Front Porch Step
| Front Porch Step | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jake McElfresh |
| Also known as | Front Porch Step |
| Born | 1991 Newark, OH |
| Genres | Acoustic rock, indie rock, emo revival |
| Instruments | Acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Pure Noise (formerly) |
| Website | frontporchstepmusic |
Front Porch Step is the solo acoustic project of Newark, Ohio musician Jake McElfresh.
Front Porch Step began in 2012. In 2013, Front Porch Step signed to Pure Noise Records and released his debut album Aware. In 2013, he supported Never Shout Never on four of their tour dates. In the summer of 2014, Front Porch Step played on the Vans Warped Tour. In the fall of 2014, Front Porch Step played on the Pure Noise Records Tour with State Champs, Handguns, Forever Came Calling, Brigades and Heart to Heart. In February and March 2015, Front Porch Step planned to go on his first headlining tour, with support from Have Mercy, Alcoa, Hotel Books, and Head North. Due to sexual harassment allegations, Mcelfresh has suspended his tour until further notice. Front Porch Step was going to partake in the 2015 Vans Warped Tour, which is held annually throughout the summer, but was removed from the tour due to the allegations brought up against him.
On June 2, 2016, after a year long hiatus due to sexual harassment allegations, Mcelfresh returned with the release of a song called 'Help Me Hurt' to Spotify.
Jake Mcelfresh has been accused by several young people of sexual harassment through mobile phones, including sending nude pictures of himself to underaged girls. This led to a petition demanding he be removed from the 2015 Warped Tour. His record label, Pure Noise Records, and Kevin Lyman, creator of the Warped Tour, have announced they are aware of the allegations.
On 4 January 2015 Mcelfresh announced via his Facebook page that he had suspended all current tour dates, including Warped Tour, due to the allegations. On 3 April 2015, Mcelfresh issued a public statement via Facebook. In it, he explained that when growing up, he had self-esteem issues and "certainly was not a ladies man," and when he finally got his breakthrough with music, he was surprised at how much attention from female fans he received. He admitted that he had corresponded through text messages with women, some of whom were underaged, but claimed that the conversations were "not as one sided as they seem," pointing out that no charges had been brought against him. He also stated that even though some of the conversations were sexual in nature, "(he) only had conversations with willing participants". Mcelfresh then admitted that [he] "wondered if (he) wanted to be alive anymore" in the few months after the allegations were brought up, and took a break from social media after being dropped by his label and removed from all tours, considering it the "greatest thing (he) could have ever done". He also stated that he intends to return to music in the summer.
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