Bon Iver. Bon Idée

It is curious. That whole thing of stuff coming in threes. Recently I was watching a Letterman rerun and was surprised to see a mountain-man figure in a plaid shirt and heavy boots singing a plaintive tune in a near falsetto voice. Once the song was finished, Letterman sauntered forth as he usually does and said, "Nice job. Well done. Bon Iver everybody. What is that? Good Winter?" Typically, I had thought the name of the band to be Bon Hiver (band? Is a guy in winter boots accompanied by 3 drummers - one of which has only a single stick, a band?). Apparently the creative force behind the act dropped the "h" because "hiver" reminded him too much of "liver".

Shortly after seeing the Letterman appearance, my iPod rolled through an "All Songs Considered" podcast from NPR that showcased a Bon Iver track. Then, number 3 if you're keeping track, I flipped to the back of a New Yorker magazine (reading back to front being my habit) to see a profile of the wordsmith of Bon Iver, Justin Vernon. I seemed to be the only person who wasn't on the Bon Iver express flight to indie fame and fortune.

No longer. I've carefully stowed my luggage in the overhead compartment, I've fastened my seatbelt, adjusted my seat back and returned my tray to the upright position.

Hushed as a snowfall but as big as a hymn the music really does sound like it was written and recorded in a hunting shack in Wisconsin.
Click to hear in iTunes.

Hear Bon Iver on NPR
Read about Justin Vernon at the New Yorker