Rachel From He is We Takes to Twitter To Vent
 

Rachel from He Is We is tweeting some interesting things: "The statement released was not completely accurate. I have never met Stevie Scott and she never reached out to me. This feels so fake & sad." and "I feel like He Is We has taken a very superficial and commercial turn. I'm tired of being quiet. I have shame flowing through my veins." .. followed by, "ashamed of the industry. i haven't heard from my band in 2 weeks." and, "its like they're using my illness to get you guys to see the shows. i have NOTHING to do with this and its feeling so fake."

Update: More keep coming in ...

"i originally thought it was going to be rescheduled. I'm on chemo for goodness sake. i had no idea what was going on."

"they can have the He Is We name if they want it, i refuse to let that stop me from being honest and true to you guys."

Update #2: For those that haven't been following, last week it was announced that Rachel would be leaving the band's touring/live show due to illness (statement here) and a new singer would be performing live. Um, then shit hit the fan.

Update #3: Rachel has started a tumblr blog, and posted a message.

From Tumblr

I can already see the repercussions of the honesty I have shared. I did not do this to start drama, but to merely share the truth about what is really going on.

He Is We started as a fun little gig that required no contracts, no merchandise, no selling out and no vision of getting to where we have. This was a project that I became passionate about because I saw it as a way to reach people. I felt like God had placed me specifically to help others. When I was told that I could be paid to do what I love, I was overwhelmed with joy. Next thing I knew, we were in New York and this new life with He Is We, the product, began.

We were given a lump sum of money and told we could record whatever we wanted to. It felt like a dream. As the touring and songwriting became more intense and strenuous my health began to worsen. I kept to myself for the majority of it and ended up in the ER several times over a course of 2 months. It no longer was something I lived to do, but I did it to live. Money made itself to the front of the line and I began losing myself. With all the ER visits, the bills were adding up. I realized that touring was killing me, but I couldn’t afford not to go. I would play a show and then throw up immediately afterwards. Lock myself in the green room, isolating myself from everyone, just to catch my breath.

If that wasn’t enough, alcohol became a huge part of touring. That whole, “sex, drugs and rock & roll” is a very real thing. The life style began to look very grim. All the while, I was having a very tough internal struggle. Who had I become? What was this band becoming? I noticed more and more that answers were rehearsed, responses to emails were copied and pasted, and the genuine love I was had was overshadowed by my hate for the industry.

A couple months ago I was told I have an auto-immune disease called ankylosing spondylitis. I was put on two chemotherapy drugs and told it was going to be a rough ride. I shared this with my management and my band, but still the touring plans were made. As it got closer and closer to tour time, I was in a panic. Two doctors were telling me if I left I would be killing myself and then I had management telling me I would be destroying He Is We if I cancelled the tour. So. I was given options.

At first I was told that a fan from each city would be chosen to sing the songs in my place. Soon after that, I was told that a mutual friend named Stevie Scott would be singing in my place for the tour. I was told that she was to come over to my place with Trevor so I could meet her and introduce her to all the fans. This made me feel good knowing I could give her my blessing. That morning came and they didn’t show. A couple days went by and I heard nothing. I called my manager and his phone was dead. I was left feeling confused and alone. Reading tweets like “welcome to the family stevie!” were all over my newsfeed and my heart broke.

The tour was marketed as a “Get Well Soon Rachel” type of thing, but I heard nothing from my band. No one emailed, called or texted me to say such things. I have had to sit back and watch fans support a cause that didn’t really exist. I had had enough after reading a Facebook reply to a mother about how distraught her daughter was about the whole thing. Whoever runs the He Is We Facebook replied with something very superficial. A lot of smileys and no substance. At that point it hit me…I have lost my baby. The project had become about marketing, money and numbers. So I reacted.

Many will be upset at my honesty, but I hope that in the end people realize that I did what I felt was best. I am protecting the sanctity of the words that went into building this “brand” and this awesome fan base. Think what you will. You have every right to tell me I’m wrong or I’m out of my mind. I will have peace knowing I followed my heart.
-Rachel

Update #4: We just got a message from Trevor.

