Justin Vernon

Justin Vernon is an internationally recognised singer/songwriter, musician and producer whose alternative thinking and creativity has dramatically shaped the indie music scene over the past 10 years. From the simplicity of his stripped back acoustics to the chaos of his experimental electronic production, Vernon has paved his way into the industry with a reputation for absolute authenticity in an industry that is built upon smoke and mirrors. His massive success despite breaking the mould for the industry has since opened the doors of opportunity for likeminded musicians and set a new standard for authenticity in the industry.

A journey through his musical career reveals an evolution of musicianship – progressing from his simple-yet beautiful ‘Form Emma, Forever’ – recorded with a $100 mic, $100 interface and a the free pro-tools lite – into his latest album ’22, A Million’ that features advanced production with technically diverse effects and samples throughout. Although his music has dramatically changed over the years, one thing has remained consistent – his drive to create. Creativity demands uniqueness, and his unique approach to every project he takes on, reflects a heart that loves to create. His poetic, vulnerable lyrics; presented amongst alternative/melancholic musicality reveal an unvarnished, intimate glimpse into the heart of an introvert.

He tends to collaborate with fellow creatives and over time has founded or contributed to many groups, most notably being: Bon Iver, Volcano Choir, The Shouting Matches and many more. Amongst his achievements are 2 Grammys, with another 5 nominations along and 3 Britt award nominations to name a few.

Cultural Influences and Responses

Born April 30, 1981, Vernon grew up and continues to live in Eau Claire, Wisconsin; a relatively small country town where he attended school and university. He studied at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he “wasn’t ready to study music” at that stage in his life and chose to major in religious studies, minoring in womens studies (Colbert, 2011).

Vernon openly pays tribute to a plethora of artists who inspire him in his music career and influenced the way he approaches audio. In an interview with ‘Pop Matters’ Magazine, Vernon describes his love for black gospel singers, along with The Staple Singers, Michael Jackson and Sam Cooke as majorly influencing him towards the use of falsetto (Jenifer Kelly, 2008). In the same interview, Vernon goes on to describe that his “touchstones are Tom Waits, Patty Griffin, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young” (Jenifer Kelly, 2008). “The falsetto stuff, it must be a reaction to the black gospel singers that I really enjoy listening to,” (Kelly, 2008)

Social Influences and Responses

Vernon claims to write his music based on his life experiences and circumstances, meaning all external elements he is exposed to become influences in his music. The top influences Vernon speaks of are the places he goes and the relationships he has (both lovers and friendships). Although he packs out arenas worldwide, Vernon continues to live in his small hometown of Eau Claire and draws from his surroundings in that environment. “Just in general as a person, not necessarily as a songwriter, being in cities wasn’t the right fit. I couldn’t escape and be in the woods in 10 minutes if I needed to. I like that in Eau Claire, I can walk to a bar or a coffee shop, and there’s city-ish things, but I can also drive and in eight minutes be at my parents’ land outside of town.” (Hyden, 2008).

His first EP as Bon Iver ‘For Emma, Forever’ was written and recorded all within a 3 month hibernation in his fathers remote Wisconsin hunting cabin, after breaking up with his college girlfriend (Allen, 2011). The emotional sense of solitude and heartbreak that emanates through this EP is a true reflection of both his surroundings (snowy woods) and his relational circumstances (post-breakup). This solemn-natured authenticity amidst life’s challenges has been a consistent theme throughout his career and his greatest asset as his audience is drawn to embark on the emotional journey of each track.

Hard Skills

Vernon is an exceptionally talented musician, who performs with an array of instruments at his disposal and the talent to play each one with confidence and precision. He’s not only mastered the the piano, guitar, drums (and many more instruments), but has gone to the depth of creativity to invent new sounds and unique instruments.

One example of this is the ‘Messina’, which is a MIDI system used by Vernon to achieve his signature wet, orchestral vocal effect. This instrument enables Vernon to capture live vocals and modify them on the trot. As he captures these samples, Vernon is given the ability to multiply the input signal in a range of harmonies through a MIDI keyboard, turning the voice of one man into an ambient choir/instrument.

