most disturbing experiences I’ve ever had. I felt a violation of my personal space, privacy and body.
In the piece, she tagged The Neighborhood and added:
“You need a new drummer; this guy is a total creep.
After the allegations were made, the rock band issued a statement in response to Zardoya, revealing that Brandon Fried had been fired.
The Neighborhood booted its drummer Brandon Fried after The Marías singer María Zardoya claimed he groped her in a bar. https://t.co/dZ4GdXv9Ag
— billboard (@billboard) November 14, 2022
Brandon Fried seeks treatment for his alcohol and drug abuse problems.
The lead singer of The Marias, which consists of Maria Zardoya and Josh Conway on drums, blogged about the event on their band’s Instagram page on Sunday. The Neighborhood, consisting of (former) drummer Brandon Fried, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, bassist Mikey Margot and vocalist Jesse Rutherford, issued a statement on Twitter shortly after Zardoya’s tweet went viral.
They thanked the artist for coming and said they have zero tolerance for any form of offensive behavior against women. The band also stated:
“Brandon will no longer be a member of The Neighborhood as a result of his behavior.”
The drummer also apologized on Instagram Stories, apologizing to Zardoya, The Neighborhood and their followers. He said he was “deeply sorry” for his unwelcome approaches to Zardoya and apologized to all women who were victims of behavior that made them feel uncomfortable or violated. Brandon added that his actions with the lead singer of The Maria were unforgivable and unbearable and that while they didn’t represent him as a person, they reflected the person he became when he was intoxicated.
He went on to say that he has entered therapy for his alcohol and drug abuse issues. He concluded by apologizing to his bandmates and supporters for letting them down. Brandon Fried has been the band’s drummer since 2014 when he took over. De Buurt has not yet provided an update on his replacement.
The Neighborhood’s most recent track was the standalone song “Fallen Star”, released last year. Prior to this, in September 2020, the band, which formed in 2011, released their fourth studio album, ‘Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones’. The band has recently received a lot of media attention as a result of lead singer Jesse Rutherford’s budding relationship with Billie Eilish.
