When Justin “Bon Iver” Vernon began writing his second album, he didn’t set out to win a Grammy. Out there in Wisconsin, he simply wanted to document the feelings in his heart. Maybe a few people would be interested enough to buy his music and then come out to a gig or two.
Imagine, then, what must have been going through his mind last Sunday night. Vernon is about as indie as they come in sound, style, aesthetic, attitude, history and image. His two wins at the Grammys demonstrate how, after years of being on the outside, indie music is now receiving mainstream attention.
And let’s not forget that Adele is an indie artist. Yes, 21 is distributed by Columbia Records, a division of Sony, but she’s signed to XL Recordings, which is a department of Beggars Banquet, a British indie label with roots that go back to 1973.
For those who thought last year’s Grammys was a fluke — wins by Arcade Fire and the ascent of Mumford & Sons to platinum-selling status — are either really pleased or really scared by these developments. Pleased because these great artists are having a chance to be heard by more people. Scared because mainstream attention threatens to have the clubby indie scene invaded by mainstream people.
Indie folk — and here I’m speaking as one of them — feel, rightly or wrongly, a certain sense of ownership when it comes to the artists we discover and nurture. We root for them to become big — but not too big because that would somehow sour our relationship with them. We’d prefer if they’d just stay our little secret.
If, heaven forbid, they became commercial stars and relegated to premiere league status, wouldn’t that make them no better than the dreckish Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga? No, the band hasn’t changed; it just that, well, circumstances are different. Share? Us? No!
It’s silly, of course, but that’s often the prevailing attitude.
One of the best lyric fragments comes from the Sloan song Coax Me. It goes “It’s not the band I hate/it’s their fans.” So far, artists like Arcade Fire and Bon Iver have managed to retain their indie cred despite being commercially successful. Will their old fans stick with them? Or will they bail in favour of something newer, cooler and less popular? We’ll see.
– Alan is the host of the radio show The Secret History of Rock. Reach him at alan@alancross.ca
Imagine, then, what must have been going through his mind last Sunday night. Vernon is about as indie as they come in sound, style, aesthetic, attitude, history and image. His two wins at the Grammys demonstrate how, after years of being on the outside, indie music is now receiving mainstream attention.
And let’s not forget that Adele is an indie artist. Yes, 21 is distributed by Columbia Records, a division of Sony, but she’s signed to XL Recordings, which is a department of Beggars Banquet, a British indie label with roots that go back to 1973.
For those who thought last year’s Grammys was a fluke — wins by Arcade Fire and the ascent of Mumford & Sons to platinum-selling status — are either really pleased or really scared by these developments. Pleased because these great artists are having a chance to be heard by more people. Scared because mainstream attention threatens to have the clubby indie scene invaded by mainstream people.
Indie folk — and here I’m speaking as one of them — feel, rightly or wrongly, a certain sense of ownership when it comes to the artists we discover and nurture. We root for them to become big — but not too big because that would somehow sour our relationship with them. We’d prefer if they’d just stay our little secret.
If, heaven forbid, they became commercial stars and relegated to premiere league status, wouldn’t that make them no better than the dreckish Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga? No, the band hasn’t changed; it just that, well, circumstances are different. Share? Us? No!
It’s silly, of course, but that’s often the prevailing attitude.
One of the best lyric fragments comes from the Sloan song Coax Me. It goes “It’s not the band I hate/it’s their fans.” So far, artists like Arcade Fire and Bon Iver have managed to retain their indie cred despite being commercially successful. Will their old fans stick with them? Or will they bail in favour of something newer, cooler and less popular? We’ll see.
– Alan is the host of the radio show The Secret History of Rock. Reach him at alan@alancross.ca
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon calls Grammys 'self-important' after his double award win
Meanwhile, cartoon character Bonnie Bear asks the band to collaborate
Photo: PA
Justin Vernon of Bon Iver has spoken out after winning two Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 12), something he said he was 'uncomfortable' about during his acceptance speech for Best New Artist.
Speaking to Spin, Vernon admitted that he didn't think the Grammy's were 'evil', saying: "It's not that the Grammys are evil, they've just been around the longest."
