Phil Elverum from The Microphones performing in the ’90s
Author: Ella Rustin
Personally, I feel like everybody has an artist they look up to when it comes to inspiration and creativity. For me, one of those people is Phil Elverum.
Washington native Phil Elverum is a multi-talented musician and instrumentalist, known for his musical projects The Microphones and Mount Eerie. The Microphones, formed in 1996, experimented with noise rock, cultivating their own sound that combined acoustic and electric instruments along with deep, thought-provoking lyrics.
While the Microphones was the effort of many different musicians, including Mirah Zeitlyn and Anna Oxygen, Phil was always there, leading the band.
With their first project, Tests, released in 1998, the Microphones gradually started to gain a following. Their most widely acclaimed album, The Glow, Pt. 2, was released in 2001, and features fan-favorite songs like “I Want Wind to Blow”, “Samurai Sword” and “I Felt Your Shape”. They continued to release music up until 2003, leading to their disbandment that same year.
After touring with the Microphones, traveling the world, and at the same time writing content for Mount Eerie, Elverum eventually returned to Washington and began really developing his solo project. During this time, Elverum rested from touring and created his own label P.W. Elverum & Sun in 2004. The label holds both Mount Eerie and the Microphones under it, along with Geneviève/Ô Paon, who was Elverum’s spouse and sadly passed away in 2015.
Once creating his label, Elverum began to embrace the creative freedom that came with this. Releasing multiple projects under Mount Eerie, Elverum finally had a way to create music with no strings attached.
In 2020, when the world was put to a stop, Elverum decided he wanted to release one final project under the Microphones. In August 2020, Elverum released the album The Microphones in 2020, made up of one 44-minute long song outlining events in Elverum’s life and throughout his music career. Elverum decided to only release it under his label, and did not put it on streaming platforms.
During this time Elverum also worked on a documentary, outlining his life now, as he raises his daughter and continues to explore his multiple ways of art. There’s No End, which was released in February of 2022, is a 20-minute short film created by Elverum, also released under his label.
In February of this year, I was lucky enough to be able to see Elverum perform The Microphones in 2020 at the Neptune Theatre in University District. Going into the theater, I had no idea what to expect. I did not know where my seats were, what songs would be played, or who the opener was. Once I settled in, I found seats that were in the 3rd row from the stage. I was greeted by the opener, Ragana, made up of two bad-ass musicians who took turns singing, playing the drums and guitar. Their music was heavy, loud, and left the entire theater in a positive state of shock.
After Ragana finished their set, Elverum took the stage and the crowd became silent as he began strumming his guitar. He began to play Microphones in 2020, and there was a feeling of vulnerability throughout the venue, as he communicated his entire life in such a poetic way.
Throughout the 45-minute long song, Elverum brought out multiple guests to assist him in his performance, as they played around with the different sounds of their instruments. One guest with a didgeridoo, and also a gong at the back of the stage, it was not the performance I expected at all, but it was one of the most moving shows I have been to.
Elverum’s mind is one I cannot even begin to comprehend, and his creative ways continue to shock and impress me. He is truly a musical pioneer of our generation, and his mixture of poetic lyrics and noisy guitar create a perfect balance for any listener.
Ella Rustin | “Playing things too safe is the most popular way to fail.” -Elliott Smith | KXSU Music Reporter & Promotions Director |