The Infection (ft. William DuVall)

Kinga Glyk

Tiki Taera

Patrick Star

***The Infection (ft. William DuVall)*** is a 2021 reboot of the American-British band with the same name, formed by Alice In Chains vocalist William DuVall on June 6th.

The reboot comes as the SquarePants-Cheeks estate asked the Los Angeles courts to block the group from using the original name in June 2021.

## History

#### Lawsuits against SquarePants-Cheeks estate and Shiny Stars of Tomorrow Tour (2021-2022)

Months before the name change, in February 2021, the group announced they had chosen William DuVall from Alice In Chains to replace the late SpongeBob SquarePants as lead vocalist.

They would also announce that Polish bassist Kinga Glyk would officially join the band, as well as announcing the upcoming Shiny Stars of Tomorrow Tour for December of the same year. After this, the SquarePants-Cheeks estate had asked a Los Angeles judge on June 6th, 2021, to block the band from using the original Infection name as it was trademarked and owned by Cheeks and SquarePants (both of which are deceased).

This prompted the band to change their name, however, the estate personally filed a lawsuit against the band on June 12th and would later respond with the following.

***"It was recently announced that Alice In Chains singer and guitarist William DuVall was joining the band. Prior to the untimely passings of Sandra Cheeks and SpongeBob SquarePants, they acknowledged that Cheeks and SquarePants were the sole owners of the name The Infection. It was their expressed intentions that no one used the original in any group that did not include him or her, and they even registered the trademark 'The Infection' under their own names.***

***As with Cheeks and SquarePants' heir's, and with the support of his and her entire family, we only want to respect their wishes and therefore have not consented to Star and DuVall calling their new project 'The Infection.' We have always supported their musical endeavors and their desire to continue to play The Infection's music. But, out of respect for Sandy and SpongeBob's wishes, we have always refused to endorse any group performing as 'The Infection' and now with great reluctance feel compelled to take the appropriate legal action to protect their legacies.***

***Our hope is that the ex-bandmates will respect their wishes and find a new name to perform under, so as to enhance the 'Infection" legacy without the confusion and disappointment that many fans have expressed upon seeing the announcement."***

Around this time, the SquarePants-Cheeks estate allowed the band to release the 20th anniversary deluxe editions of Traffic Jam and Disparate Realms along with the 25th anniversary edition of Shadows Descending. On July 26th, the lawsuit was dismissed. Few months later, Demi Lovato re-joined the group. She was originally part of the original lineup from 2007-2011.

#### First album with William DuVall/Demi Lovato (2022-present)

On May 20th, it was announced that the next Infection album was in the works and will be the first with William DuVall and Demi Lovato. Days later, the band's entire music catalog was sold to Universal Music Group for $550 million, as well as them signing a exclusive contract with Geffen. Weeks later on June 9th, the album was officially titled "Camera" on the band's website, which was released on September 2nd.

#### Current members

* William DuVall - lead vocals (2021-present)
* Demi Lovato - co-vocals, lead guitar (2021-present)
* Kinga Glyk - bass guitar, backing vocals (2021-present)
* Tiki Taera - keyboards, organ (2021-present)
* Patrick Star - drums, percussion (2021-present)

## Albums

* *2021 - Shiny Stars of Tomorrow (was later reissued with the new band name)*
* *2022 - Camera*

## Tours

* Shiny Stars of Tomorrow Tour
* December 1st, 2021 - May 10th, 2022