Phil Elverum

Phil Elverum
Elverum in 2008
Born Phillip Elvrum
(1978-05-23) May 23, 1978
Washington, U.S.
Spouse(s)
Geneviève Castrée
(m. 2003; d. 2016)

Children 1
Musical career
Origin Anacortes, Washington
Genres Indie rock, folk, experimental, electronic
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments vocals, guitars, bass, organ, piano, alpenhorn, drums, percussion, flute
Associated acts The Microphones
Mount Eerie
Old Time Relijun
Geneviève Castrée
D+

Phil Elverum (born May 26, 1978) is an American songwriter, producer and visual artist, best known for his musical projects The Microphones and Mount Eerie. Based in Anacortes, Washington in the mid-2000s, he began to spell his surname Elvrum as "Elverum", after the Norwegian town of the same name.[1]

Career

Music

Elverum is best known for having recorded and performed prolifically under the band names The Microphones (1996–2003) and Mount Eerie (2003–present). The Believer 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)".[2] Elverum uses mostly analog recording equipment and often works in his own studio spaces, where he has the time and freedom to experiment with sounds.[3] He currently records at a disused church in Anacortes, WA called "The Unknown".[4]

In 2004, Elverum established the label P. W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.,[5] through which he has released records by Mount Eerie and The Microphones, as well as The Spectacle, Thanksgiving, Woelv, Nicholas Krgovich, Key Losers and Wyrd Visions. Prior to this, he was closely linked to K Records and the Olympia, Washington music scene, where he produced recordings by Mirah, Little Wings, Beat Happening, The Blow, and others.

Elverum is also an occasional member of the Anacortes band D+ with Karl Blau and Bret Lunsford. His musical influences include Eric's Trip, Will Oldham, Björk, Nirvana, Popol Vuh, Sunn O))), and Angelo Badalamenti.[6][7]

Other work

Elverum is also known for his artwork and photography. Early in his career he produced limited-run fanzines and song booklets which would be 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.[8] In 2007, he published a hardcover book of film photography with a picture disc EP titled Mount Eerie pts. 6 & 7. This was followed in 2014 by Dust, a book of digital photography bound in stamped linen.

In 2005, Elverum created a 365-day comic calendar titled Fancy People Adventures, which was later syndicated by music website Tiny Mix Tapes.[9] In late 2008 Buenaventura Press published Dawn, a book and CD of journal entries and songs from winter 2002/03, during which Elverum lived in a remote cabin in Finnkonevika, Kjerringøy, Norway.

Elverum has also experimented with filmmaking, producing background visuals for his shows (released as a limited edition DVD entitled Fog Movies) and directing a promotional video for the 2012 Mount Eerie song 'The Place Lives'.[10]

Personal life

Elverum was born on May 23, 1978 in Anacortes, Washington.[11]

Elverum married Canadian artist and musician Geneviève Castrée in 2003 shortly after meeting her. The two dated long-distance briefly before Geneviève moved to Washington to live with Phil. She recorded under the names Woelv and Ô Paon. Besides occasionally singing on each other's records and playing in one another's backing bands live, the couple did not collaborate artistically. The two did not want either of their artistic outputs to interfere with the other's so they kept relatively quiet about their marriage. Occasionally one would mention that he or she was married, but not say who they were married to. In 2015, Geneviève was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer following the birth of the couple's first child. After running out of funds to pay for Geneviève's cancer treatments the two turned to the world and asked for their support through way of a GoFundMe page; an unexpected decision from the usually reclusive couple.[12] On July 9, 2016, Geneviève died in the company of her husband and parents.[13][14] The couple had one child, a daughter.[15]

It was reported by Vanity Fair magazine on July 26, 2018 that Elverum married actress Michelle Williams earlier in the month in "a secret ceremony in the Adirondacks, witnessed by only a handful of friends and their two daughters."[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Microphones - Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  2. ↑ Stosuy, Brandon. "Interview with Phil Elverum". Believermag.com. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  3. ↑ Burr, Mike. "Mount Eerie: Phil Elverum Is Analog In A Digital World - Prefixmag.com". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  4. ↑ "the UNKNOWN". Anacortesunknown.com. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  5. ↑ "P. W. Elverum & Sun". Pwelverunandsun.com. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Home - WRIR 97.3 fm - Richmond Independent Radio". Wrir.org. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Entry Level: Phil Elverum's Inner Battle With Black Metal". Invisibleoranges.ocm. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "Fancy People Adventures - Tiny Mix Tapes". Tinymixtapes.com. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Video: Mount Eerie: "The Place Lives" - Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  11. ↑ Steve Longo (July 26, 2018). "Who is Phil Elverum? Michelle Williams's husband revealed after secret wedding". Daily Mail. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Phil Elverum Seeks Donations for Wife's Cancer Treatment | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  13. ↑ "Geneviève Elverum Has Died | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  14. ↑ "Geneviève Castrée, Artist Married to Phil Elverum, Has Died". Spin.com. 2016-07-10. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  15. ↑ Monroe, Jazz. "Phil Elverum Seeks Donations for Wife's Cancer Treatment". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  16. ↑
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