This post is from Out the Other's 2009 Bonnaroo Artist Previews, where I will be posting previews of all the musical acts playing the 2009 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Please check out and subscribe to the full site to learn more about all of this year's performers.
I can't even remember what it is I was doing the other day - watching TV or a movie, maybe - actually not even watching, but the television was on in the room. I know I was otherwise occupied, going about my cleaning or writing or folding laundry or whatever it was I was doing. And then, I heard the song "re: Stacks" coming from the television - that unique voice that could belong to none other than Wisconsin's Bon Iver.
And it was almost like I had to catch my breath. The song floated into the room like a long-lost memory that surfaces unexpectedly, catching you off-guard and briefly leaving you speechless. Like when you witness something so achingly beautiful that you're momentarily disarmed. All this, and it was at most probably sixty seconds of soundtrack in whatever crappy movie was airing on USA that afternoon. But some things are that powerful - so powerful that context doesn't count. They just sweep you out of the scene, and out of your room, and out of your head, and it's those moments that remind me that music is absolutely what I live for.
The funny thing is, I never even loved For Emma, Forever Ago as much as everyone else did. Sure, I listened, and I liked, and I even rinsed and repeated. "Flume" and "Skinny Love" and "For Emma" all took their turns in radio rotation, and even popped up in a few mixes. But it wasn't until I found myself in a darkened second-floor venue at SXSW - charmed enough to find myself magically amidst air conditioning, free beer, free snacks and a lineup that boasted Jens Lekman, Yeasayer and Vampire Weekend - that I stopped and really listened when Justin Vernon took the stage and began to play. And it was weird - the next time I listened to the record, it was like I pressed play and then didn't surface again for about 35 minutes. And ever since, every time I listen to For Emma, Forever Ago, I'll catch myself sitting so still I'm almost holding my breath. In between listens, it can easily slip my mind how incredible the album is, but once it's playing it's like I'm stopped dead in my tracks. Every time.
I could give you background and biography, but it really doesn't matter - you're never going to hear Bon Iver until you actually listen. So carve out a bit of Saturday's schedule, and maybe you'll end up with a musical memory that will make your catch your breath on some future TV-watching afternoon.
Bon Iver will play the This Tent on Saturday from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Check out the full Bonnaroo schedule on the official Bonnaroo website.
