The Red and Black

Issue date: 8/29/08 Section: Variety

Media Credit: Courtesy Bon Iver Justin Vernon spent months in a cabin in Wisconsin working on material for his band's latest album, "For Emma, Forever Ago." [Click to enlarge]

Like many folk artists, Justin Vernon writes with a casual sense of non-urgency minus the sometimes emotive lyrics. According to the story, Vernon widdled himself into a cabin for a winter somewhere in rural Wisconsin for a time of peace and quiet. There he wrote and recorded the songs that make up the debut album, titled "For Emma, Forever Ago," for his band Bon Iver.

The man behind the guitar is a native of Eau Claire, Wisc. He grew up in the woods where hunting was one of his pastimes. He said in an interview with Stereogum that hunting is more of an earthy tradition for his family rather than a sport. Vernon said they killed the deer in order to eat.

"That's what it's mostly about: being outside in the quiet, and catching your meat is the only true and honest way there is."

He said two deer kept him going while he spent time in the cabin during the recording of his album. Chopping wood and butchering meat often paints him as a picturesque outdoorsman.

He also spent endless hours mixing music for other musicians. The Daredevil Christopher Wright, The Shouting Matches and various other bands from the Eau Claire area and elsewhere were on his list of projects. He said in the interview with Stereogum that he wouldn't consider himself an engineer, but enjoys learning from each record he puts down.

Vernon has taken a few dips into other musical ventures such as the experimental folk quartet DeYarmond Edison. However, he left Raleigh, N.C. and returned to Wisconsin after DeYarmond Edison called it quits in 2006.

Once back in Wisconsin he needed a place to live. Vernon said in an interview with B-Sides of RFT Music that he didn't want to live with his parents and didn't have a place in Eau Claire. The cabin was the best option for time to rethink things.

"It's not like when I was up there I was, like, this simple-minded Zen person or something. When I really noticed myself feeling better and more on top of things was after I left and I realized how clear my head was," he said.

Steven Hyden writes that Vernon had personal falling outs with both his band and girlfriend before heading to his father's cabin for some solitude. Throw in a little mono and you've got the perfect case of singer-songwriter loneliness that produced a sound that has been applauded by Paste, Pitchfork and Stylus.

Indie rock label Jagjaguwar picked up the album that Vernon previously put out in various forms on his own in 2007. The label re-released "For Emma, Forever Ago" officially in February.

The tenor croons his tunes in a breathy fashion causing reviews to call the sound "haunting" and "ghostly." Vernon has said in interviews that he was influenced by black singers, but could never get the sound to resonate. The high notes he hits are where his voice fits comfortably.

A seemingly humble dude, Vernon said in his A.V. Club interview, "I never had an opportunity to give it my own spin. People were spinning it already. In a lot of ways, I'm still in spin mode. Whatever it is people say the record is, I believe them."

He said to Stereogum that he is building a studio by himself near the cabin where he hid out for that three to four month period of introspection. Vernon said he hopes friends will be able to crash there and he will get some recording done as well.

All of this from a guy who claims Indigo Girls "Fugitive" as his favorite song ever and 1979's "Days of Heaven" as his new favorite film.

Vernon is currently living in Eau Claire, writing new songs and living up his new found fame.

Editor's Note: This is the first of a weekly series in which The Red & Black will research biographical information about artists and bands that you want to know more about. Submit requests to wkessler@randb.com.

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