Vernon, who also won the award for Best Alternative Music Album for the self-titled 'Bon Iver', went on to add that even though he still has reservations about the awards, he "enjoyed" himself at the ceremony and said: "Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear) wrote me a note that said, 'Hey man, go win one for the indies.' I may not know what he means by 'the indies.' We could sit down and make a ten-point definition of what the indies are; we may not agree on every one on of them. But he's a friend and he's saying, 'We're with you.' You can't deny the fact that the Grammys have a historical significance as far as the industry staying above water. But that doesn't budge some of my personal concerns about it being too self-important."
Vernon said he nixed part of his speech because he thought it would be "confusing and too self-referential." The cut part apparently read: "It's hard to accept this award because of all the talent out there, but also because Bon Iver is an entity and something that I gave myself to. A lot of people give themselves to it, so it's hard to think of Bon Iver as an artist. Bon Iver is not an artist. Bon Iver is an idea."
US children's cartoon character Bonnie Bear has invited Bon Iver to collaborate with her after Grammy viewers misheard Bon Iver's name as Bonnie Bear after his wins and it started trending on Twitter, reports the Washington Post.
A representative from BabyFirstTV said: "Bonnie Bear and all her friends at BabyFirstTV congratulate you, Bon Iver, on your Grammy win! We would be delighted to invite the band to sing along with Bonnie Bear and her best friend, Mr. Gramophone, on BabyFirstTV where she paints beautiful pictures and teach[es] young children about the world around them."
Speaking to Spin, Vernon admitted that he didn't think the Grammy's were 'evil', saying: "It's not that the Grammys are evil, they've just been around the longest."
Vernon, who also won the award for Best Alternative Music Album for the self-titled 'Bon Iver', went on to add that even though he still has reservations about the awards, he "enjoyed" himself at the ceremony and said: "Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear) wrote me a note that said, 'Hey man, go win one for the indies.' I may not know what he means by 'the indies.' We could sit down and make a ten-point definition of what the indies are; we may not agree on every one on of them. But he's a friend and he's saying, 'We're with you.' You can't deny the fact that the Grammys have a historical significance as far as the industry staying above water. But that doesn't budge some of my personal concerns about it being too self-important."
Vernon said he nixed part of his speech because he thought it would be "confusing and too self-referential." The cut part apparently read: "It's hard to accept this award because of all the talent out there, but also because Bon Iver is an entity and something that I gave myself to. A lot of people give themselves to it, so it's hard to think of Bon Iver as an artist. Bon Iver is not an artist. Bon Iver is an idea."US children's cartoon character Bonnie Bear has invited Bon Iver to collaborate with her after Grammy viewers misheard Bon Iver's name as Bonnie Bear after his wins and it started trending on Twitter, reports the Washington Post.
A representative from BabyFirstTV said: "Bonnie Bear and all her friends at BabyFirstTV congratulate you, Bon Iver, on your Grammy win! We would be delighted to invite the band to sing along with Bonnie Bear and her best friend, Mr. Gramophone, on BabyFirstTV where she paints beautiful pictures and teach[es] young children about the world around them."
Dave Grohl gives his acceptance speech at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Dave Grohl is making a point of clarifying comments he made while accepting a Grammy on Sunday night for the Foo Fighters' most recent album, Wasting Light. Grohl has taken heat for complaining about a lack of "human element" in contemporary music, which has been widely interpreted as a broadside against all manner of non-rock music.
"I love ALL kinds of music," Grohl said in a statement released earlier today. "Electronic or acoustic, it doesn't matter to me. The simple act of creating music is a beautiful gift that ALL human beings are blessed with. And the diversity of one musician's personality to the next is what makes music so exciting and . . . human."He went on to explain he was talking about technology, not styles. "That's exactly what I was referring to, the 'human element,'" he said. "That thing that happens when a song speeds up slightly, or a vocal goes a little sharp. That thing that makes people sound like PEOPLE. Somewhere along the line those things became 'bad' things, and with the great advances in digital recording technology over the years they became easily 'fixed.' The end result? In my humble opinion . . . a lot of music that sounds perfect, but lacks personality. The one thing that makes music so exciting in the first place.
"I try really fucking hard so that I don't have to rely on anything but my hands and my heart to play a song," Grohl said. "I do the best that I possibly can within my limitations, and accept that it sounds like me. Because that's what I think is most important. It should be real, right? Everybody wants something real."
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