Update: July 26th, 2021 02:37 PM:
Better Noise CEO Allen Kovac, who was named in the lawsuit by former Bad Wolves vocalist Tommy Vext, has since issued a statement on the matter. It reads:
“I am disappointed to see these accusations from Tommy against me, 10th Street Management and Better Noise Music. They are categorically false. In 40 years in the music business, I have never made any derogatory racist comments, been accused of doing so, or been sued by an artist. Tommy Vext, a self-proclaimed QAnon supporter, has dragged us into a ridiculous, unfounded narrative that falsely paints him as a victim.
Tommy quit Bad Wolves in January 2021 after being abusive to his band members, and he has since waged an all-out assault against the band and its members on social media. Behind the scenes, he and his team of lawyers have been trying to extort the band and the record company for a big payout.
Because these tactics not successful, he upped the ante and filed this bogus and spurious lawsuit to get leverage in contract negotiations. But this strategic ploy won’t work. We will not be extorted and will defend and defeat these phony claims in court. As a management company and record label, we pride ourselves on working with artists from all different walks of life and encourage them to speak their minds creatively and authentically. I have never forced political beliefs or values on any of our artists or employees, but I also will not tolerate when people create a hostile environment.”
Bad Wolves guitarist Doc Coyle and John Boecklin added:
“In all our dealings with Allen Kovac, he has never used any derogatory racial slurs. Tommy is making all of this up. Period.”
Original Story:
Former Bad Wolves frontman Tommy Vext has now filed suit against the group’s manager and label head Allen Kovac, alleging conspiracy and more to have him booted from the group. TMZ report that Vext alleges that Kovac became increasingly unhappy with Vext‘s well documented expression of his right-wing political beliefs and various conspiracy theories.
The suit states that Vext‘s social media statements regarding protests in Los Angeles and Portland last year, as well as his thoughts on the riot at the U.S. Capitol Building that took place earlier this year, were among some of the key posts that incensed Kovac. Vext also claims that Kovac attempted to stop him from continuing to make political statements. He further alleges that Kovac also tried to buy the Bad Wolves trademarks from him.
According to Vext, when he refused to sell his stake in the band, Kovac went about apparently strong-arming radio and streaming services to stop playing Bad Wolves‘ music as part of a campaign to effectively cancel Vext‘s music career.
The suit also touches upon alleged racism as well, with Vext stating that his bandmates locked him out of the group’s social media and insinuated he was “not black enough” given his controversial political views.
Vext also accused Kovac of repeatedly using racial slurs to belittle him, claiming that it was the result of “an executive showing he clearly felt so powerful as to think he could use the word with impunity.”
He is currently suing Kovac for breach of fiduciary duty and is said to be seeking damages in the tens of millions of dollars. Vext also issued the following statement to TMZ regarding the case:
“For several years I’ve poured all of my energy and passion into building Bad Wolves. We’ve toured the world several times and charted 6 billboard number 1 singles. All the while I’ve had to endure disparaging, manipulative and at times racially charged misconduct from my former manager Allen Kovac and his record company Better Noise Music.
Allen has forced me out of my own band and is now attempting to slander and cancel me. After several failed attempts to settle amicably, I’m now forced to place this in the hands of the courts.”
Vext further issued the following statement on social media regarding the matter yesterday, July 25th:
“AS ARTISTS WE CAN NO LONGER REMAIN SILENT ABOUT THE CENSORSHIP AND THREAT CULTURE GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. AMERICANS HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO VOTE AND VIOCE THIER OPINIONS. THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE THEIR LIVELIHOODS DESTROYED BY THE OLIGARCHY FOR DISAGREEING WITH THEIR DICTATOR SCRIPT.
Thank you to Malcolm McNeil & my legal team at Arent Fox for taking on my case.
Thank you for the fans and other voices who continue to fight for the 1st amendment.
Thank you to my investors who read the evidence and demand that I see justice.WE NEED TO MAKE THIS STORY GO VIRAL SO THE ABUSE OF POWER ENDS. I IMPLORE YOU TO REPOST RESHARE AND TAGG AS MANY AS YOU CAN SO THE TRUTH IS NO LONGER SILENCED
#BadWolves #Betternoise #AllenKovac #10thstreetentertainment #TMZ #Trump
#Uncletom”
Vext‘s exit from Bad Wolves was officially announced this past January. While the split was amicable at first, it has since soured considerably with Vext having repeatedly taken shots at his former bandmates via social media. A June 2021 live performance saw him call the group “fucking frauds.”
Since his ousting, Vext has claimed that several albums worth of material he wrote while still under contract with Better Noise Music was effectively being held hostage unless he gave up his stake in the Bad Wolves name. Vext had claimed he had since been planning to use that music for his solo career. He also claimed that some of the music he wrote was since being re-recorded by Bad Wolves for use on their upcoming new album “Dear Monsters“.
Speaking on that this past June, he stated:
“So Better Noise Records is holding all of my music and refusing to let it go, unless I give them the rights to the name Bad Wolves, which they do not have. But they don’t want to give me anything for it and this shit is crazy… This is why I’m this is why I did Vexit. I don’t want to be a part of that industry. I don’t want to fucking deal with any of that bullshit anymore.”
Back in December of last year while appearing on ‘The Tin Foil Show’, Vext alleged that the radio station iHeartRadio had blocked him, presumably for his controversial political views and interest in various conspiracy theories.
While Vext‘s increasing interest in politics earned him numerous headlines in recent years, his conflicting statements on his experiences with racism and a domestic violence lawsuit filed against him by an ex-girlfriend also brought more unwanted controversy to the Bad Wolves camp. Vext had alleged the latter was part of an “extortion attempt.”
The court would eventually grant Vext‘s ex Whitney Johns a two-year domestic violence restraining order, while Vext would go on to state that he was exonerated of any physical abuse allegations per the outcome of the virtual trial for the case.
Earlier this year, another ex-girlfriend of Vext‘s, Nicole Arbour, claimed she now stood with Johns and her claims against him, while Vext responded with abuse allegations of his own against Arbour.
Meanwhile, Vext‘s campaign against his former bandmates seemingly continues to fester however as yesterday he shared a video on his Facebook in which he once again stated that none of his former Bad Wolves bandmates physically played on their platinum-certified cover of The Cranberries‘ “Zombie“.
In the clip, which was filmed during a solo show Vext performed this year, in that clip Vext states:
“…We put rock back on the fucking charts. But I lied. I lied to ya’ll and I owe you an apology. I was [under] a lot of pressure from the record label, from management to not tell the truth. And this is the fucking truth: Absolutely no one in Bad Wolves played on “Zombie“. Not one single member. None of them. Shocking right? And the reason why I’m saying this is because there are two men who I recorded this song with and they never got the respect they deserve. So tonight I want you guys to make a round of applause for my friend Philip Naslund and Max Karon, who played all the fucking guitars, pianos and guitar solos…”
Vext went on to raise over $181,000 via GoFundMe for his solo career since exiting the band. Bad Wolves themselves are preparing to release their new album “Dear Monsters” in October with their new frontman, Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz (LGND, ex-The Acacia Strain).
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