Justin Vernon Invites Volcano Choir to His Veterinarian Home Office

When Chris Rosenau and his fellow bandmates in Collections of Colonies of Bees first met Justin Vernon, pre-Bon Iver, it was to hook up for a couple of shows. Vernon was in a project called DeYarmond Edison. With both bands hailing from Wisconsin, and expressing mutual admiration for each other, they teamed up for a number of live shows. That's when they all bonded, so the story goes.

Now, Vernon and the Bees have just released an album called 'Unmap' under the band moniker Volcano Choir. It's creating a buzz among Bees and Bon Iver fans alike, especially now that Vernon announced Bon Iver's impending hiatus. After years of casually collaborating and building songs over the internet, the group of friends finally held council at Vernon's house last November to "hang out, have fun, take stock of what we had, decide what else we needed, and do it," Rosenau tells Spinner. "That's when we realized that while this was a total Justin/Bees collaboration, it was also something more. Hence, 'Volcano Choir,' the band."

That's also when Rosenau realized that Vernon's house is almost as interesting as his haunting vocals. "He lives in a house previously owned by a veterinarian and his wife," says Rosenau. "The house is literally connected to what used to be a fully functioning veterinarian's office. It's an amazing place; a really beautiful, secluded environment within which the creative juices can really get flowing. That last part is probably not that surprising."

Actually, it is surprising. We never associated veterinarian offices with hipster heroes before. But, then again, Animal Collective have to get their flu shots somewhere.