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Lindsay Eldridge Lindsay Eldridge

Verifying a Mystery

What happened when Hedley played The Embassy Hotel in 2005?

The 2018 announcement that Hedley lead singer Jacob Hoggard had been charged in relation to sexual assault may have been shocking news to some, but there were many Canadian music fans who weren’t at all surprised.

Aside from the multiple allegations that surfaced on twitter, rumours of the band’s alleged misdeeds go all the way back to their early days, according to Exclaim reporter Josiah Hughes who looked into one particular incident from 2005.

In a 2018 article for Exclaim titled Hedley Were Allegedly Investigated for Drugging Underage Concertgoer, Hughes wrote, “A story has now resurfaced regarding an alleged police investigation that involved an underage concertgoer being found outside a Hedley concert in London, ON, who had been drugged and possibly raped in 2005.”

According to longtime fans, the gossip and speculation about this incident was prolific on myspace and other now-defunct online forums and while today it remains something that everyone seems to know about, no one can really say for sure that it’s true. 

Exclaim was the only media outlet with original reporting on the incident, and there was backlash from the Hedley extreme superfans who complained that the only named source of information is former employee Rob Bazinet. There is a note at the end of the article that states that other employee names were removed at their request, but we decided to look into the story some more.

Who did we speak with?

We first spoke with Rob Bazinet to clarify his original comments.

We then spoke with three other sources: person in a position of upper management authority at The Embassy at the time of the incident, and two employees who were working that night on security and behind the bar.

We know and have verified their real identities and their relation to the incident that night, but all three of them have asked to have their identities protected.

Clearing up credibility issues. Who was the general manager of The Embassy?

When Exclaim first posted the article on twitter, a user who identified themselves as a former sound tech who worked at The Embassy, tweeted a response that implied Rob wasn’t credible.

The article states: “Rob Bazinet worked at London's beloved all-ages venue the Embassy for 11 years, serving as its general manager until the venue burned down in 2009.”

The sound tech claimed that Rob was the bouncer, he was never a general manager, and “most of what he is saying is his own fantasy”.

It appears the sound tech deleted their tweet, but the extreme superfans screenshotted it to use in an effort to discredit the whole story. We tweeted the sound tech but they never replied, so we asked the other three sources from The Embassy if they had any insights into this. One employee declined to respond but the other said they weren’t surprised by that tweet because the sound tech and Rob Bazinet never really got along well.

We asked the person in the position of upper management authority who was also one of Rob’s bosses at the time: “Was Rob Bazinet the general manager of The Embassy Hotel or not?” They told me that Rob started with them as a bouncer at the bar and because of his personable manner and strong work ethic he was held in high regard by upper management., given more and higher responsibilities. While he didn’t hold the official job title of general manager, he frequently performed duties that would fall under that job description and was often treated as such by management and staff.

So job titles aside, Rob’s own former boss indicates that he was quite often acting as general manager.

We have determined him to be a credible source of information on this incident.

Verifying the details about the 2005 incident

In the article, Rob says he observed the band being jerks to everyone, which all three sources say is true. The person in the position of upper management authority said that only the person who booked the band knew who Hedley was; the rest of the staff that night didn’t know much about them other than the fact that Jacob Hoggard was on Canadian Idol the year before. 

They recalled that when Hedley first arrived at the Embassy Hotel, the band members seemed nice at first, but when the fans started to arrive Jacob Hoggard in particular was “awful” to them, a total jerk, and they concluded the fame had gone to Jacob’s head. It was obvious from the tone of conversation around this particular question that Hedley had made quite the negative impression on staff that night. 

In the Exclaim article, Rob Bazinet is quoted stating that after Hedley’s performance, he went to the “green room apartment” above the venue to check on them, to see if they had everything they needed and if their rider requirements had been fulfilled, which was part of his job.

One of the bedrooms had the door shut, and Rob said “when I went to go check it, the rest of the band got in the way”. Rob is quoted saying he doesn’t remember which member of Hedley was in the bedroom, but the remaining three band members barricaded him from entering, leaving him with the feeling that he would have to force his way in.

