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Page 6
December 4, 2008 Issue
BON IVER:
Anywhere from Here
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon is championing the Chippewa Valley with every climbing step.
words by Ken Szymanski
photography by Drew Kaiser
THE ROAD AHEAD
Justin’s final concert of 2008 will be a sold-out show at the State Theatre in downtown Eau Claire. Local music fans often gripe when a national act comes to town and draws a small crowd, but the Bon Iver show sold out in less than two weeks. In fact, a pair of tickets for the show recently sold on eBay for $177.50. This is a big deal – the first Bon Iver performance in Eau Claire since Hurricane Emma really started kicking up dust a year ago. In addition, his new EP, titled Blood Bank, will be available on vinyl at the show; CDs and downloads, on January 20th. There will even some new T-shirts done by Melting Pot Prints.
In January, Justin will tour in Australia. Then, finally, it will be time to record again, with a worldwide independent music fan base ready to devour the next release – the opposite environment he had when he unknowingly recorded his life-changing record in a hunting cabin. After a decade of musical progression, it will be especially exciting for local fans to experience the next step forward. In other words, no pressure.
“With this one I didn’t have any expectations, and no one else had any expectations of me either,” Justin says of recording For Emma. “I think it’s doing well because people recognize the short line between me and the songs and whatever path that is…I wanna stick to that.”
“I’m taking three months (to write and record), and if I need more I’ll take more,” he says nonchalantly. “I’m not going to put pressure on myself to finish it. It makes sense to put out a record next fall, business-wise, but I can’t worry about that stuff.”
Right now, he’s enjoying his new home in the countryside outside of Eau Claire, where he’s putting down roots for good. Eventually, there will be a recording studio and plenty of rooms – a haven for visiting bands, both local and national. It’s where he wants to be, aside from those inevitable world tours to exotic places like Paris, Amsterdam, and Glasgow – which are all great, to a point. “I love it,” Justin says. “There are all these places that are so special and so beautiful…but they aren’t my place.” Eau Claire is – with its familiar geography, good people, clear waters and cold winters. “It’s like my beginning. It’s my DNA. That’s Bon Iver.”
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Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008
BON IVER: Back Tracks
the albums before the album
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008
BON IVER: A Timeline
a For Emma timeline from there to here
Tuesday 8-19-08
Bon Iver on British TV
Eau Claire artist Bon Iver live on Great Britan's Jools Holland Show on the 16th of May, 2008.
Tuesday 8-19-08
Bon Iver: ABC News Interview (1)
ABC News interviewed Bon Iver at Sound Fix Records in Brooklyn, NY after his recent in-store performance at the Sound Fix Lounge. (Part 1 of 2)
Tuesday 8-19-08
Bon Iver: ABC News Interview (2)
ABC News interviewed Bon Iver at Sound Fix Records in Brooklyn, NY after his recent in-store performance at the Sound Fix Lounge. (Part 2 of 2)
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Monday, Mar. 8, 2010 Beyond the Apron |
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Monday, Mar. 8, 2010 Bethke Runs Deep |
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Monday, Mar. 8, 2010 New Book Completes Trilogy on Altoona History |
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Monday, Mar. 8, 2010 Jacket Required |
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That might be true, but the SNES was not without its 32-bit cartridge games... |
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Tyler Griggs
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from article: Powerglove |
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yo, 32-bit was playstation. nes and snes was 8 and 16. |
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anonymous
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from article: Powerglove |
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I have tickets!!!! I can hardly wait... |
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from article: Whad'ya Know Again? |
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Abi,what a wonderful story! I was working my first nursing job in the earl... |
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Lynn Severson
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from article: The Tiger on the Page |
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I liked that. |
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Rural Fox
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from article: Jacket Required |
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You can download all the past episodes of Underdog radio FREE @ http://www.... |
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Brian Bethke
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from article: Bethke Runs Deep |
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Brian's songs are wrote with heartfelt rhythms that follow through his guit... |
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Brooke Pederson
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from article: Bethke Runs Deep |
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smart-bomb-iathalon? |
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from article: City Ponders Terrain Park |
calvsie
MikePaulus
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Insider Giveaway:
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Insider Giveaway:
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Insider Giveaway:
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Blake
12/18/08
all- my name is blake and i am a new orleanian making my first trip to the state of WI along with my wife for this show. like everyone else we've been enamored w/ bon iver from day one. only problems is we don't have tickets to the show!! i know it's way sold out, but if anybody out there has xtras i will pay $300 for 2 tickets. obviously we don't wanna come a thousand miles without tickets if we don't have to, but we will. email me if you can help blakewilliamson@gmail.com Thanks!
Tom Giffey
12/17/08
Oops, wrong link. Here's the correct one:
http://www.leadertelegram.com/blogs/blog.asp?id=320
Tom Giffey
12/17/08
I just posted on my blog the very first Leader-Telegram article about Justin Vernon, circa 1999, which Ken mentions in the story:
http://www.leadertelegram.com/blogs/blog.asp?id=312
Aaron Stelter
12/15/08
Ken - Great article and amazing story! Growing up in Eau Claire and playing basketball with Justin back in the day it awesome to see how good he is doing! Keep up the good work Bon Iver!!
12/09/08
Neal - at your local public library! Although I will say that Mount Vernon is, well, rough. That's putting it nicely.
Neal
12/06/08
He's amazing. And what I have of DeYarmond Edison's stuff is also great. Anyone know where to find Mount Vernon stuff?
Dan
12/05/08
Nice. It is always good to see someone with so much promise doing good things. It is nice to see EC on the map as well. A friend and myself keep talking about when Mount Vernon played our 8th grade graduation dance at Northstar. That I will always remember.
Ben Lehuu
12/04/08
Wow, simply stunning article. I remember the days when I had Ken as my English teacher. Taught me a lot!
I'm really glad I got the chance to listen to this album when it was first streamed on Virb. It was stunning, I was just taking away by its beauty.
Keep it up Justin, Eau Claire loves you.
amyg
12/04/08
Absolutely fabulous article. I'm a northern Dunn County native and loved the line about it not being Siberia! It's so refreshing to read about Justin's honesty, humility, and the pride he has for his hometown and state.
David
12/03/08
Great piece Ken! Fabulous layout VolumeOne! This goes without saying, but Justin breaking out was just a matter of time. From the beginning to the present time, his music always had this unmatched ability to make you think about the things that make you most happy and about the people you love. No other artist has that ability. Couldn't be happier for him and everyone else involved. Happy Holidays and see ya'll at The State Theatre in a few weeks!