December 1, 2017, was a monumental day for the Staves and yMusic: the English folk rock trio and NYC-based chamber music group released a collaborative album, The Way Is Read (Nonesuch), and performed all 12 tracks live on the Walker Art Center stage. Originally commissioned by the 2016 Eaux Claires Festival, the project combines the talents of, as festival organizer and Bon Iver front man Justin Vernon put it, “two of the most deeply impactful groups I have ever worked with, seen, or heard. Both bolster expression at acrobatic levels without ever taking their boots off your heart.” Watch the album’s title track performed live in the Walker’s McGuire Theater.
Investigating the Magnetic Field that Drew the Staves and yMusic to Eau Claire
Mapping the Bon Iver universe can feel a daunting task, better left to string theorists, genetic anthropologists, and Pitchfork editors. But by listening to the Staves and yMusic’s collaboration The Way Is Read, your mind can begin to perceive a vibration, maybe even a vector—if not precisely a fixed point—upon which to begin a sonic investigation into what the hell is going on out there in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
When asked to create imagery related to Bon Iver's album 22, a Million, Cameron Wittig was given one rule: don't show Justin Vernon's face. Here he shares the process behind the photography, his collaboration with artist Crystal Quinn, and influences on the final product, from Blue Velvet to Francis Bacon.
Designing Bon Iver's 22, a Million: An Interview with Eric Timothy Carlson
Justin Vernon assembled a cast of creatives to make Bon Iver's Grammy-nominated LP 22, A Million. Here we catch up with one such artist, Eric Timothy Carlson, whose design for the album is less a graphic identity than a rich documentation of a network of players, places, times, and tools.
