AN HOMAGE TO LIVE. Today, Feb. 23, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver launches VOLUMES, a new recurring archival series which will span unreleased recordings, live shows, demos and otherwise unheard material of the project's “many eras and multitudes." The announcement was also paired with an unreleased version of Bon Iver's “HEAVENLY FATHER,” performed in 2022 at the Mediolanum of Milan, Italy. (Photo by Julian Bajsel)

With Bon Iver fans – both locally and internationally – focused on the happenings, collaborations and soundscapes expected from Justin Vernon’s upcoming Eaux Claires festival, a new creative venture has emerged from his personal archives.

Today, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver launches VOLUMES, a new cyclical archival series which spans unreleased recordings, live shows, demos and otherwise unheard material of the “many eras and multitudes” that make up the indie folktronica project.

The first installment of the musical series, VOLUMES: ONE “SELECTIONS FROM MUSIC CONCERTS 2019-2023 BON IVER 6 PIECE BAND,” will be released in April.

“The heady, inward and innovative side of Bon Iver that makes the studio albums cannot exist without the live band, and VOLUMES: ONE represents a time capsule – a prismatic look at an old friend, seeing them for who they were and who they are,” a recent media release shared.

VOLUMES: ONE "SELECTIONS FROM MUSIC CONCERTS 2019-2023 BON IVER 6 PIECE BAND by Bon Iver will arrive to physical and digital platforms on April 3. Pre-order for CD and vinyl editions available now at thelocalstore.org.

The tracklist for VOLUMES: ONE will span Vernon’s collection of work from 2019-2023 and feature recordings up until when Bon Iver would perform its last live concert to date. Vernon began work on the 10-track non-studio album in 2020 – combing through hours of live recordings to assemble the “ultimate tracklist.”

“This particular set of 10 songs is like, ‘Here, if you’ve never heard Bon Iver, or you have and you didn’t like it, this might be for you.’ This is what we became,” Vernon said. “This is really us at our best. This is it.”

Bon Iver’s first non-studio album arrives at a time where the year ahead promises something warm, wild and whole for the award-winning musician, the release continued.

The collection – and continued series – will serve as something greater than a live record, or compilation of notable moments in the artists’ story.

In this vein, the project names the six bandmates of Bon Iver explicitly: Vernon (vocals, guitar, synth), Sean Carey (percussion, vocals), Jenn Wasner (bass, keys, vocals), Andrew Fitzpatrick (guitar, synth), Matthew McCaughan (percussion, electronics) and Michael Lewis (bass, saxaphone, keys).

Together, in the span of the project’s decades-long history, the six will reignite the richest versions of each track for the die-hard Bon Iver fans and new listeners alike. With, of course, the defining characteristics of live engineering by Xandy Whitesel.

"We're excited to show it to you – to share it with the world. In many ways, it's the most physical and advanced that we could get as a project."

JUSTIN VERNON

BON IVER

VOLUMES: ONE “SELECTIONS FROM MUSIC CONCERTS 2019-2023 BON IVER 6 PIECE BAND” tracklist includes:

INTRO - The Forum, Los Angeles, CA. (Sept. 15, 2019)

MAN LIKE U - The Forum, Los Angeles, CA. (Sept. 15, 2019)

WE (feat. Bizhiki) - Xcel Energy Center, St Paul, MN. (Oct. 3, 2019)

JELMORE - Tennis Indoor Senayan, Jakarta, ID. (Jan. 19, 2020)

666 - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, Irving, TX. (April 3, 2022)

HEAVENLY FATHER - Mediolanum, Milan, IT. (Nov. 5, 2022)

P.D.L.I.F. - Red Hill Auditorium, Perth, AU. (Feb. 26, 2023)

HEY, MA - Pitchfork Music Festival, Chicago, IL. (July 23 2023)

A SATISFIED MIND - State Theatre, Portland, ME. (Dec. 8, 2017)

33 “GOD" - WOMADelaide Festival, Adelaide, AU. (March 10, 2023)

Sh'DIAH (boardmix) - Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, CA. (Oct. 6, 2019)

For the same die-hard Bon Iver fans, folks may have caught an early announcement of the forthcoming series via international broadcasting station NTS Radio on Feb. 22.

Vernon spent the hour-long segment spotlighting a curation of unforgettable live music performances – from Bonnie Raitt’s own “Burning Down The House” to Bob Marley & The Wailers, inspirations for his new series – and the people responsible for immersive audience interactivity at their shows.

“We’re excited to show it to you – to share it with the world,” Vernon said of the archival series – one which will recur every year, he told NTS radio. “In many ways, it's the most physical and advanced that we could get as a project. We’re all really proud of the songs that we chose and the cities we played the songs in; we’re very humbled to do so.”

Fans of Bon Iver’s five studio albums – from i,i to 22, A Million among others – who were at these very live performances on VOLUMES: ONE will surely be transported back to those defining spaces.

“HEAVENLY FATHER – Mediolanum, Milan, IT. (Nov. 5, 2022)” was restored to digital platforms to celebrate the unveiling of the project; the track showcases the band’s talents with crystalline clarity – from rising vocal swells to percussive movements – creating a vibrant, life-affirming experience with every chord.

VOLUMES: ONE “SELECTIONS FROM MUSIC CONCERTS 2019-2023 BON IVER 6 PIECE BAND” arrives to digital and physical platforms on April 3 with Jagjaguwar. Pre-order CD or vinyl copies of VOLUMES: ONE through The Local Store (205 N Dewey St., Eau Claire) online at thelocalstore.org.