Bon Iver Under Attack From the Avalanches Over Whiskey Ad

Earlier this year, Bon Iver mastermind Justin Vernon took the Grammys to task, claiming they encourage musicians to compromise their art. Now, according to Pitchfork, the Avalanches have fired back at the singer -- who, incidentally, just racked up four Grammy nominations himself -- on account of Bon Iver's Bushmills Whiskey endorsement.

"A musicians 'art is compromised' if he/she desires a grammy. but endor$ing a product with proven devastating health risks is ok?" the Australian band tweeted.

"A product which kills 100k p/a in the US alone..man kids look up to you," they added, with the hashtag "rememberwhenitwascoolNOTtosellout?" and a photo of a Bushmills ad.

"Do you drink whiskey?" Vernon tweeted back, before explaining he wasn't upset but was "kinda into a talk." The Avalanches responded (though the comment has been removed from their account): "actually vodka is more my thing, but this aint no rock n roll pissing contest. i have seen alcohol destroy many families...including my own...and you are making money off this s---. dont try and justify it."

The blowback has to be troubling for Vernon who may be rethinking his comments to the New York Times: "I don't think Arcade Fire was compromised [for winning the Grammy for Album of the Year], but 98 percent of the people in that room, their art is compromised by the face that they're thinking that, and that they're hoping to get that award ... And who is that award given by? It's like they think it's literally handed down by the musical-history gods."

Though the Avalanches feel Vernon has "sold out," they insist they're not trying to make this a personal beef. "Actually I have a good friend who says he is a nice guy. But it was so engrained in me that selling out was bad bad bad etc. I still find it sort of weird and gross and a bummer when bands do it. if things keep rolling along like this it will become so normalized, for the next generation of kids in bands it will be so acceptable."

Wonder if the Avalanches will change their tune when Smirnoff comes a-knockin'.