Soft Skills

Vernon is very unique when it comes to his soft skills, as he’s an openly introverted individual in and industry built on ‘who you know’. This obviously comes with its challenges and benefits, but Vernon seems to take the challenge on with confidence and doesn’t seem to be limited by it at all.

He’s a real pioneer when it comes to collaboration and community based creativity. Altogether he’s released 21 albums across 9 bands, along with collaborating in 12 different singles with the likes of Kanye West, the National and Francis and the Lights. On top of this, he has orchestrated and collaborated with fellow musicians to organise multiple music festivals and similar events such as the ‘Eaux Claires Anti-Festival’. Such substantial accomplishments speak for themselves, as the interpersonal and organisational soft skills required to attain such achievements are simply immense.

Audience

Vernons relationship with fame is ironic in nature, as he depends on it for a living but despises it for its alteration of the simplicity of life. “There are people who are straight-up into being famous. And I don’t like that. I think that’s why I had to take a long break.” (Barton, 2016). Such a statement reveals purity in his heart behind each project he releases, as his ambition is not to gain audience but to find himself through the process of creativity.

Although he may not make this music with a targeted audience in mind, Vernons music is very easy listening and melancholic in nature, naturally resonating with likeminded individuals. Many of his fans have followed along with him from album to album, developing in taste as his music progressed from his ‘cabin in the woods’ acoustic sounds into his now synth heavy, experimental style. His audience therefore cannot be segregated by typical demographics such as age and gender, but more by their interests, beliefs, culture and lifestyle. Although his audience may be very broad, there are a few emotionally loaded themes that his music really resonates with both lyrically and musically; Relational difficulties (especially breakups), questioning reality, spirituality/creation and mental illness. A strong resonant audience for his music is therefore anyone who is experiencing or pondering these realities in life, and anyone who has experienced them before (which is most of us).

His breakout album ‘For Emma, Forever’ was filled with emotionally loaded lyrics and sounds that were fuelled by the themes of heartbreak and identity. The demographic that was drawn to this was therefore mostly teens who were navigating the rollercoaster of identity and relationships as Vernons music spoke into the themes important to them. As his music progressed, so did its themes and messages; from the beautifully simplistic question’s of love and identity, into deeper questioning of the meaning of life and spirituality. His latest albums now present an avant-garde with poetic nuances

References

Colbert, Stephen (June 20, 2011). “Interview of Justin Vernon”. Colbert Report.

Emilia Petrarca (December 19, 2016) The Engineer Behind Bon Iver’s 22, A MillionClears Up Any Confusion About Its High-Tech Sound. https://www.wmagazine.com/story/the-engineer-behind-bon-ivers-22-a-million-clears-up-any-confusion-about-its-high-tech-sound

Jenifer Kelly. (2008). Isolation Songs: An Interview with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. https://www.popmatters.com/isolation-songs-an-interview-with-bon-ivers-justin-vernon-2496176382.html

Laura Barton. (2016). Bon Iver: ‘There are people who are into being famous. And I don’t like that’ https://www.theguardian.com/global/2016/sep/24/bon-iver-justin-vernon-22-million-interview

Paul Tingen. (January 2017). Inside Track: Bon Iver ’22, A Million’ soundonsound.com/…/inside-track-bon-iver-22-a-million

Robert Guerin. (2006) MIDI Power! Boston, MA : Thomson Course Technology, pg 1-12

Sami Yenigun. (May 12, 2013). The MIDI Revolution: Synthesizing Music For The Masses. https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2013/05/12/182874125/the-midi-revolution-synthesizing-music-for-the-masses

Soundbridge. (2018). Prismizer. soundbridge.io/prismizer

Steven Hyden. (2008). Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. https://music.avclub.com/justin-vernon-of-bon-iver-1798213345

Tom Bateman. (28 November 2012). How MIDI changed the world of music.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20425376

Video

Middle 8. (2018). BON IVER + KANYE WEST, Finding Your Voice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNLHkliQRys