The underground house scene got some very sad news today. Billy Kenny, king of weird bass and the face of German house label This Ain’t Bristol, is currently not allowed in the United States. After staying quiet for several weeks and being forced to cancel several shows, Kenny has finally updated his fans on the current situation. Due to an unfortunate mistake carrying a CBD pen into the states, Billy Kenny was deported and his visa allowing him to enter the U.S. was revoked.
He shared to Facebook:
“From the evening of March 30th – April 2nd, i carelessly left a small PAX pen containing under 100mg of marijuana in a pair of sweatpants, which were in my bag. I flew with it from LA to my shows in Europe and back on 6 flights without even knowing it was there. It was discovered in a search at LAX, resulting in my immediate deportation and revoked visa. Although i bought the vape and it’s contents in my newly adopted hometown of Los Angeles in California where it’s legal for recreational use (and I have a medicinal card), it is strictly illegal on a federal level. Regretfully I am having to cancel some upcoming shows in the U.S.”
In his full post below, you can see that Billy takes full responsibility for his actions. Although it was a mistake, he doesn’t try to put the blame on anyone but himself. But the fact that this situation has been ongoing for several weeks, coupled with the large public announcement by the German producer, makes a resolution seem less and less likely.
For anyone who has seen Billy Kenny perform, you know the passion he has for both his music and his fans. The fact he is letting down his supporters is obvious in his impassioned post. Hopefully his legal team will find some way to renegotiate his visa before the proper start of festival season, especially since he has been working on some of the “best records I’ve ever written.”
We look forward to hearing more news on this front and our thoughts and prayers go out to Billy Kenny and his team. Stay weird.