Assuming they wanted privacy, he turned around and went back downstairs. He said at some point he realized the band had packed up and left without anyone knowing, and then, the police showed up. 

That is obviously Rob’s personal account of events that he witnessed in the course of doing his job and he still stands by what he said, but because no one else was there except the members of Hedley, there is no one else who can verify this part of the story.

The police searched the green room apartment

All our sources confirmed that the police did show up, and the person in the position of upper management authority confirmed they were permitted to search the green room apartment, which was exactly as Rob described. They told me that because of its separate location above the venue, it is likely that the band was able to leave without anyone noticing. 

How the police linked The Embassy to their discovery of an unconscious girl
Our source in management also confirmed that the reason the police came to The Embassy was because the venue’s stamp was found on the hand of an unconscious teenage girl found on the street nearby. She also had a Black X on her hand, and she was missing her shoes.

Our source in upper management told me that The Embassy was close to the police station, and as an all-ages concert venue, management and staff had a good working relationship with local police in their efforts to be proactive in making sure underage fans were identified properly with the black Xs on their hand, and not served alcohol. Our source confirmed that it’s because of the stamp and the Black X that the police linked the girl to The Embassy and knew she was underage.

How police linked the unconscious girl to Hedley
Our source in upper management also confirmed that police found the girl’s missing shoes - distinctive leopard print flats - in the green room apartment bedroom, and that discovery is what linked her specifically to Hedley the band. Rob Bazinet has confirmed that there were other bands playing that day, but the green room apartment was specifically reserved for Hedley.

One of the other employees I spoke with recalled going to the green room shortly after the police had discovered the shoes and left with them. He said he went there as a secondary witness and he looked around and observed quote “the bed was a mess and there were a number of used condom wrappers scattered on the floor”. 

There was an “ongoing investigation”
Rob was quoted in the article saying the police requested the venue keep the green room barricaded off for approximately one week, and they returned there several times. This was confirmed by the person in a position of upper management authority, who was there over the next week when the police returned several times citing an ongoing investigation.

It’s possible that London Police disclosed sensitive investigation details to Rob Bazinet
In the article, Rob claimed that the London police told him the girl was taken to hospital and she tested positive for the date rape drug rohypnol. He also claimed: “The police told us that the parents of the girl were contacted based on her identification. They consented to the rape kit, but before it could be performed she woke up and refused it.”

We’ve clarified this with Rob and he stands by his original comments; the only detail he said he wasn’t 100% sure about was whether the parents gave consent over the phone or in person. 

One of the mysteries around this event is that it seems unlikely that the police would be giving live music venue employees sensitive information related to an ongoing investigation. We reached out to them to ask, and their media team responded: “We looked into the request, and we do not have anything to share.”

Because Rob stands by his comments, we asked the person in a position of upper management authority if they had any insights to share around this.

They said because of The Embassy’s frequent and close dealings with the police as an all-ages concert venue, the management and staff members knew many of the officers on duty at the time on a first name basis. Rob was described as a friendly and approachable person who knew everyone and had a way about him that made people feel comfortable opening up and telling him things, and his former boss says it’s possible that a London Police officer did feel comfortable confiding in Rob. 

They also confirmed there was a police incident report, and it had been seen and read by members of upper management and at least one employee at the venue, including Rob Bazinet.

Hedley’s lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to The Embassy

The final part of the article is about Rob’s claim that the venue’s management were sent a cease and desist letter from a law firm on behalf of Hedley the band, their management, and their label. Rob was quoted in the article saying management took this letter seriously and warned staff and employees that they would “be fired” if they said anything more. 

Our source in a position of upper management authority said Rob was being hyperbolic and the staff weren’t threatened with being fired per se, but everything else was true and it was taken seriously. They confirmed receipt of this letter, which said police had closed the investigation and advised them to stop any negative press about Hedley or there would be libel issues. 

