Ahead of his Australian tour which kicks off on January 23rd in Perth, we asked Phil Elverlum from Mount Eerie to answer a few questions about festivals, analogue vs. digital, and his visual art. Take a look at what he said.
Introduce yourself.
I am Phil Elverum. My music project is named Mount Eerie. It used to be named the Microphones. It started as a deep experimental recording project but then I started playing shows and now it is songs. I have been doing it for 14 years or so. I’m from the Pacific Northwest in the United States. I also do other stuff.
What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?
I was born like this I guess. My earliest memories are pre-consciousness. As for inspiration, I was made to realize that I could do this by Nirvana and Beat Happening and Eric’s Trip.
You ‘re based in Washington, what’s the music scene like there?
Great. Just a bunch of isolated freaks doing their weird things and communicating poorly with each other.
You used to record under the ‘Microphones’ moniker. What made you switch it around to Mount Eerie?
The name started to feel irrelevant to what I was singing about. Plus, I was receiving recognition and I wanted to throw people off my scent.
A lot of your work relies on an analogue recording format. Where did your love of tapes come from and why do you use them as opposed to more conventional digital recording techniques?
It is only recently that you hear the term “conventional digital recording”. It did not used to be conventional. It is still not conventional to me. I use the tools that I learned on and that I still have: tape. It’s no big deal. Not a statement or anything. Why does a painter not take a photo?
You’ve personally created the artwork for a bunch of your records, can you talk us through that process? Do you think presentation is still important?
Of course. It’s not just a music project. It is an art project with many angles. I can’t talk you through it any more than that. It seems obvious to me that the visual component would be important.
Both of the albums you released last year, Clear Moon and Ocean Roar were recording in a converted church. Can you tell us why you chose to make that your studio?
It’s not makeshift, it’s a legit studio. A friend and I needed a place for our studio (shared equipment) and this old church building became vacant. We put our money together and started renting it from the landlords. It’s an amazing space to record.
How did recording there affect the outcome of the records?
I tried lots of things using the huge echoey room for effect. The songs in general came out sounding pretty huge, which is what I was going for.
Your live shows have been described as more stripped back than the albums. Is this on purpose?
I try to make all the tours unique, so sometimes I have a whole band and we play loud and dense, but sometimes I play alone for a different type of thing. It is all on purpose.
What was it like being personally chosen by Jeff Magnum to play All Tomorrow’s Parties?
Huge festivals like that are bullshit. It is not a pleasant way to experience music. No offense to the organizers or audiences, it’s just not for me. I did not have any interaction at all with Jeff Mangum. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t there. I am skeptical that he was actually allowed to curate completely. I mean, maybe he wanted me to play, but the people making the financial decisions behind those festivals wouldn’t truly let an artist curate their weird taste. If so the lineups would be much more interesting and alienating to the ticket-buying public than they are. It’s a trick.
And if the tables were turned and you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill?
I do curate my own music festival. It’s pretty small. It’s called the Anacortes Unknown Music Series. (www.anacortesunknown.com) It is mostly people from the area, but all kinds of music. I would love to host more super loud metal/drone shows.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
I release my own records and run a small label. Here is my website with all shows/store/other info: www.pwelverumandsun.com
As for shows, I am about to play all over Australia. Also, Sugar Mountain Festival is presenting my work in an exhibition in Melbourne: http://www.facebook.com/events/382644775145503/
Mount Eerie 2013 Australian Tour
WEDNESDAY 23RD JANUARY – THE BAKERY – PERTH
THURSDAY 24TH JANUARY – THE WAITING ROOM – BRISBANE
FRIDAY 25TH JANUARY –YORK ST ANGLICAN CHURCH – SYDNEY
SATURDAY 26TH JANUARY – THE TOFF IN TOWN – MELBOURNE
*Tickets on sale through moshtix.com.au
