Justin Vernon’s Latest Ventures

Bon Iver Press
Bon Iver fans may be heartbroken due to lead singer, Justin Vernon, hinting at the end of Bon Iver (or at very least a hiatus for a few years). But fear not because he has recently answered the fans’ questions and mentioned that “Bon Iver is not dead”, also adding that there will be more albums in the future. In late 2012, the band decided to take a break from their extremely successful, double Grammy winning year. Although there is no time frame of when they will reunite and release a new album, there is plenty from Justin Vernon to keep you satisfied until then.

Vernon recently decided to venture into and promote other projects he is involved in. In early 2013 he joined up with Brian Moen, and Phil Cook to create, or rather to bring back, The Shouting Matches. In 2008, the Shouting Matches released their debut album, Mouthoil which was recently released again due to the bands newfound fame. Now they have regrouped to bring you their latest album, Grownass Man. For those who don’t know about The Shouting Matches, they have a different sound compared to what you are used to from Vernon, and Bon Iver. With strong electric guitar strumming, and Vernon’s dynamic voice, the band is more known for their blues vibe. Vernon’s wide vocal range is utilized to bring out a new, more powerful sound, and is a big must listen for all Bon Iver fans wanting more songs during their hiatus.


If that does not fill you up, lately Vernon has worked in the group Volcano Choir, that consists of member from Collection of Colonies of Bees as well as Vernon himself as the lead vocalist. Volcano Choir most resembles the indie vibe that is expressed in Bon Iver, although with a slightly more upbeat tempo. Volcano Choir recently released their second studio album Repave and is a definite must have for Bon Iver fans in waiting.

Listen: The Flaming Lips & Bon Iver – “Ashes In The Air”

For Record Store Day this year, the Flaming Lips will be releasing a new record entitled The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends, which houses a number of collaborations between the Lips and Tame Impala, Yoko Ono, Chris Martin of Coldplay, and even Ke$ha. Today, we get to hear the highly-anticipated collaboration track with Bon Iver. “Ashes In The Air” features the classic psychedelic Flaming Lips sound, which is then complemented by the lush falsetto of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, who contributes some peculiar lines about racing robot dogs. Despite that, Vernon sounds completely at home in the woozy electronic soundscape, which results in a great piece of work between two of the biggest acts in the indie rock world.

The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends Tracklist:
Side 1:
01. 2012 (feat. Ke$ha and Biz Markie)
02. Ashes In The Air (feat. Bon Iver)
03. Helping The Retarded To Know God (feat. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros)

Side 2:
04. Supermoon Made Me Want To Pee (feat. Prefuse 73)
05. Children Of The Moon (feat. Tame Impala)
06. That Ain’t My Trip (feat. Jim James of My Morning Jacket)
07. You, Man? Human? (feat. Nick Cave)

Side 3:
08. I’m Working At NASA On Acid (feat. Lightning Bolt)
09. Do It! (feat. Yoko Ono)
10. Is David Bowie Dying? (feat. Neon Indian)

Side 4:
11. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (feat. Erykah Badu)
12. Thunder Drops (feat. New Fumes)
13. I Don’t Want You To Die (feat. Chris Martin of Coldplay)

Video: Bon Iver – “Towers”

Bon Iver‘s newest single “Towers” from 2011’s standout album Bon Iver is set for release by Jagjaguwar on March 6th. To promote its release, the band released a new full-scale music video for the song directed by Nabil Elderkin, who also directed the visuals for “Holocene”. You can watch the whole thing, which features the journey of an old man (and the sea!) as well as some curious drawings of towers, below.

S. Carey Announces New Solo Effort ‘Hoyas EP’

Bon Iver‘s S. Carey will make his solo return with a brand new four-track EP entitled Hoyas. Set for release on Jagjaguwar (home to Bon Iver), Hoyas was, according to the press release, recorded in an attic studio “using a single laptop and not much else… Some sounds were composed by handcrafted instruments and others by junk. At times, Carey tracked vocals using nothing more than his laptop’s internal microphone, and most of the beats and synthesized sounds were sequenced and arranged using stock-software.” Bon Iver bandmate Justin Vernon then mixed and produced the album, which is currently scheduled for a May 8th release.

In the meantime, you can watch S. Carey and Justin Vernon in their recent Bon Iver live acoustic session here.

Hoyas EP Tracklist:
01. Two Angles
02. Avalanche
03. Inspir
04. Marfa

Video: Bon Iver Live Acoustic Session At AIR Studios

Working with record labels 4AD and Jagjaguwar, Justin Vernon and Sean Carey of Bon Iver sat down at AIR Studio’s Lyndurst Hall to record a breathtaking 25 minute live session, a stylistic contrast from the band’s recent shows with a full eleven-piece band. Instead, Vernon and Carey provide an intimate, sit-down session, performing songs from the Blood Bank EP and the band’s  Grammy Award winning Bon Iver, Bon Iver while also throwing in a cover of Bonnie Raitt‘s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (which was also included as a bonus track from Bon Iver, Bon Iver).

Be sure to set aside half an hour this weekend and watch the session below, courtesy of 4AD and Jagjaguwar.

01) Hinnom, TX
02) Wash.
03) I Can’t Make You Love Me
04) Babys
05) Beth/Rest