Bon Iver plays at Riverfest Amphitheatre Sunday, June 3.

  • Bon Iver plays at Riverfest Amphitheatre Sunday, June 3.

The Times recently spoke with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, whose 2011 album “Bon Iver, Bon Iver” was a critical favorite and won Grammys for Best Alternative Music Album and Best New Artist. Bon Iver plays Riverfest Amphitheatre at 7 p.m. June 3, with opening act The Staves.

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How would you describe Eau Claire and the surrounding area to someone who’s never been to Wisconsin?
I think the longer you live in a place, the less equipped you are to accurately describe it. There’s 65,000 people, there’s a university, there’s a lot of music education, and it’s not big enough to have a continuing thriving music scene, but it pops up and down. It’s just a lot of hills and lakes and rivers. I don’t know, it’s home for me.

How has that place informed your art?
In every way imaginable I’d say. I grew up in the country and my studio is only two miles from the house I grew up in. I think there’s a general stillness out there. There’s no mountains or oceans, it’s just lakes and hills and small features, and I think there’s a sort of subdued Midwestern thing that perhaps my entire life has been engaged in.

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You live there now, correct?
Yes sir.

Are people cool about it or does it ever get weird? Do you get recognized around town?
I’ve been there long enough that it’s mostly cool. There might be some college kids that move into town that aren’t used to seeing me at the coffee shop or something, but it’s almost never weird, it’s pretty chill, and everyone doesn’t give a shit, kind of. They’re excited, but they know that it’s not some celebrity thing.

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What was the first song you remember hearing that gave you goose bumps?
“Hello in There,” by John Prine.

You covered “Bruised Orange” right?
Yeah, yeah.

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Big Prine fan?
Humongous. He’s the beginning of songwriting for me.

More after the jump.

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