The New Pornographers' Joseph Seiders Had a Career and Loving Family — He Just Blew It All Up
Joseph Seiders had been fired from The New Pornographers following serious allegations against him.
Published April 18 2025, 2:04 p.m. ET
In a brief interview with Zildjian, the prolific company that specializes in cymbals, drummer Joe Seiders said he surrounds himself with musicians and songwriters who challenge him.
The 44-year-old rocker hails from New Hampshire and started playing drums in his family's basement while perched on his father's lap.
He is also a classically trained pianist who broke into the Boston music scene before heading to Los Angeles.
In mid-2014, Seiders replaced Kurt Dahle as the drummer for the Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers, who by that time had been together for 17 years.
He has played with the band for three albums and has had zero issues until April 2025. If the allegations against Seiders are true, this will be damaging for his family. Here's what we know.
Joe Seiders family is in for a very tough ride.
According to Seiders' Instagram, he has the kind of life most people dream about. He plays drums in a cool band, lives in an impeccably decorated home in Palm Desert, Calif., and is an audiophile with an impressive collection. There are countless images of instruments, touring, and all that comes with being a rockstar.
He and his wife, Julie, share two adorable children. Their son Desmond has already revealed a talent for acting and has been cast in several professional theater productions. Imogen, their daughter, loves animals and appears to be more rambunctious than her sibling, as noted by a broken arm in June 2024.
The family is in possession of an adorable King Charles Spaniel who is absolutely allowed on the furniture. These snapshots make the charges brought against Seiders all the more painful.
Joe Seiders was arrested in April 2025.
According to The New York Times, Seiders was arrested and charged with possession of child sexual abuse imagery and other crimes. He was taken into custody on April 9 after a Chick-fil-A employee at a Palm Desert location noticed suspicious activity over the course of two days.
Per a press release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office, police were called to the restaurant where they spoke with an 11-year-old boy who said an unidentified man had recorded him while the child was going to the bathroom. Two days later, police were called back to the same Chick-fil-A when an "employee stated a male was entering and exiting the restroom with juvenile males at the business," per the press release.
Police identified the man as Seiders.
Search warrants were obtained for Seiders' residence, vehicle, and devices, which revealed evidence "implicating him in the two reported incidents, along with additional crimes, including possessing child pornography." He was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio. His bail was set for $1 million, but he remains in custody, awaiting a court date.
His bandmates addressed the allegations in a post on Instagram. "Everyone in the band is shocked, horrified, and devastated by the news of the charges against Joe Seiders — and we have immediately severed all ties with him."
They added, "Our hearts go out to anyone who has been impacted by his actions."
Report online or in-person sexual abuse of a child or teen by calling the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 or visiting childhelp.org. Learn more about the warning signs of child abuse at RAINN.org.