UPDATE (Oct. 2, 2024): Additional bands have dropped off the Shell Shock II festival and released statements. A Slipknot cover band has been booked as the new headliner and other statements from those involved with the fest have been released, blaming the "liberal mob" for the drop-offs. Get more details here.

Florida metalcore band Evergreen Terrace took to Facebook to announce they would no longer be involved with an Orlando, Florida music festival after it was announced that Kyle Rittenhouse would be a guest of the event.

The long-running metalcore group was slated to headline the Shell Shock II festival, which is scheduled to take place October 19th.

According to the festival, the event is a "concert charity event" which aims to raise funds and awareness around PTSD through the C.A.T. II Foundation, which appears to be run by First Responder's Coffee and Cigars.

Florida Festival Books Kyle Rittenhouse Appearance 

As pointed out on Reddit, Shell Shock made an Instagram post stating that they had booked Kyle Rittenhouse to appear at the festival, creating a clear division between fans politically.

this is actually insane
byu/jumbospicyslimjim inHardcore

Rittenhouse gained national attention after fatally shooting two people and wounding a third during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020. He claimed self-defense, but his presence at the protest, armed with a rifle, sparked intense debate over gun rights, vigilantism and racial justice, making him a controversial figure. READ MORE: 15 Most Disastrous Music Festivals in History After being acquitted in 2021 of murder, Rittenhouse has spent his time attempting to become an influencer in right-wing spaces.

 Evergreen Terrace Drops Festival Appearance 

After word of the event spread, Evergreen Terrace announced they would be dropping from the event. Evergreen Terrace took to Facebook to explain their stance on the matter, writing,

Evergreen Terrace has always supported and continues to support philanthropic events for veterans, PTSD awareness, child poverty, and many more, but we will not align with an event promoting a perceived murderer such as Kyle Rittenhouse capitalizing off of their pseudo celebrity. Unfortunately we did not do our due diligence with this particular event. Even after they offered to pull Kyle from the event, we discovered several associated entities that we simply do not agree with. As advocates for free speech we are respectfully canceling the Shell Shock festival. We will be personally contributing to a veterans charity and urge you to do the same. The promoters have been nothing less than understanding. “Lines we draw in the sand…depend on where we stand.”

At the time of publication, Shell Shock has set their Instagram to private and has not made a public statement in response to Evergreen Terrace.

See the band's Facebook post below.

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