Philip Whitman Elverum (; born May 23, 1978) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist, best known for his musical projects

The Microphones The Microphones are an American indie folk, indie rock, and experimental project from Olympia, Washington. The project was founded in 1996 and ended in 2003, with a short reunion following in 2007 and revivals in 2019 and 2020. Across every it ...

and

Mount Eerie Mount Eerie is the musical project of American songwriter and producer Phil Elverum. Elverum (also of The Microphones) is the principal member of the band, but has collaborated with many other musicians on his records and in live performances. ...

. Based in

Anacortes, Washington Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.

Life

Phil Elverum, Geneviève Castrée (retouch)

Phil Elverum was born on May 23, 1978, in Anacortes, Washington. Growing up, Elverum's father regularly made mixtapes for him and his sister. He soon started to play the tuba but after three years moved onto drums. At age 14, he started his own band "Nubert Circus", playing the drums and writing lyrics. Elverum attended Anacortes High School. After graduating, he traveled across Canada with his then-girlfriend. In the summer of 1997, during his "punk rock experience", he moved to Olympia, Washington, where he lived until 2002. Elverum briefly attended Evergreen State College. He expressed little interest in college, favoring the music scene, although he remained a relative unknown. Elverum would later cite the music scene as the reason he moved. Elverum's primary source of income was music, performing small tours. In his adolescence, Elverum worked at Anacortes-based record store The Business where he would record music in the backroom after hours. During his time there, he met

Beat Happening Beat Happening is an American indie pop band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis, and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members. Beat Happening were early leaders in the American indie pop and lo-fi mo ...

member

Bret Lunsford Bret Lunsford (born December 12, 1962) is an American vocalist, songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of the influential band Beat Happening and D+. In addition to his own musical endeavors, Lunsford owns and operates Knw-Yr-Own Records, an ...

who offered him a job as the drummer of the band D+ alongside

Karl Blau Karl Blau is an American indie rock and country vocalist, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but originally from Anacortes, Washington. A member of the Knw-Yr-Own/K Records collective, he is kn ...

. While living in Olympia, he would periodically return when low on money. Elverum described his time at The Business as his "entry point to

alternative music Alternative music may refer to the following types of music: *Alternative rock *Alternative pop *Alternative R&B *Neo soul, sometimes known as alternative soul *Alternative reggaeton *Alternative hip hop *Alternative dance *Alternative metal * Chri ...

", noting how it helped him become immersed in the scene. Also during his adolescence, Elverum expressed a desire to become a filmmaker, frequently making movies with his friends and screening them at a coffee shop. By January 2000, he was living at the "legendary Track House", after living in various other houses, such as the "House Of Doom" in

Quincy, Washington Quincy is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,543 at the 2020 census. History Geologic history Quincy lies atop a part of the Columbia River Basalt Group which is overlain by Pleistocene outburst flood dep ...

, which was according to Elverum, "Legitimately haunted. Raccoons and rats would eat your food right off the shelf. Poison barrels buried in the yard." A black house surrounded by forests, the Track House was used by prominent independent musicians in the Olympia music scene. In his free time, Elverum would record music across the street at Dub Narcotic Studio and volunteer at the local food

co-op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

. Elverum moved out of the Track House by 2002. In 2002, Elverum spent a winter in northern Norway, two hours from

Bodø Bodø (; smj, Bådåddjo, sv, Bodö) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bodø (which is also the capital of Nordland coun ...

. He kept a log of his time there which became ''Dawn: Winter Journal'' and the songs composed for ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...

''. In 2003, Elverum met Canadian artist and musician

Geneviève Castrée Geneviève Elverum ( Gosselin; April 9, 1981 – July 9, 2016), also known as Geneviève Castrée, was a Canadian cartoonist, illustrator, and musician from Quebec. An early admirer of comics, she began creating them at a young age. L'Oie de Cra ...

through mutual friends. They married on February 29, 2004. They originally intended to move to Canada, but after searching for

residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...

