Bon Iver's Justin Vernon talks working with Alicia Keys & new Volcano Choir album

While their self-titled album was amongst the most celebrated long-players last year, Bon Iver as a collective won’t be back in the studio together anytime soon. However, this does not mean that Justin Vernon is not working on some new music in the meantime. Quite the contrary is the case as the Wisconsin-native has revealed in a conversation with USA Today. There are a few projects in the works, one of them being a new album with Volcano Choir which is set to be aimed for the Japanese market. In addition, Vernon has spent some serious studio time with none other than Alicia Keys recording a few songs together. Also, another project called the Shouting Matches is on the horizon, that is described as some “sort of a blues-gospel band.”

“I have a big idea to do an American songbook of the greatest women singers. There are so many: Casey (Dienel) from White Hinterland, Bonnie Raitt, Alicia,” and that he’d like to make “a one-off charity album to have an excuse to work with a bunch of people that I’d choose to work with, all at once.”

In regards of reuniting with Bon Iver anytime soon, he said:

“I don’t have songs written yet. I’m guessing three years. But it could be five. It just depends when the songs come about. I sort of have to wait ’til they reveal themselves.”