First Unitarian Church ministers religious experience

By Erin Szrankowski
Collegian Staff
November 14, 2007

Mount Eerie coming to the First Unitarian Church was a surprise and a mystery in itself. There were talks that the concert was non-existent, because it was not on R5 Production’s Web site. It left Mount Eerie enthusiasts confused and rather frustrated. Tickets went on sale only two days before the show, leaving little time to scramble for a ticket. Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie) and R5 Productions decided to have two shows—one at 7 p.m. and the other at 9:30 p.m.

Let me give you a quick rundown of shows at the First Unitarian’s Chapel (different from the basement and sanctuary). First off, people are seated in pews, but there are only two rows of about 20 pews. It is a tiny, set-aside room, probably the width of an average living room. This makes for very intimate shows and high crowd involvement. Around the walls are ornate religious passages, which definitely bring you back to the realization that you are in an actual church.

Only 50 tickets were sold for each of the two showings, due to the limited space. The best part of the chapel is the fact that musicians do not need a microphone to project. The natural acoustics of the room fill the position as resident voice enhancer.

The opening act for Mount Eerie was WOELV. She is a native French-Canadian singer, as well as the wife of Elverum. Her intense act, even if not fully understood, was heard through the conviction in her velvety smooth voice. The mood for her performance was set by a green light illuminated at the side of the room. It was a chilling addition to the already antiquitated chapel, yet it worked well.

The crowd was abuzz before Elverum came on. My pre-show notion was he was going to have a large set up, with pedals and loop machines, but all he came on stage with was a well-tuned yet worn out acoustic guitar. This was a risky move, but he knew what he was doing.

In the corner of the church was a randomly placed projection screen that showed a film by Elverum. Most, if they did not attend the 7 p.m. show, were rather baffled by the piece of machinery. On the screen, Elverum projected his movie in reverse. He did this for the people who were at the earlier show, so they would not have to see it the same way.

It added to the performance, as if the music went along with the images of snow, a far-off city and a steel factory. As the video played he intently focused on the projected images to get an idea of what song to play next. People marveled at him as the reversed film rolled.

I have never seen such a quiet and respectable audience. It was reminiscent of Sunday mass with Elverum as the priest, except the congregation was full of insightful hipsters. His voice was haunting as it filled all empty crevasses in the chapel. “Great Ghosts” was sung with such innocence that it allowed the audience to view the introspective nature of the songs.

Towards the end of the show, Elverum asked the audience if they had any Mount Eerie requests. Such requests were for “I Whale” and “I Hold Nothing.” By the end of the two shows it was easy to tell that he was losing his voice, so he asked us to sing along. He retired without an encore, but with gracious applause.

This show, above all others, was utterly impressive. It is hard for a man with a guitar to convey so much passion without seeming cocky or pretentious. He accomplished this feat in a minimalist manner, but so much warmth was conveyed toward the audience. Elverum shared his songs about personifying nature and gripping tales of lost love with us, his friends. Most of the people left the show content and fulfilled as they spewed generous praises towards Elverum upon their exit. He knows what he does, and he cleary does it very well.

szrankowskie1@lasalle.edu