decided to remain in the United States, in the town of Anacortes, where both Castrée and Elverum would become influential in the local music scene, in particular the forming of the What The Heck festival. Castrée was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer following the birth of the couple's first child in 2015 and died on July 9, 2016. Elverum married actress Michelle Williams in July 2018 in a private ceremony in the Adirondacks. Around the same time, he moved from his long-time residence in Anacortes to Williams' home in Brooklyn. The couple separated in January 2019, and filed for divorce in April 2019. Following the split, Elverum moved back to Washington, after having lived in New York for about nine months. By November 2019, it was reported that they were no longer married. In 2020, Elverum, with help from his brother, was building a house off the coast of Anacortes. Elverum had previously intended to build the house with Castrée. Elverum has described his parents as "mystical about nature", although these beliefs were not tied to a specific religion. In an interview from 2012, he stated that "a lot of the ideas that I’m trying to enunciate reflect a more or less

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

ideology. Even though I’m not Buddhist, at all, I come across these same ideas... I’m taking things from that tradition and reframing them in my world." Elverum has expressed disdain for religion in general.

Music career

Elverum is best known for having recorded and performed under the band names

(1996–2003, 2019–present) and

(2003–present). While the projects are distinct, Elverum views them as "one progression" stating that his goal is to make a varying body of work with a cohesive theme running through it, although there is a "dividing line between pre-Geneviève dying and post-Geneviève dying". He is known for his prolific recordings with both projects; in 2019, '' The National'' reported that Elverum had created 40-plus albums. He uses mostly

analog recording Analog recording is a technique used for the recording of analog signals which, among many possibilities, allows analog audio for later playback. Analog audio recording began with mechanical systems such as the phonautograph and phonograph. L ...

equipment and often works in his own studio spaces, where he has the time and freedom to experiment with sounds. In 2004, Elverum created the label P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd., through which he has released records by Mount Eerie and The Microphones, as well as The Spectacle, Thanksgiving, Woelv,

Nicholas Krgovich Nicholas Krgovich (born 1982), also sometimes credited as Nick Krgovich, is a Canadian musician from Vancouver, British Columbia.Alex Robert Ross"Nicholas Krgovich's 'In an Open Field' Is Very Chill and Kinda Scary" ''Noisey'', November 29, 2017. ...

, Key Losers and Wyrd Visions. Prior to this, he was closely linked to

K Records K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent music ...

, working with artists like

Mirah Mirah (born Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn) is an American musician and songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. After getting her start in the music scene of Olympia, Washington in the late 1990s, she released a number of well-received solo albums on K ...

Kyle Field Kyle Field is the American football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, United States. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggies football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a permanent con ...

Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Jr., (born September 29, 1985) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he twice ...

and

The Blow The Blow is an American electro pop band, comprising Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne. Maricich and Dyne write, compose, produce and perform all the music. It was formed as a solo project by Maricich in 2002, and she was joined by Jona Bechtol ...

. Though influenced by the sense of community, his releases from that time were primarily made by himself. Elverum personally prints, packages, and ships his own vinyl and merchandise. He explained his reasoning for doing so as wanting to "understand the process holistically, and then maybe grow into more complex forms of organization later." Elverum also creates all of the visual art for his musical releases. In 2012, he helped establish a studio and venue called "The Unknown" at a disused church in his hometown of Anacortes. Elverum has also performed with other bands, worked as a producer for other artists, and released music under different names. In 1996, he joined D+ as the drummer. That same year, Elverum released a cassette under the title ''X-Ray Means Woman''. In 1998, he became the drummer for

Old Time Relijun Old Time Relijun is a band founded in Olympia, Washington, United States and a longtime member of K Records. Current members consist of Germaine Baca on drums, Aaron Hartman on upright bass, Ben Hartman on saxophones, and Arrington de Dionyso ...

, a position he held until 2002. In 2000, Elverum produced Mirah's debut, ''

You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This ''You Think It's Like This but Really It's Like This'' is Mirah's debut album, released in 2000 on K Records. In July 2020, Mirah released a 20th anniversary reissue of the album via Double Double Whammy. The double LP reissue includes a remaster ...

''. He went on to produce her next three records as well as performing on '' The Old Days Feeling''. His production credits would extend to 2004 when he produced Adrian Orange's ''Thanksgiving'' and Castrée's ''Pamplemoussi''. Castrée's next album was also created with Elverum's involvement. His musical influences include

Eric's Trip Eric's Trip is a Canadian indie rock band from Moncton, New Brunswick. Eric's Trip achieved prominence as the first Canadian band to be signed to Seattle's flagship grunge label Sub Pop in the early 1990s. The band had a minor hit in alternative ...

, Will Oldham,

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popol Wuj'' or ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people, one of the Maya peoples, who inhabit Guatemala and the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and ...

