NOFX has been dropped by a sponsor following jokes the band made about the Las Vegas shooting on Sunday during their set at the Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival set in Vegas, The Blast reports. Stone Brewing, the company that sponsors the band’s “craft beer and music festival” and manufactures its beer, both named after their 1994 album Punk in Drublic, released a statement condemning comments band members made from the stage about the victims of the October, 2017 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. From The Blast:
“We at Stone Brewing are aware of NOFX’s insensitive and indefensible statements this past weekend. As a result, we are severing all our ties with NOFX, including festival sponsorship and the production of our collaboration beer,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
“We respect punk rock, and the DIY ethos for which it stands,” the statement continued. “To us, it means standing up for things you believe in, and fearlessly committing to what’s right. And it is for that reason that Stone Brewing is immediately disassociating ourselves from the band NOFX. Stone had a sponsorship deal for this summer’s Punk In Drublic festivals. Emphasis ‘had.’ That sponsorship is now canceled.”
The spokesperson added, “Nevertheless, to try our best to make some good come out of these awful comments, we have decided that we will donate all profits of the beer to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Foundation, which provides post Route 91 trauma counseling for officers and other first responders alongside other safety programs, training and funding. We have cancelled any future rebrews of this beer. We apologize to the fans of the beer itself, but know that we make this decision out of respect to all. Punk rock is cool. These callous comments were the furthest thing from it.”
The brewing company’s announcement follows a statement from Punk Rock Bowling founders Mike and Shawn Stern condemning NOFX frontman Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin’s incendiary comments. From Las Vegas Weekly:
“In light of NOFX’s comments during their performance at Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival, we would like to offer a formal apology to those in attendance, the City of Las Vegas, the victims, and the families of 10/1.
“Las Vegas is home to the Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival, and we do not condone the statements made from our stage on Sunday night. We take the safety of our festival goers seriously and want to relay that, there is nothing funny about people being shot and murdered, ever.”
The band has yet to issue any statements responding to the comments or the subsequent outrage after video of stage banter between NOFX frontman Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin shared by two local radio DJs was picked up by TMZ.
NOFX thought it would be “hilarious” to joke about the October 1 shootings while on stage in Las Vegas. They said “at least they were country fans and not punk rock fans”. This is disgusting and callous. We will never support anything involving this band ever again. pic.twitter.com/am3R8QJIE6
— Dave and Mahoney (@DaveAndMahoney) May 30, 2018
“We played a song about Muslims and we didn’t get shot. Hooray,” Fat Mike said. Then Melvin responded “I guess you only get shot in Vegas if you are in a country band,” referring to the 59 people killed and over 500 wounded in October’s mass shooting.
“At least they were country fans and not punk rock fans,” Fat Mike said.
Per Stone Brewing’s announcement, that bit of stage banter turned out to be quite costly.
