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Cloud Cult Review

Lincoln Hall - 04/15/10

Review By: Eric Hill

Cloud Cult, the Minneapolis based band, arrived in Chicago on a Thursday night to perform at Lincoln Hall. Having not been here in about a year, the show was sold out. The core of the band has been together since 1995. Currently the band is comprised of Craig and Connie Minowa, Sarah Young, Shannon Frid, Scott West, Shawn Neary and Arlen Peiffer. What instruments they play and their various roles aren’t really relevant with this band. They are a band in the truest sense of the word. From the opening quiet Rhythms of ‘Hope’ right through to the closing strings of ‘Everybody here is a cloud’, Cloud Cult played like a musical cooperative. It was a magical performance that everyone should see.

The atmosphere was very much like a festival. Traditional rock combined with classical strings and brass instruments and brilliant songwriting made for a truly original experience. There were also two members painting wonderful art on canvas that you could bid on after the show. For an hour and ten minutes and 16 songs, Cloud Cult took the audience on a wonderful journey and everyone enjoyed the ride.

The first song they played called ‘Hope’ pretty much sums up what they are as a band. It started off with a percussion loop and some beautiful Cello and Violin playing. Within moments, the song explodes into some very muscular rock and roll. Some songs totally rocked out all the way through, others were very beautiful and melodic.

One of the coolest moments of the evening happened after Craig popped a guitar string. While he switched guitars, an audience member proposed to his girlfriend during the break. Got on stage, announced his intentions, went to the girl and bent down on one knee and proposed! The crowd went crazy. Directly after that, the band went right into ‘Love You All’, which could not have been more perfect. There certainly was a lot of love in the room.

The show leaned heavily on songs from ‘Feel Good Ghosts’ and ‘Meaning of 8’. They also played a song from their recently released EP ‘Running with the Wolves’ and one song from their upcoming album ‘Light Chasers’ that is due in August of this year. Cloud Cult is not your typical verse/chorus/verse rock band. Their songs are like individual works of art. Each one has its own mood and they use many different instruments to color their sound. At one point, one of the members was even banging on a cookie sheet. All in all it was one of the best concerts of the year so far. They mentioned that they plan to come back to Chicago a few more times this year. When they come back, they should not be missed. And yeah, I think she said yes.

Cloud Cult Biography

The wide release will be April 20th, 2010, to coincide with Earth Day. “Running With the Wolves”, is a 4 song, digital EP that will include the new track Running With the Wolves from the upcoming August 17th release “Light Chasers”. This EP marks the return for Cloud Cult from their longest break from touring and also their longest span between full-length releases. The EP will also include Cloud Cult’s version of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”, an alternate version of this track appeared on KEXP’s 2007 compilation “Live at KEXP Vol. 3”, alongside tracks from The Shins, Grizzly Bear, Peter, Bjorn & John and Beirut. The songs “A Place” and “Where Are You Now?” appeared on the 2009 hand numbered limited edition “Lost Songs from the Lost Years”, which included several b-sides from Cloud Cult’s previous releases.

Since 1995, Cloud Cult have crafted sprawling, cathartic albums that have won them the attention of the New York Times, MTV, Spin, Billboard, and a devoted following of fans.

During that time, the band has grown from the solo project of singer/songwriter Craig Minowa to include cellist Sarah Young, violinist Shannon Frid, painters Connie Minowa and Scott West (who create paintings live at the band’s performances), and recent addition bassist Shawn Neary (formerly of Tapes ‘n’ Tapes), and Arlen Peiffer.

Last year saw the band headline the KEXP BBQ. Past headliners have included Devotchka and Ghostland Observatory. The band also headlined the second stage at the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks Amphitheater between Spoon and The Flaming Lips on the Main stage.

Despite offers from major labels, Cloud Cult has chosen to remain independent, recording and releasing their albums through Earthology Records, a not-for-profit environmental record label established by Minowa in 1998. On a self-funded shoe-string budget they have achieved top 20 CMJ radio charting for all of their last three albums, a domain usually reserved for the SubPops and Merges of the world.

With the new album, Minowa and company have continued the evolution of Cloud Cult’s unique sound, which refuses to adhere to any single music genre. Covering the spectrum of indie-rock to electronica to folk to classical, “Feel Good Ghosts” keeps the listener hanging from track to track as the lyrics belie Minowa’s wide-eyed and often boyish delivery of philosophical wanderings.

Cloud Cult supported the release of “Feel Good Ghosts” with a North American tour from March through May of 2008, where they worked with independent radio stations WOXY.com (for the East Coast dates) and The Current from Minnesota Public Radio (for their West Coast dates). The band also finished up a feature length DVD documentary, which includes footage spanning the full decade long history of the band.

As one of the pioneering “Green bands” of the modern indie-rock world, Cloud Cult has backed up their open-hearted songs with green action for over a decade. Minowa’s Earthology Records has served as an eco-consultant to a myriad of national acts, as well as industry giants like Universal and ASCAP. All Cloud Cult products are 100% post-consumer recycled, and all tours are greened with energy offsets through NativeEnergy.com. In addition, the band has planted nearly a thousand trees to absorb pollutants from travel and manufacturing. Cloud Cult will have help with their greening this time out with a partnership with Esurance, who has helped green the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks and the Sasquatch festival. Reverb Rock, who has greened tours by Andrew Bird, the Beastie Boys and the Blue Man Group, will also help educate fans attending their shows on things they can do to offset their own carbon footprint.

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