PhilaMOCA cancels show with former Paul Green Rock Academy following misconduct allegations against founder

A summer tour intended to showcase the talent of a group of teen classic rock prodigies is facing issues, following a series of allegations against the Paul Green Rock Academy’s namesake and founder.

PhilaMOCA announced this week that it has canceled an forthcoming “We Love Zappa” performance. The show, which was scheduled to take place on July 6, was a stop along the Frank Zappa tribute tour initially organized as a Paul Green Rock Academy production until last month, when news articles laying out claims of inappropriate sexual behavior between Green and former students came to light.

» READ MORE: Former School of Rock students accuse founder Paul Green of inappropriate sexual behavior

A lengthy investigative article published by digital magazine Air Mail detailed allegations from dozens of former students and staff members that Green routinely abused his position as founder of the School of Rock Music. By 2010, Green broke ties with School of Rock and went on to form the Paul Green Rock Academy, following much of the same playbook as his first education program.

The Paul Green Rock Academy announced in May that it would hand over tour leadership to its assistant director, Scott Thunes, who’s also a former bassist for Zappa.

“He will be directing tours under the name ‘Thunes Institute for Musical Excellence (TIME),’” the school said in a statement. “This decision reflects our commitment to ensuring the events are focused solely on the hardworking and talented students and their unforgettable performances.”

The PhilaMOCA stop was slated as the group’s second of nine tour stops, spanning six states, along with a finale performing in Germany at the ZAPPANALE Festival.

Last week, the venue added a statement to its ticket page and social media posts for the show, promising attendees that Green wasn’t involved.

“NOTE: We have been assured that the students’ former mentor, Paul Green, has no involvement with this show whatsoever, neither managerial nor financial, and thus see no harm in welcoming them into the room to perform,” the statement read.

While Green will not tour with students, he has not stepped down from the PGRA franchise itself, which has three locations, including schools in Connecticut and the Bay Area.

PhilaMOCA invited observers to reach out privately if they believed the bookers had “misjudged this situation.”

About a week later, the ticket and Instagram page had been updated with a note that the show was canceled and refunds were being issued.

A PhilaMOCA spokesperson told The Inquirer that increased scrutiny of the Paul Green Rock Academy, including media coverage and a former student’s concerns, led them to cancel the event altogether.

In a statement sent to The Inquirer Tuesday afternoon, Thunes reiterated that Green is not directly involved with the Zappa tour and that canceling shows would only hurt the students and touring musicians involved.

“None of this has anything to do with them,” he said. “They have worked so hard and deserve to play a hometown show, therefore the show will now be a closed, private event at a different venue to play for their family and friends.”

This is the second show tied to Green that PhilaMOCA has canceled this summer. Still known at the time as the Paul Green Rock Academy, the school’s students were scheduled to perform the music of the Butthole Surfers along with frequent academy collaborator Gibby Haynes on June 20. That show was canceled in May following the Air Mail article’s release.

Staff reporter Mike Newall contributed to this article.

This story has been updated with responses from Paul Green Rock Academy.