Justin Vernon hadn't played Local 506 since July 11, 2006. A month later, DeYarmond Edison—the band with which Vernon relocated to Raleigh from Eau Claire, Wis., and the band that played 506 that night—called it quits, throwing a farewell show at Kings Barcade and releasing a half-done EP only via MySpace. Vernon helped The Rosebuds record Night of the Furies, and he headed north with a handful of post-Edison songs and plans to slowly work up new music. He recorded the tunes in a hunting cabin and in his parents' house, eventually compiling them under the solo band name Bon Iver (misspelled French for "good winter") and passing them to friends. Word spread like slow-growing brush. Labels showed interested. Pitchfork said 8.1 out of 10.0. The New York Times said "irresistible." Jagjaguwar said, "Let us release this album."
Vernon returned to Local 506 on Feb. 18, 2008, the eve of Jagjaguwar's re-release of For Emma, Forever Ago. As the trio Megafaun, Vernon's old bandmates began making new music before he left for Wisconsin. Megafaun—Bradley Cook, Phil Cook and Joe Westerlund—has enjoyed success on its own terms, and when they opened for Vernon's Bon Iver at Local 506, they too were celebrating the release eve of their debut LP, Bury the Square, released Feb. 19 on Table of the Elements' Radium imprint. —Grayson Currin
Read more:
- "DeYarmond Edison, Bon Iver, Megafaun and one twisted story," Indy, Sept. 12, 2007
- "DeYarmond Edison: The pride of Eau Claire settles in Raleigh, changes its approach and its name," Indy, Nov. 1, 2006
- Bon Iver on MySpace
- Megafaun on MySpace
"Skinny Love"
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Filming by Steady Film Productions: Joshua Steadman & Dallas Smith
Post-production by Joshua Steadman
"Flume"
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Filming by Steady Film Productions: Joshua Steadman & Dallas Smith
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"The Wolves"
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Filming by Steady Film Productions: Joshua Steadman & Dallas Smith
Post-production by Joshua Steadman
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