GREG REESE
Arts Writer

Peter Grier likes to play music — a lot. Aside from doing his own musical exploration under the alias Caves, Grier plays drums in A Gentle Forest and Cat Dad. Additonally, along with Angus Dicken, Grier creates the wild sounds of Lion Stab. These bands are some of Saskatoon’s most inspired indie and experimental acts.

Grier discussed the various manifestations of Phil Elverum, also known as Mount Eerie and the frontman for the Microphones. Like Grier, Elverum heads in all directions at once, willing to experiment with sound and melody, creating both pop and more atmospheric-oriented music.

The Sheaf: In general, how would you describe Mount Eerie’s sound?
Peter Grier: You could say it is some kind of lo-fi pop thing but it isn’t really like rock or pop. It’s got some good distorted drums but also quiet acoustic guitars, organs and crunching-sounding guitars; it’s all over the place. It isn’t conventional but it’s also not that weird.

He just released an album with Julie Doiron last year. It’s just nice, quiet music. But the album after that has big black metal guitar sounds and also some synth stuff that sounds like it should be on the Twin Peaks soundtrack.

Mount Eerie lives in a small town in Washington State. He lives in a small house and spends his time in the forests and the mountains; that’s mostly what his songs are about.

Sheaf: What was the first record of Elverum’s that you encountered?
Grier: The Glow, Part Two album, and I really liked it. I was 15 on a high school band trip. We were at the West Edmonton Mall and I bought his CD at HMV. It always makes me think of West Ed Mall.

Although a lot of people like The Glow, Part Two as the favourite, I like the one after that better. It’s called Mount Eerie. It has five song-stories with drums building up, getting really noisy.

It’s about a mountain climb and then dying and then floating in space. There is a bunch of weird amateur choir stuff and all these different parts that aren’t songs on their own. A lot of sweet stereo stuff is happening too; so it’s a really good headphone’s listen.

Sheaf: How has Mount Eerie’s sound influenced your music?
Greir: I really like the distorted drums matching up with quieter sounds. They aren’t used for straight angry noise music; they’re used in a prettier way, distorting through tapes and whatnot.

I really like how he records stuff for the purpose of a stereo listen. That’s one of the main things that I like. So when I record music, I do a lot of two-track guitar stuff, going back and forth.

Sheaf: Has Elverum’s songwriting influenced you as well?
Grier: Probably, though I can’t think of any specific way. I guess his songs are about the universe and how shit happens and I do like the universe; I think it’s neat. Not like astronomy though, more like the universe as a force that controls things and less as some object that is just up there.

I guess his songs are about the universe and how shit happens and I do like the universe; I think it’s neat.

Sheaf: What other bands do you associate with Mount Eerie?
Grier: Eric’s Trip. They had that similar do-it-yourself attitude; it’s all lo-fi and it’s not just regular indie rock stuff.

Other bands I associate it with are all of the Olympia, Washington indie rock stuff in the ’90s. He was a part of the second wave of that stuff, like Beat Happening.

Also, I associate Thanksgiving (now he goes by Adrian Orange, his real name). He came here a couple years ago and played at the Maguire’s upstairs with a band called No Gold and it was really sweet because I knew Thanksgiving and I was pretty surprised that this obscure guy from Portland was here.

At the show I was sitting on the floor with a friend — it was pretty much just me and him — listening to this great guy playing really well and having a great time.

Sheaf: Is Mt. Eerie playing or touring?
Grier: Yeah he is. He just came out with an album called Wind’s Poem and he’s on tour. But I think just in the States. He is touring with many drummers and numerous guitars to match the sound of the album. But I can’t see it; I don’t have a passport.

Sheaf: Has Mount Eerie played in Canada?
Grier: Yeah, he played at the Calgary Sled Island Festival last year and I think he’s played at the Sappy Fest in Sackville, NB. But as far as I know, he hasn’t been across the country or through Saskatoon.

Sheaf: Do you consider them a popular band?
Grier: No. I don’t. They aren’t generic enough; you can’t dance to it. But it’s also not necessarily easy to listen to for some people.

On the other hand, he definitely has had some critics say that it was good in the indie website world. So if you care about that, it might be worth a listen.

He runs his own label out of his house and releases a lot of things just on vinyl. He doesn’t have a MySpace. So you just PayPal or you can send him a letter if you want a record.

On mine he just wrote, “Hey peter, thanks for the order. See yuh.” But still, it’s pretty nice.

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photo Dani Cantó