Claudio Paolo Palmieri (born December 25, 1977), known professionally as Ethan Kath, is a Canadian musician. He was the co-founder and songwriter/producer for

Crystal Castles Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass. Crystal Castles was known for their chaotic live shows and lo-fi music, lo-fi melanc ...

and bassist of Kïll Cheerleadër and Die Mannequin.

Biography

Early life and Career

Kath was born to Italian parents in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario on December 25, 1977. Prior to

, Kath played different instruments in many bands. At age 14, he played drums in Jakarta, an anarchist-hardcore band. Later, he was the bassist in a sleaze metal band called Kïll Cheerleadër under the pseudonym "Ethan Deth", originally "Ethan Cawke". He was also in a two-piece folk band. Crystal Castles were known for the elusiveness of their off-stage lives and identities. Kath was routinely photographed wearing hoodies which obscured some or all of his face and has gone by many different aliases over the years. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' named Crystal Castles icons of 20 Years of

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...

. Kath and his band Crystal Castles received the John Peel Award For Innovation at the 2011 ''NME'' Awards. Crystal Castles' debut album was included in ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

s "Top 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade" list at #39.

Sexual misconduct allegations

On October 24, 2017,

Alice Glass Margaret Osborn (born 25 August 1988), known professionally as Alice Glass, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is the co-founder and former frontwoman of the electronic band Crystal Castles. In 2014, she embarked on a solo career. She rel ...

posted a statement on her official website explaining her departure from Crystal Castles, accusing co-founder Ethan Kath of sexual, physical and mental abuse. The accusations detail the alleged abuse starting when Glass was 15 and began recording with Kath, and escalated until her eventual departure from Crystal Castles. Kath responded the same day in a statement issued to ''Pitchfork'' through his attorney, where he called the accusations "pure fiction" and said he was consulting with his lawyers as to his legal options. Kath subsequently sued Glass for defamation, which was dismissed in February 2018. Police Constable Allyson Douglas-Cook of the Toronto Police Service confirmed on December 21, 2017, that Palmieri was the subject of a currently open Sex Crimes unit investigation. In an interview with ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'', Glass and four other women came forward alleging that Kath had sexually preyed on them when they were teenagers and he was in his mid to late twenties. With Kath using his fame in Crystal Castles and Kill Cheerleader to get in contact with them at a young age, the alleged victims stated that he took advantage of their naivety and supplied them with drugs and alcohol in order to coerce them into sexual acts. Glass later gave an interview with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and further elaborated on Kath's behavior towards her, commenting that he had thrown her phone out of a moving car, torn her hair out, lied about the nature of her rib injury, and had at several points gone against doctor's orders and made her perform after she received a concussion. Kath also held onto Glass's passport and controlled her finances, preventing her from having her own cell phone or credit card until a couple of years before she left. Glass also mentioned that if she ever thought of leaving Crystal Castles, Kath would threaten to replace her with someone "who's a better singer and who would put up with a lot worse than hewould". After discovering that Kath had behaved similarly towards other women, Glass felt it was her responsibility to come forward.

Discography

With Kïll Cheerleadër

* '' Gutter Days'' (2001) * '' All Hail'' (2004)

With Die Mannequin

* '' How To Kill'' (2006)

With Crystal Castles

* ''

'' (2008) * ''Remixed Rewired ( Bootleg) (2008) * '' Crystal Castles (II)'' (2010) * '' (III)'' (2012) * '' Amnesty (I)'' (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kath, Ethan Living people Canadian people of Italian descent Chiptune and tracker musicians Canadian male songwriters Canadian experimental musicians 21st-century Canadian multi-instrumentalists Noise musicians Intelligent dance musicians Canadian punk rock bass guitarists Musicians from Toronto 21st-century Canadian keyboardists 21st-century Canadian bass guitarists Crystal Castles members Die Mannequin members Canadian heavy metal bass guitarists Canadian remixers 1977 births