Justin Vernon Does High School

Bon Iver, I have decided, is my favorite band of the last year or so. I understand that this revelation is not groundbreaking in any way—Bon Iver have been praised by everyone and their mother, from The New Yorker to Pitchfork. Nonetheless, I have been playing For Emma, Forever Ago repeatedly since I first discovered it, and have yet to grow tired of it. And their follow-up, Blood Bank EP, features the song “Woods”, which I wrote about previously and continue to find fascinating.

What most sets Bon Iver apart for me is the soaring falsetto vocals that singer Justin Vernon layers in harmony over practically every song. These vocals give the songs an ethereal quality, accentuated by the abstract yet beautiful lyrics, that I find rare in contemporary popular music. I truly believe that Bon Iver’s songs more than live up to the hype that has surrounded this soft-spoken singer-songwriter who recorded an album in a remote Wisconsin cabin. Indeed, I think that, many years down the road, we’ll look back at them as beautiful, timeless songs, and I feel lucky to be following Vernon at this point as his career progresses.

I was already sold on Justin Vernon, but when I heard about the recent concert in which he performed with a high school jazz band back in Wisconsin, I was further intrigued. Here is this artist who has been praised by practically every significant music publication who returns to his hometown to perform with the jazz band from his high school. How generous and humble of Vernon to share his talents in such a concert so soon after he achieved fame.

Fortunately for us listeners, the Memorial High School Jazz Band from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is quite good. For proof, check out the flute solo on the performance of “Lump Sum.” Pretty exquisite. Also included for your enjoyment is a recording from the same concert of Justin Vernon singing the classic “Satisfied Mind,” previously performed by such luminaries as Mahalia Jackson and Jeff Buckley. Unfortunately the audio quality on these tracks is not ideal, but they're great nonetheless. Enjoy:

Justin Vernon w/Memorial High School Jazz Band - Lump Sum (Live) (YSI) (filesavr)
Justin Vernon - Satisfied Mind (Live) (YSI) (filesavr)