, Sunn O))),

Angelo Badalamenti Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer, best known for his work scoring films for director David Lynch, notably '' Blue Velvet'', the ''Twin Peaks'' saga (1990–1992, 2017), ''The Straight Stor ...

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

The Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland. Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us, the band were formed in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was ...

, Sinead O'Connor, Red House Painters, Sonic Youth, This Mortal Coil and Stereolab. Both Eric's Trip and Stereolab, in particular, were important to Elverum. A self-described fan of Eric's Trip, he has called

Julie Doiron Julie Doiron (born June 28, 1972) is a Canadian singer-songwriter of Acadian heritage. She has been the bass guitarist and co-vocalist for the Canadian indie rock band Eric's Trip since its formation in 1990. She has released ten solo albums, beg ...

his favourite singer and stated that meeting and playing shows with her "was a dream come true." He also recalled how he would send fan mail to the band. In the song "Microphones in 2020", he described seeing Stereolab perform "one chord for fifteen minutes" in a show at

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (loca ...

, and stating that "something in me shifted" and that "I brought home belief that I could create eternity." He has also called

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby to ...

a "formative influence." Elverum's non-music influences include zen poetry, specifically the work of Eihei Dōgen and Gary Snyder. In a 2014 interview, Elverum discussed how he almost always composes songs as he records them, with songs created outside of a studio setting usually recorded not long afterward. In that same interview, he talked about his desire to record music that was "deep sounding enough that a listener could potentially inhabit the world of sound totally." Under both Mount Eerie and The Microphones, Elverum has recorded multiple versions of and sequels to his songs, such as demos or auto-tuned re-recordings and condensed albums. Common themes and motifs in his work include the Moon, humanity's relationship to nature and technology, health, relationships, the human condition, impermanence, loneliness and the fleetingness of life, although he denies that any of his songs are about "sadness or isolation". According to Elverum, nature within his work is "just the version of the world that I use to represent a neutral, non-human place where we're living out our weird adventures." Before meeting Castrée, his songs would be dictated by "whatever specific turmoil I was going through." After meeting her, he became more withdrawn and intentionally chose not to discuss their relationship, until Mount Eerie's 2017 album ''

A Crow Looked at Me ''A Crow Looked at Me'' is the eighth studio album by Mount Eerie, a solo project of the American musician Phil Elverum. Released in 2017, it was composed in the aftermath of his 35-year-old wife Geneviève Castrée's diagnosis with pancreati ...

'', which is centered around her death.

Musical style

On the topic of his musical style, Elverum has said: "You can easily find out what my music sounds like. I will not try to describe it". He has, however, described the aesthetics of his music as an attempt to replicate "a dark presence in nature" found in shows such as '' Twin Peaks''. Elverum's writing has been described as Lynchian. Erin Vanderhoof of ''

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...

'' described Elverum's aesthetics as "acoustic...stripped-down and ponderous." Sam Lewis of '' The Skinny'' described it as "dreamlike, morbid and transcendent." Brea Acton noted that it "displays a fine balance between digital and analogue processes", with Elverum "drawing on digital techniques as a distancing mechanism as well as using it to enact intimacy." Elverum's music incorporates elements of ambient, folk, and

black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emphas ...

. Despite this, Elverum's music has also been said to elude an exact genre. His songs frequently "alternate and shift", "transitioning from beautifully delicate melodies to pounding, fuzzy riffs". They also frequently feature "skittering rhythms" and the "merging of drum machines". His lyrics have been described as "confessional", "sparse", "tersely poetic" and "conversational", his singing "speak-sing" and his storytelling "free-flowing." ''

The Believer Believer(s) or The Believer(s) may refer to: Religion * Believer, a person who holds a particular belief ** Believer, a person who holds a particular religious belief *** Believers, Christians with a religious faith in the divine Christ *** Beli ...

'' magazine described his work as "delicately sparse or layered and noisy, often in the same song. Lyrically, he focuses on memory, first-person storytelling, myth, naturalism, the everyday as sacred, and sense of place (in and out of

Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

)". '' Slate'' described it as "fairly subdued yet intense and solipsistic, with a kind of American transcendentalist aesthetic ( Emerson,

Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and hi ...

