After announcing his exit from Bad Wolves last Friday, August 28th, guitarist AJ Rebollo has issued a new statement, adding some nuance to his departure, while also clearing up some “discrepancies.” Rebollo announced he had quit Bad Wolves last weekend, issuing a lengthy statement.
In that statement, he spoke of his frustrations with tensions between the band and their label Better Noise Music over certain situations and career moves. He went on to claim that the aforementioned label had pressured the band into moving forward with their cover of Dolly Parton‘s “Jolene“, with that decision being the final straw.
While some have decried the decision to release that cover so soon after Parton‘s passing as questionable, the band’s past history with their multi-platinum cover of The Cranberries‘ “Zombie” adds an extra winkle or two.
Bad Wolves had originally lined up The Cranberries frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan to guest on their “Zombie” cover, however, she died prior to tracking her parts. The band went on to find fame with their own rendition, released shortly after O’Riordan‘s death. They went on to donate at least $250,000 in proceeds from it to her family.
That they once again found themselves in a similar situation, this time having locked in Parton to cameo on their “Jolene” cover, before her health issues prevented her from taking part, seems almost unfathomable. However, as communicated last week by the band’s founding drummer John Boecklin, the decision to move ahead with a rapid release of the cover came about with a plan to donate the proceeds from it to Parton‘s Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library foundation.
Hours after that statement was issued, Rebollo announced his exit, in part stating:
“I have been at odds with one too many decisions being made for the band for quite some time, but the final nail in the coffin was the label’s decision to move forward with the upcoming Dolly Parton cover, after we blatantly expressed our opposition. We, as an entity, told the label we had no interest in releasing the cover after learning of Dolly‘s unfortunate passing as her collaboration on the song was no longer a possibility, and we felt it would (understandably) be interpreted as somewhat of a capitalization on her passing from an outside perspective. They went ahead and posted that we were releasing it anyway, despite efforts from more than one member, myself included, to oppose it.
With the label completely disregarding numerous decisions we make out of passion, and ultimately just unknowingly exhausting the band’s attempts to fully enjoy being here, I am no longer happy here. The amount of hate, negativity. and harassment we receive on a daily basis due to decisions made outside of our control has taken a massive toll on our sanity.”
Rebollo took to social media once again today, September 01st, this time to clarify that his statement wasn’t meant as an attack against the band, nor Better Noise Music. He also admitted that he was unaware that Boecklin have signed off on the cover getting a release. Rebollo‘s newly issued statement reads as follows:
“I would like to follow up on my post the other day regarding my leave from Bad Wolves and say, once again, that this was NOT in any way a call to arms against Bad Wolves, or Better Noise. I would like to clarify some discrepancies regarding the flow of information and try to shift the focus to the positives here.
My stated stance and beliefs surrounding the matter were never meant to take away from the GOOD that will undeniably come of this — that being the fact that the proceeds from the cover of ‘Jolene‘ will go to Dolly’s Imagination Library. The point was to state my decision to leave, nothing more. nothing less, but I am now aware of the fact that my words have caused something far greater than the original intent.
At the end of the day, the band and label did, in fact, have the blessing of Dolly‘s team to move forward with the cover, despite the fact that Dolly could no longer be involved, as previously planned. On top that, John, who is the head of Bad Wolves pertaining to all things business-related, and the contractually-obligated owner of the band, did give the green light to move forward with the release when the time came.
This is something that was unknown to me, which inadvertently made my statement regarding the band being a united front in opposing the release, frankly, false. The communication within this band has always been a hinderance, but I also must acknowledge the fact that I dropped the ball on gathering all necessary information, when I honestly could have done so by just calling Allan Kovac (chairman of Better Noise) directly. I will absolutely take full responsibility for that.
Now, regardless of any disagreements I may have had with the label prior, or me leaving the band, there is no denying the fact that the proceeds from this track will bring about something great for Imagination Library and the kids who will receive books from the foundation. After a lengthy and very productive conversation with Allan Kovac, I see how my statement is unintentionally taking away from a cause that is far greater than any disagreement.
I am not retracting my departure, but I would like to, once again, encourage everybody upset by this to acknowledge the fact that Dolly‘s team, wanted this decision to come to fruition. So, at the end of the day, it is no one else’s place to oppose that.
I did not intend for this to spark some sort of outright conflict. In a time where people tend to see things as black and white in regards to politics, social issues, etc., we should not constantly allow ourselves to be blind to the positives that can undoubtedly coexist among the discourse.”
Rebollo paired his statement with a caption from Better Noise Music CEO Allen Kovac, who stated:
“It takes immense courage to publicly stand up, acknowledge a mistake, and set the record straight—especially in today’s fast-paced media landscape. I want to fully commend AJ for having the integrity and bravery to address the misinformation regarding the Bad Wolves and Dolly Parton collaboration.
Mistakes happen, but it is the accountability afterward that defines someone’s character. By issuing this correction, AJ is ensuring that the focus remains entirely on what matters most: honoring a music legend and supporting the incredible work of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. I fully support him in resetting this narrative and thank him for his honesty.”
Yesterday, August 31st, saw the cover of “Jolene” officially released, complete with additional statements from Dolly Parton‘s manager Danny Nozell and the husband and manager of O’Riordan, both of whom voiced their support for the cover.