Message from Trevor

Hey guys, so here I am sitting in the green room here in Chicago just hours from playing the third show in the Give It All Tour! Just in the past week there has been a lot of changes I understand, some may seem unconventional and pointless, but as a fan base I feel as if it's my duty to remind you guys what this band is built upon, what the purpose, intentions and vision that this group Rachel and I have created from the beginning is all about! He Is We is bigger than any one band member, bigger than Rachel, bigger than me. This band was not a fabricated band, but a group we've built on opportunity and we never measured our "success" in money,friends or amount of Facebook likes we could accumulate, but more so in the more opportunities we got to interact and spread our music. This group has turned into an outreach of songs to inspire, give hope and relate to, reminding you that your not alone. With that over the years we've been able to travel nonstop spreading that message, interacting with fans making new friends and ultimately inspiring us to continue making music. This past year has been tough for us with health issues and you guys have stuck by our side every step. This past week though we were faced with a decision no one wanted to make but one that had to be made. You guys have to understand and respect what Rach is going through. She is unwell and not able to tour. Well, why don't we just give up touring and just record albums?!? That'd be an easy way out I suppose but ultimately felt that it was needed to stay on the road and spread the message of He Is We. No, we didn't just want someone to come out to karaoke sing our songs with us, but someone who could relate and pour their heart into the message we have built. Someone to inspire and grow with us and understand the pains and struggles we've all been through. I see all these "Team Rachel" things going around and quite frankly I'm Team Rachel, were ALL Team Rachel, even Stevie is Team Rachel. But we all need to realize there are no teams here, sounds cheesy but were team He Is We. Through thick and thin. We have built something great with this and want to reach as many of you as possible. Rach made it perfectly clear to me that she was not gonna be able to tour again and agreed to have the tour continue to give her time to heal and reflect and figure what the next step for us would be. We're not doing this tour out of greed or prior obligations but because I believe in this band and what it stands for. Call me a fool or a "bad" friend, but there is nothing more to the story than that. I will not let this band go away. To many hours of tears, sweat, honesty, have gone into this project to quit touring, which I consider to be the best opportunity the band has to make a connection and impact! We know many of you have read a series of tweets and a tumblr post from Rachel that paints a very cold and dark picture. It would be so easy in a situation like this to lower ourselves to a "he said, she said" scenario, but we genuinely love and care about Rachel. She isn't well. We want her to get better, emotionally and physically. I am not concerned with trying to "undo" some of the claims she made about myself and the band. Every one of you that I have met at ever show knows my character and commitment to the fans and the message of He is We. He Is We will continue. We have learned through all this that He Is We is more than Trevor, Rachel, and a bunch of songs. My relationship with so many of you is proof of my commitment to spreading the movement of He Is We. The emails we get saying "you helped me get through a breakup, tough times with friends, losing friends/family, depressions, thoughts of self-hurt or suicide" motivates me to keep spreading the message of positivity, hope, and truth that I truly believe in.

Honestly,

Trevor

No bueno

well this is gonna be fun to watch

So. Fucked. Up.

who, who, and who?

poor Rachel... i hope this ends well. it'd be a shame to see a band that she was such an important part of turn their back on her. that's completely unfair and fucked up.

Well this should be interesting.

this is so fucked up

Jesus.

If this is true, then good for her for speaking out. Spineless move to use a former bandmate's illness to draw sympathy spectators when they're not even keeping in touch with the person.

Also, I have to ask, what the hell does this band's name mean? Unless it's a Christian thing, it makes no fucking sense to me.

:popcorn:

Blergh. No me le gusta nada.

I remember before they released any proper albums or EPs or whatever, this band seemed so cute and perfect.

If there's more press about the drama of your band rather than the music it produces. Quit.

Ugh. I've worked with Rachel twice, she's been nothing but an absolute doll to me. sucks that this is going on with her and the band.

because bands can control the amount/content of news the media publishes about them

right

Then what would The Dangerous Summer do with their time?

This upsets me so much. She is one of the most genuine and sweet people you'll ever find in this industry and then this happens. I actually liked He Is We (before all this). No words.