What now?

After verifying details with three additional people who were at The Embassy at the time, including one who was in a high level management position, we are satisfied that this incident did happen and there was a police investigation.

However, there is no way to confirm why the investigation was closed without comment from the London Police or the underage girl involved. It should be noted that there is no statute of limitations when it comes to sexual assault so she can come forward at any time. Sadly, we don’t advise it because of this, this and this.

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Lindsay Eldridge Lindsay Eldridge

Tips for Starting a Podcast: Kristi Lee


Please note: We do not recommend that anyone start a true crime podcast unless you are already in or close to the industry and/or understand a trauma-informed approach.

Why? The market is saturated with unethical true crime content creators who enter the space to gain fame and make money by sensationalizing crimes. There has been untold damage done to victims and survivors—and often, the efforts of law enforcement is undermined.

I often get messages asking for tips on starting a podcast - so I thought I would put some info here to direct people.

Firstly, the best advice I can give to any potential new podcaster is to read, read, read and watch youtube tutorials on starting a podcast. There is no one correct answer or one way to do things. You have to find what works for you.

A few personal tips from my experience:

  • BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING
    Search for other podcasts that might be similar to the one you’re thinking about starting. Make sure no one has the name you’re thinking of, or a similar name! I’ve seen many podcasts start that didn’t do this initial research, and it’s created a lot of headaches.

    Here's a good resource to get started: 
    https://www.thepodcasthost.com/planning/how-to-start-a-podcast/

  • RECORDING SPACE - VERY IMPORTANT
    Listeners don’t enjoy hearing someone talk in a room with a lot of echo. I recommend recording in a small room or create a "blanket fort" to record in - it reduces the echo and you'll sound better. I used to record in my closet because it's a small room and the clothes hanging inside absorb extra echoes. Now I record in a pop-up semi-permanent booth in my basement studio (mine a discontinued prototype similar to this).

  • MICROPHONE SETUP
    Note that no microphone can fix a bad recording room - make this your top priority. A pop filter is also important - it’s a barrier between you and the microphone that helps to block those hard P and B type sounds that listeners generally don't enjoy hearing.

    Microphones are also quite personal, what works for one person might not work for another. Below are the microphones I’ve used and have seen recommended.

    • Starter Microphones - USB:

    • Professional Microphones
      Need a separate audio interface - a box that converts the input of your microphone into a file fit for your computer (a USB mic does this all-in-one)

  • RECORDING AND EDITING SOFTWARE

    Once you have your recording space and hardware setup, you'll need software to record and edit your audio:

    • FREE SOFTWARE: I started off using Audacity - free recording and editing software that many first-time podcasters use if they are trying to save money. You may not save time using Audacity however.

    • PAID SOFTWARE: I moved to using Hindenburg products and can’t recommend them enough. I currently use Hindenburg Pro. They offer free trials to test them out before you purchase, and they also offer monthly subscriptions so you don’t have to purchase it up front if you don’t want to.

  • EDITING

    • There's a steep learning curve to audio editing - I’ve found the best way to learn is by actually doing it myself as I go. I am completely self-taught, aided by trial and error, watching a heap of youtube tutorials, and continuing to watch more as I came across problems and things I wanted to do in editing.

    • Editing audio is important and can take a long long time. Audiences have a lot of choice in podcasts these days and prefer things tightly edited. If you are looking to gain an audience, don't make the mistake of thinking you can just turn on the microphone and talk or have a conversation and then upload that as an episode. Listeners prefer that excessive ums and aahs, long silences, mouth noises, and going off-topic too much is edited out. Canadian True Crime is a scripted show, and has all narration errors and loud breathing noises edited out. To edit a 1 hour episode takes about 6 hours.

  • OTHER SOFTWARE AND TOOLS I RECOMMEND:

    • Descript - Great tool for transcribing your audio and editing on the fly by removing words which removes the corresponding audio.