, Whitman) combined with a distinctly Pacific Northwest naturalist mysticism." Todd Van Luling of '' HuffPost'' noted that despite Elverum's "noise experimentation", "the cores of the songs are still straightforwardly affecting." His style has been praised for its personal and grounded nature. Rachel Laitman wrote: "The effectiveness of Elverum’s style reminds us about the injury, and profound misunderstanding, incurred when we put the form of expression called singing in a box."

Legacy

Under both The Microphones and Mount Eerie, "Elverum has been instrumental in shaping the landscape of current indie rock." Isabel Zacharias claimed that Elverum, "to a pocket of Pacific Northwesterners, is more folkloric deity than musician" with his releases under The Microphones propelling him to "indie-god status".

Visual art and other work

Elverum is also known for his artwork and photography. Early in his career, he produced limited-run

fanzines A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...

and song booklets which were sold during Microphones tours. Since establishing P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd., he began to experiment with letterpress printing and other elaborate packaging ideas for his releases. In 2007, he published a hardcover book of film photography with a 10" picture disc titled '' Mount Eerie pts. 6 & 7''. In 2009, Elverum hosted his first art show, ''In Dreams'', at Stumptown Coffee in Portland, Oregon. The exhibition consisted of landscapes Elverum photographed in Norway, France, and rural Washington, using antique cameras and expired film. In 2014, Elverum released ''Dust'', a book of digital photography bound in stamped linen. He sells large-scale photographic prints and ink paintings through his online store. His album '' Microphones in 2020'' was accompanied by a lyric video consisting of over 800 photos. In 2020, Elverum stated that he was working on an art book of Castrée's unpublished work. In 2001, while on tour, Elverum wrote a "paper opera" play as part of a magazine centering around the theme of death. In 2005, he created a 365-day comic calendar titled ''Fancy People Adventures'', which was later syndicated by music website Tiny Mix Tapes. In 2017, after finishing his eighth studio album as Mount Eerie, Elverum created a book about Anacortes, Washington. Elverum has also experimented with filmmaking, producing background visuals for his shows (released as a limited-edition DVD entitled ''Fog Movies'') and promotional videos for several Mount Eerie songs. He has stated that he does wish to one day make movies, viewing them as the "ultimate art form" and as such the culmination of his creativity.

Discography

The Microphones

*'' Don't Wake Me Up'' (1999) *''

It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water ''It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water'', sometimes shortened to ''It Was Hot'', is the second studio album by American indie folk and indie rock band the Microphones. It was released by K Records on September 26, 2000. After Phil Elverum—the fr ...

'' (2000) *'' The Glow Pt. 2'' (2001) *''

'' (2003) *'' Microphones in 2020'' (2020)

Mount Eerie

*'' "No Flashlight": Songs of the Fulfilled Night'' (2005) *'' Lost Wisdom'' (2008) *''

'' (2008) *'' Wind's Poem'' (2009) *'' Clear Moon'' (2012) *'' Ocean Roar'' (2012) *'' Sauna'' (2015) *''

'' (2017) *'' Now Only'' (2018) *'' Lost Wisdom pt. 2'' (2019)

D+

* ''D+'' (1997) *'' Dandelion Seeds'' (1998) *''Mistake'' (2002) *''Deception Pass'' (2003) *''No Mystery'' (2006) *''On Purpose'' (2008) *''What Is Doubt For?'' (2008) *''Destroy Before Listening'' (2018)

Phil Elverum

*''The Fidalgo Island Beautiful Issue #5 1/2'' (2007) *''Ditherer'' (2007) *''Weary Engine Blues'' (2013)

Other projects

*Mostly Clouds and Trees – ''Beautiful Face'' (1996) *Tugboat – ''The Tugboat Fiasco'' (1996) *X-Ray Means Woman – ''Face Shapes'' (1996) *Old Time Relijun – '' Witchcraft Rebellion'' (2001) *Peace – ''On Earth'' (2007) *DJ Microphone – ''The Fidalgo Island Beautiful Issue #5 1/2'' (2007) *Mirah – ''

(a)spera ''(a)spera'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mirah, released on March 10, 2009. Produced by Phil Elverum, it met with a largely positive reception from music critics. According to ''PopMatters'' about the album, "The musi ...

'' (2008)

References

External links

P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.Fancy People AdventuresK Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elverum, Phil 1978 births Living people American male songwriters People from Anacortes, Washington American indie rock musicians Musicians from Washington (state) Songwriters from Washington (state) American multi-instrumentalists 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers