The Only Truth is Music

Posted on September 9, 2013 by JohnEllison1111

I think it was Jack Kerouac who said he would one day find the right words, and when he did, they would be simple. Mount Eerie‘s short acoustic tour this summer, opening for Bonnie “Prince” Billy, has been a study in such simplicity. The final night of their joint tour found them in The Neptune Theatre in Seattle. A fitting venue, with neptune’s face high above the stage, the ancient god of waters, with his green glowing eyes. And Mount Eerie (Phil Elverum) is all about the mysteries of water, island dharma, and watery places under the stars.

Mount Eerie

This Man Has a Love and a Darkness

Posted on September 9, 2013 by JohnEllison1111

A rare sighting in the Pacific Northwest: Bonnie “Prince” Billy (Will Oldham), playing solo and acoustic in the wicked metropolis, at The Neptune Theatre, in Seattle. This was the first time I had to shoot an entire show sitting down, on a chair, with the stage towering above me, empty except for a bar stool and a microphone, a man and his message. Still, alone on stage with just his guitar and his songs and his biting social commentary, he makes an essential statement in our times. If you get a chance to see Mr. Oldham’s solo acoustic tour, be sure you shout out, between songs of course, something about having hope in dark times. Go ahead, I dare you.