Meredith Henderson of VCTMS releases official statement about recent allegations

Drummer/lyricist Meredith Henderson has now released a comprehensive statement of her own after being accused of abusive behavior by two of her former colleagues in VCTMS. Guitarist Mike Joseph Clampitt left the band last week, citing abusive conduct toward him and others in the band’s vicinity as the tipping point. He also accused Henderson of embezzling band money. John Matalone, the band’s singer, later released this statement detailing his experiences with the group and declaring that, once they had fulfilled their obligations, he planned to think about the band and their future. Over the weekend, former touring bassist Davion Cutler—who left VCTMS in August of last year—came forth with his own claims of abuse against Henderson, which essentially echoed Clampitt’s worries.

I apologize for my silence; I needed time to process everything before speaking publicly.

I’ve been apart of VCTMS for the past 13 years as the founder and last original member, in the bands tenure I’ve made a lot of mistakes—in business, in friendships, and in my personal life. Some of those mistakes have been at the expense of the people I love and ultimately you reap what you sow. Hearing how my actions have negatively impacted past members, crew, and friends has been a rude awakening. I cannot diminish how I’ve made people feel, and I am deeply sorry to anyone I’ve hurt or disrespected in my time here. I don’t operate from a place of malice, but I have been negligent to understand how cruel and selfish I can be.

For over a decade, I took on most of the band’s management and 90% of the behind the scenes while ignoring my own mental and physical health. Burnout and apathy caught up with me, and instead of taking a step back when I was struggling or recovering from my hospitalizations, I let stress bleed into my relationships and work environment. Turning me into someone who created tension, pushed people away, and at times treated people poorly, when they deserved better. That is entirely on me. Pouring myself into this band for 13 years doesn’t excuse operating on empty or being abrasive towards the people working for the band. Regarding business operations and tour logistics: all working crew members from our most recent tour have been settled. If there is any outstanding debt from past tours, please reach out to John or me directly so we can handle it immediately.

There’s been a lot of great moments, but I know that doesn’t change the damage. It just reminds me who I’m capable of being and I’m committed to see that version of myself through. I can admit when i mess up.

I respect Mike and Davion‘s decision to walk away and prioritize their well-being, I never wanted to put anyone through so much grief to a point where they feel the only option is to leave. Nobody deserves to feel like they have to suffer to live out their passion.

I’ll be taking time to focus on my health—continuing the therapy I restarted right before this tour and addressing the health issues that flared up over the summer. I also plan to reach out privately to apologize to those I’ve hurt once there’s been enough time to fully reflect on everything that needs to be said. I’ve made a lot of mistakes throughout the course of my life and if anything comes from this it’ll be a learning experience. Regardless how anyone feels about me right now, I am human just as anyone else.

John and I are equal partners in this as we’re co owners of the LLC, the bank account, and the van so we’ll discuss what happens next. I don’t have all the answers right now, but at the least I can say is thank you. I have a laundry list of regrets. This was a wake up call, and I know I have to earn back trust and respect—if that’s even possible. We’ll see.

The only real way to grow is to lose.

Be safe everyone.
I hope to anyone affected can all heal in the end.
bad luck crew forever.

Additionally, she stated in the comments:

Now I’m gonna say I’ve read pretty much every comment in the past week which some of y’all are MEAN. To the fans that had a negative experience with me I promise a lot of these instances are never personal as I’m not above anyone. Sometimes I really just don’t feel like talking. Other times I’m not even paying attention to what’s going on. Maybe I’m an autopilot not even noticing that you said hi. My social battery gets clocked so fast these days it’s hard to keep up. Everybody sees life through a different lens. I only see things through my eyes so I can’t possibly know what’s it’s like to be at the other end of dealing with me.

Which is why I don’t want to invalidate anyone’s feelings and listen to what people are having to say cause I care. I have a platform for a reason so if I am the problem I would rather learn what’s the best way to navigate for a solution. While it’s not going to be recognized by the public I have grown so much in certain aspects of my life. While needing improvement in others. That’s life. I’m not perfect. I’m never going to be. I saw those statements and it punched me in the face.

I love Mike and I love Davion and I love everyone who’s played + worked for the band. Though clearly if there is a rotating group of members then something has gotta give. So instead of taking the cowards way I confront it. Head on. I’m not going to please everyone and that’s alright. I can at least try to make peace with the situation and move forward with what I know now. Nothing but love honestly and sometimes the people that love you the most have to be the ones to teach you the lesson. True strength comes from failure.