Ok Roger Sterling, simmer down.

it's a Christian thing.

i remember when it was an acoustic guitar and her voice, now it just feels messy

i was considering going to see them the weekend after i graduate, but this kind of turns me off to that. shitty situation.

That's unreal.

I've got a pretty keen ear on music. What I'm saying is that there are a lot of bands today that I hear more about their inner bullshit than about the actual music they're creating. I'm sick of this Disney bullshit.

Whether I like He is We or not is irrelevant. But I can say that none of the actual bands that have made substantial music that has lasted has had the amount of gossipy bullshit some of these bands have in such a small time of their careers.

Saying "Quit" is just a hyperbolic way of me throwing my hands in the air.

Don't read too much into what you read on the Internet. It's bad for your health.

ummmm, this seems pretty fucked up

I see what you did there...

I would argue that, in instances like these, they certainly can handle it. I'm not saying she's wrong - but she could have spoken to the band, or mgmt. There's no indication in her tweets that she even tried. She could have released a statement - not a series of 50 tweets. She could have done many different things that would look less like "drama"

I'm about to leave to see them....

...this definitely sucks a lot of my excitement out of tonight.

wow this is really shocking, I wish Rachel all the best.

If your hate for cwhit was a sitcom, I'd Hulu that shit for sure.

It never seemed like her and Trevor has much onstage chemistry. How much of that is due to her condition, I don't know.

I guess I wouldn't be surprised if they/he turned their/his back on her because of this.

Everything just has to be messy nowadays...

Hangout on this site, and talk at the most inappropriate of times?

oh thanks for breaking it down for me, i didn't realize that you knew so much about "substantial music" and "actual bands" and the amounts of drama that surround them and how that influences their music, i feel much better now. also im not reading into things that much, i made a smart ass comment on an internet forum that literally took me less then 30 seconds to type up.


there is no indication that she didn't try to contact the band or mgmt

Right, but there's no indication that she is. For all we know, MGMT is reaching out to her and she's not picking up the phone, but tweeting for more drama instead.

I obviously don't know that, but it's just as possible.

Well, according to the email I got from their management when I sent the link to him ... there is indication they've been trying to get a hold of her right now, to apparently no avail.

You realize this "Disney bullshit" is someone's serious health condition? You're a good guy you should post more.

and it's just as possible that she is reaching out to mgmt and they aren't responding to her.

but of course we must assume she is tweeting for drama sakes, not because she wants fans to know about the situation or for any other purpose.

edit: disregard this post


so they are only trying to get ahold of her now that she knows about the situation? hmm can't really blame her for not wanting to talk to them.

This kind of stuff bugs me. We'll never know the exact situation, but I have a REALLY hard time believing she was unaware of the situation.

Also, while I can appreciate a person's privacy during recovery, I see nothing wrong with the band stating her illness, and the severity of it. Like she said, she's on chemo - this is not a small matter. She's HALF of the band, and fans need to understand she'd be there if she could.

Final thought: I don't like when musicians publicly speak out against their bands. If anyone in a regular job did this, they would be fired immediately. If it tears her up so much, then quit; if she feels left out, or taken advantage of, quit. Otherwise, keep band drama internal.

Yeah man. The Beatles were so drama-free.

That's cool then. I always feared it was some contrived philosophical thing lol.

No idea - he seemed completely confused by the email I sent him. I know they are trying to get a hold of her now though.

And she's choosing to ignore them.

https://twitter.com/rachelisagoober/...28378230423552

Which ... seems odd as she earlier said she wanted to "fix" things.

FYI, you were wrong: https://twitter.com/rachelisagoober/...28378230423552

She kind of isnt in the band at all anymore. Jesus dude she has a serious fucking illness. Have some sense.

Man. I love the Internet!

Can someone explain to me what happened? From what I have put together: Girl has cancer and has to leave band. Band gets new singer. Can someone fill in the blanks?

That's so messed up. Never really listened to them but if I did there is no way I would support a band that did this to one of their own.

rachel is gorgeous and lovely and i hate that even with her sickness she has to go through more drama, i don't blame her for not wanting to speak to them.

Oof, hope this all works out.

I just got into these guys a month ago, what the deuce. This seems very messy already too, sad.