Bon Iver sings jingle about meatloaf sticks for Minnesota bar

Justin Vernon, the man behind the indie folk project Bon Iver, has made an unexpected detour: he recorded a commercial jingle for a local bar in his home region. The song promotes the so called meatloaf dippers at Howard's Bar in the small town of Stillwater, Minnesota, a dish where thick slices of meatloaf are covered in sauce, baked, sliced, breaded, and then deep fried. The ad appeared at the end of August and initially flew largely under the radar.

The jingle is surprisingly catchy for someone known for his often cryptic and emotionally heavy music. Vernon sings in a relaxed falsetto: "Meatloaf dippers at Howard's in Stillwater / Meatloaf dippers can be a whole meal or starter / Meatloaf dippers, oh so light and yummy / Go on and warm your tummy, with dippers." The song features in an animated spot with retro style illustrations by artist Nick Stokes, with a vibe reminiscent of classic American educational cartoons.

Howard's Bar opened in 2023 at the former location of Whitey's Bar in downtown Stillwater. The place is owned by chef Adam To and his partner Caroline Smith, who performs as a musician under the name Your Smith. Smith is no stranger to the music world: back in 2014 she collaborated with Lizzo, well before the latter became a global superstar.

The collaboration fits into a broader pattern of Vernon's strong connection to the Upper Midwest. He founded his recording studio April Base in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, organized the Eaux Claires festival there, and maintained a notable partnership with the WNBA basketball team the Minnesota Lynx. A jingle for a local bar might just be his most down to earth but also most charming expression of that regional loyalty.

For Dutch music fans, the whole thing illustrates how artists like Vernon step outside the usual boundaries and experiment with formats far removed from the mainstream music circuit. Whether the meatloaf dippers will ever make it to the Dutch market seems unlikely, but the jingle itself is now available for anyone around the world to enjoy.