MICROPHONES / MOUNT EERIE

FOR PRESS CONTACT: promo@krecs.com

Phil Elverum (sometimes spelled Elvrum) is an artist in a variety of mediums, though he is probably best known for his music recorded under the names "Mount Eerie" and "The Microphones".

Born in 1978 and raised in the forests outside Anacortes, Washington, Elverum came of age artistically during the supposed "grunge era". The gradual realization that there was good art and music happening locally was an opening door to a new world. With a driver's license and a job at the local book/record store Elverum began staying after hours recording in the back room late into the night, releasing a series of cassettes throughout his high school years. Eventually he moved to Olympia to attend college but soon quit because he was already totally immersed in the thriving underground music world surrounding K records. He had been given access to their Dub Narcotic Studio and continued the late night/early morning solo recording experiments in Olympia, eventually releasing his first album with K, "Don't Wake Me Up" (by the Microphones, 1999). He became renowned as an innovative producer and recorded popular albums for friends, often collaborating heavily on many of the songs. Also during this time he began doing music tours for about 4 months a year, generating a reputation as an unpredictable and talented live performer. A second album, "It Was Hot, We Stayed In The Water" (by the Microphones, 2000), was released as well as a series of self published song books. "The Glow pt. 2" (by the Microphones, 2001) is probably his best known release. The culmination of this era of work is the album titled "Mount Eerie" (by the Microphones, 2003). It is supposedly "death themed" and after its release Elverum began performing under the name "Mount Eerie" as an attempt to more fully inhabit that theme and speak/sing from it.

It was during this time that Elverum spent a winter alone in far northern Norway, providing fuel for the already prevalent mythology surrounding him as an enigmatic public figure and producer of collectors' items. Upon returning from this trip he moved back to Anacortes and began releasing his own records and booklets via the new small record label, "P.W. Elverum & Sun, ltd.", a simple address and website intended to be a portal for the variety of Elverum's creative releases. The first official album from Mount Eerie was "No Flashlight" (2005). It was packaged with a gargantuan poster and a white vinyl LP and a CD; extravagant packaging intended to create a more precious object in an era of MP3s. This was followed by the release "SINGERS" and "11 Old Songs of Mount Eerie" (2005), as well as "No Mystery" by D+, a local Anacortes band that Elverum has played in since high school with friends Karl Blau and Bret Lunsford.

In 2007 he released his most extravagant souvenir yet: a hardcover photo book packaged with a picture disc 10" record. This was a collection of photos from all over the world that had been aesthetic inspirations for much of his musical work of the previous decade. The record was titled "Mount Eerie pts. 6 & 7" and was intended as a sequel/conclusion to the Microphones album "Mount Eerie". (Note: Mount Erie is the name of a real mountain near Anacortes. It looms over the forest where Elverum grew up.) "P.W. Elverum & Sun, ltd." continues to release products by Mount Eerie and other friends, with the way the label is run becoming increasingly a creative expression in itself. Orders from the label are shipped (usually by Elverum himself) looking very fancy. In early 2008 Elverum announced the release of custom designed packing tape, offering a few rolls for sale as a "limited edition art piece".

In 2008 another book is being published, a collection of journal writing, photos, and drawings from the winter spent in Norway in 2002/2003, as well as a CD of the 19 songs written there. More fuel for the romance!

Artist's Website:http://www.pwelverumandsun.com/

K Discography

klp190 2008-04-08	klp140 2003-01-00	klp158 2003-00-00	klp141 2003-00-00
klp142 2003-00-00	klp125 2002-00-00	ipu101 2002-00-00	klp133 2001-00-00
klp116 2000-09-26	klp099 1999-00-00	ipu095 1999-00-00

Members of MICROPHONES / MOUNT EERIE also appears on these K Releases:
KLP195 KLP185 KLP181 KLP177 KLP172 KLP170 KLP162 KLP160 KLP151 KLP149 KLP148 KLP143 KLP136 KLP135 KLP134 KLP132 KLP128 KLP117 KLP115 KLP112 KLP110 KLP109 KLP098 KLP097 KLP084 KLP072