    • Zencastr - If you have to record with multiple people Zencastr provides a virtual green room and records each person’s audio separately so you can also edit separately if you want. Put all tracks in to Descript (above) and give each a name, and it will transcribe the whole conversation.

    • Izotope - Plugins for more advanced audio editing

    • Canva - is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create artwork for your podcast, social media posts, logos and more

  • MUSIC / SOUND EFFECTS
    Music is very important for the production of Canadian True Crime as it adds emotion and transition between “scenes”.

    • We currently use music from Epidemic Sound and Blue Dot Sessions

    • There are many sites that offer music for free but be careful - make sure you read the specifics of the attribution license to ensure that you're using the music correctly and giving the correct credit to the artist.

  • ARTWORK
    Podcast artwork is important, as that’s often the first thing a potential audience sees of your show. The standard size for iTunes / Apple Podcasts is 3000 x 3000 pixels. It seems large - that’s correct. Here’s some good tips.

    • Canva - is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create artwork for your podcast, social media posts, logos and more

  • RESEARCH
    Please note: I am not a private investigator and in most cases can't access anything that an ordinary member of the general public wouldn't be able to access. The only exception is where documents have been provided directly to me by those on the victim’s side.

  • In general, I prefer to use court documents and news archives:

    • Media archives

      • Newspapers.com subscription (historic news archives from around the world - great for regional and local newspapers.)

        News archives and trial reporting is integral to CTC episodes as the media reports on details that often don’t make it to court documents, as well as community reaction news (protests, outbursts, drama, etc.). That said, the media often reports things incorrectly, misses important info, and/or has typos, so you might want to check certain things with another source - either because they don’t sound right, or just as a fact-checking exercise.

      • In many cases, you can also access news archives from your local library

    • Plagiarism

      Don’t rely on only one source, cite your sources properly and be careful not to plagiarize

      • Be careful about using Wikipedia, Blogs like Murderpedia or Canadian Encyclopedia, or the work of other Content Creators (Youtubers, bloggers, indie podcasters) as a source for your work.

      • These sources aren’t “research” - they aggregate information from other sources but you don’t always know that it is correct.

      • HINT: If you have to ask where to go to research a case, you probably need to do a lot more research :)

  • TIME EXPECTATION
    To give you an idea of how long it takes to produce each Canadian True Crime episode (based on a basic one-hour episode):

    • 25 hours for research and writing of the script

    • 2 hours for recording of the narration

    • 6 hours for editing of the audio

    • 4 hours to select and place ambient background music

    • 2-4 hours for final listens and edits

    • 2 hours for writing the show notes, credits, music credits, website and social media posts about the new episode

      = approximately 45 hours per episode - when I’m working with victims and survivors, it takes even longer!

  • WHERE TO “HOST” YOUR PODCAST

    • Podcasting runs via an RSS feed - and you need to find a primary place to host your podcast.

    • Once you have an episode (finished audio file in mp3 format) ready to go, you’ll need to choose a hosting service to host your podcast. I have used quite a few different hosting sites now and they all differ depending on what you are looking for and what you can afford.

    • For new podcasters, you can’t do better than Acast’s free starter plan!

  • GETTING YOUR SHOW ON PODCAST APPS
    After you have chosen your hosting company, and have uploaded your first file (it could even just be a short introduction to your podcast - doesn't have to be a full episode), then you can submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, as well as the other podcatchers like Podbean, Podcast Addict, Castbox, etc.

    Start with Apple, and then apply for the others one by one. That’s how people will find your episodes. More info on how to do this.

  • GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE

    • The number 1 way to grow your audience is through cross promotion with other similar-sized podcasts in a similar genre.
      Don’t treat other podcasts as competition - they’re friends that you can collaborate and grow with!

    • If you try to reach out to large, established podcasters expecting them to promote your podcast for free, you will likely be disappointed, unless you have something to offer them! If you are looking for Canadian True Crime to promote your podcast, have a look at the guidelines and submit your podcast here.

Happy podcasting! :)
Kristi

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