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Family, friends share in Bon Iver's Grammy wins
Feb 14, 2012 (The Leader-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
After his shout-out to the city of Eau Claire at Sunday's Grammy Awards, best new artist and best alternative album winner Justin Vernon of Bon Iver has without a doubt made his hometown proud.
And while those close to him are excited about the recognition, friends and family say it didn't take a Grammy award to be proud of what Vernon has accomplished as a musician.
"We love our son no matter what," Gil Vernon, Justin's father, said in a telephone interview Monday from California. "The Grammys doesn't change that we've been proud of him for a very long time.
"It's all been fun, even like I said, back in middle school it's all been fun."
The Vernons traveled to Los Angeles' Staples Center for the awards show and met up with their son after his media obligations.
Gil Vernon said along with Justin's mother, Justine, the three attended the Grammy pre-show, when awards are given in nontelevised categories. There, Bon Iver -- an intentional misspelling of "bon hiver," or "good winter" in French -- was awarded best alternative album.
Gil Vernon said an unexpected and touching moment also occurred when the parents of the late pop singer Amy Winehouse showed up to accept her award for best jazz duet with Tony Bennett.
"The mom has some mobility issues, but she struggled, and she got up on the stage and Tony Bennett got out of the way and let the parents speak," Gil Vernon said. "It was lovely. That was a very special moment that most of the world didn't get to see or hear about."
For the televised part of the show, Gil Vernon said he sat with his wife in an upper part of the arena while Justin sat on the floor, which is reserved for nominees, next to his girlfriend, musician Kathleen Edwards. Though the family didn't have a lot of time to celebrate the day of the awards, Gil said the Vernons were able to have a drink together afterward. In addition to Bon Iver's awards, Gil Vernon said some of the evening's performances made it a fun experience.
"The Beach Boys and Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen in one night ... how could you go wrong?" he said.
And as far as where the two shiny Grammy awards will sit once they arrive back in Wisconsin -- in the Vernons' home or in Justin's studio -- Gil Vernon said he's not quite sure.
"A friend of mine emailed me a picture of (Justin) holding both the Grammys last night with the subject 'One for mom, one for dad?' " he said with a laugh.
Justin Vernon did not respond to requests for an interview.
For other friends of the Bon Iver frontman, Sunday night was far from the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles. Many spent a quiet night watching the awards show on television or online.
Andy Immerman, an Eau Claire Memorial graduate who now lives in Denver, Colo., helped with some studio construction at Vernon's April Base Studios near Fall Creek. Immerman also did some audio tracking for the band's most recent album, "Bon Iver, Bon Iver."
While Immerman said he was proud to contribute to a Grammy-winning album, he was just happy to see his friend recognized for his talents.
"I'm just another fortunate person that he took under his wing and allowed to help him in his artistic endeavors," Immerman said. "Bon Iver is a family, and I'm just glad to be a part of it."
Both Gil Vernon and Immerman also noted that Justin's achievements always are a part of a large collective, and that he couldn't have done it without his co-managers: his brother, Nate, and Kyle Frenette, a Chippewa Falls High School graduate.
"Justin has so many people backing him up too, that it's a big moment for everyone involved as well as Eau Claire for that matter," Immerman said. "I'm just excited to see what's in store for the Bon Iver family over the next few years. I think things are going to get interesting."
In recent articles, Vernon has said there may not be another Bon Iver album until 2015 and that he hadn't started writing for it. However, there have been whispers that Vernon finally may release an album he recorded with Laarks drummer Brian Moen a few years back under the moniker The Shouting Matches. In the meantime, Bon Iver recently announced new international tour dates for the spring.
Hanson can be reached at 715-833-9216, 800-236-7077 or rob.hanson@ecpc.com.
___ (c)2012 the Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, Wis.) Visit the Leader-Telegram
(Eau Claire, Wis.) at www.leadertelegram.com Distributed by MCT Information
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