Cloud Cult
Encyclopedia
Cloud Cult is an experimental
indie rock
band from Minneapolis, Minnesota
led by singer/songwriter Craig Minowa
. The name originated from the ancient prophecies of indigenous North Americans.
recruited several other artists to contribute to his solo recordings. The band's early work earned Cloud Cult several offers from record labels, but all were rejected in favor of self-publishing. As they began to play live, one of their show's most distinctive features was the live painting by Connie Minowa and Scott West: over the course of a show they each completed a painting to be auctioned off at the end.
In 1997, lead singer Craig Minowa formed Earthology Records
on his organic farm, powered by geothermal
energy and built partially from reclaimed wood and recycled plastic. This nonprofit label uses only recycled materials and donates all profits to environmental charities. The band also tours in a biodiesel van.
In the year 2002, shortly after the unexpected death of his two year old son Kaidin, Minowa wrote songs to deal with the loss. Another Cloud Cult album came in the summer of 2002, titled Lost Songs from the Lost Years
, a ten-year anthology of previously unreleased work from Minowa.
They Live on the Sun
was finished in 2003 and went to #1 on college radio station charts across the country.
In January 2004, Cloud Cult added Mara Stemm on bass and released Aurora Borealis
just six months later. The album was nominated by the Minnesota Music Awards as “Album of the Year” along with Prince and Paul Westerberg. With a van covered in solar panels, the band began touring nationally.
In 2006 Cloud Cult released Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus
, which Pitchfork Media
called “insane genius” and rated the album with an 8.3. The Denver Post ranked the 2007 release The Meaning of 8 as one of the top ten albums of the past decade, along with bands like Modest Mouse
, The Flaming Lips
and Radiohead
.
Cloud Cult released a new album entitled Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
on April 8, 2008. The album was recorded and produced at Minowa’s small organic farm in Northern Minnesota. "The place is so far out in the boonies, you can barely find it, because it’s not on the maps," said Dan Montalto, an MTV Producer who brought a camera crew to the farm to film a short MTV feature on the band.
Craig said that this might be the final Cloud Cult album: "I don't think there's going to be another Cloud Cult album for a while. It could be never, I don't know." The band's website said that "the band plans to take a short respite to focus on family in the latter part of 2008 and into 2009."
In October 2008, Cloud Cult was featured in an animated
Esurance
commercial. The band is shown playing the song "Lucky Today" while floating on clouds. This and other songs are available for free downloads on the Esurance website.
In the spring of 2009, Cloud Cult released "No One Said It Would Be Easy" a full length documentary about the band.
At Coachella 2009, Craig revealed that Connie would not be performing because she was "not feeling well.... she's pregnant." They continued to tour and appeared for the second year straight at the "St Johns Block Party" outdoors in front of over 7,000 fans in Rochester, Minnesota.
The band announced a break beginning August 23, 2009 for Connie and Craig's baby. They resumed playing regionally in late spring 2010 and nationally in fall 2010.
In the spring of 2010, Cloud Cult became a contributing artist to Think Out Loud
, a compilation album serving the homeless in the Twin Cities
.
In early 2010, the band announced that it would release a new album entitled Light Chasers, due out September 14, 2010. Despite these plans, the album in its entirety leaked to the internet in early July 2010. The lead single for the album, "Running With The Wolves" was released in April 2010 and received local and national radio play. The band toured nationally in support of the album.
In spring 2011, Cloud Cult music was featured in a commercial on BBC America
for Petrobras
, a Brazilian energy company.
In summer 2011, Cloud Cult played at the St. John's Block Party in Rochester, MN; the first band to be three times to play at the St. John's Block Party. Craig announced he and Connie were expecting at the 2011 St. John's Block Party.
A studio cut is available on Spinout Record's Duluth Does Dylan Revisited, a compilation of Bob Dylan covers that reflects how the local music culture has been influenced by being the birthplace of the music icon.
The studio cut is also available on the new Lost Songs from the Lost Year album released in 2009, and is a track on the EP
Running with the Wolves.
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
led by singer/songwriter Craig Minowa
Craig Minowa
Craig Minowa is the singer/songwriter/frontman for the alternative rock band, Cloud Cult. He is also the founder of Earthology Records. Minowa was born Craig Richardson in February 1973. Minowa grew up in Owatonna, Minnesota, along with Sean Tillman . Minowa is the middle child. He has two sisters,...
. The name originated from the ancient prophecies of indigenous North Americans.
History
Cloud Cult developed in 1995 as Craig MinowaCraig Minowa
Craig Minowa is the singer/songwriter/frontman for the alternative rock band, Cloud Cult. He is also the founder of Earthology Records. Minowa was born Craig Richardson in February 1973. Minowa grew up in Owatonna, Minnesota, along with Sean Tillman . Minowa is the middle child. He has two sisters,...
recruited several other artists to contribute to his solo recordings. The band's early work earned Cloud Cult several offers from record labels, but all were rejected in favor of self-publishing. As they began to play live, one of their show's most distinctive features was the live painting by Connie Minowa and Scott West: over the course of a show they each completed a painting to be auctioned off at the end.
In 1997, lead singer Craig Minowa formed Earthology Records
Earthology Records
Earthology Records is the record label of Cloud Cult singer/songwriter Craig Minowa formed in 1997 on his organic farm. The label's buildings are powered by geothermal energy and were partially constructed with reclaimed wood and recycled plastic. It is also a non-profit label that only uses...
on his organic farm, powered by geothermal
Geothermal
Geothermal is related to energy and may refer to:* The geothermal gradient and associated heat flows from within the Earth- Renewable technology :...
energy and built partially from reclaimed wood and recycled plastic. This nonprofit label uses only recycled materials and donates all profits to environmental charities. The band also tours in a biodiesel van.
In the year 2002, shortly after the unexpected death of his two year old son Kaidin, Minowa wrote songs to deal with the loss. Another Cloud Cult album came in the summer of 2002, titled Lost Songs from the Lost Years
Lost Songs from the Lost Years
Lost Songs from the Lost Years is a compilation by Cloud Cult, documenting the evolution of the band from the teen years up until 2002...
, a ten-year anthology of previously unreleased work from Minowa.
They Live on the Sun
They Live on the Sun
They Live on the Sun is an album by Cloud Cult, inspired in large part by the 2002 death of songwriter Craig Minowa's son Kaidin, whose voice is sampled on the songs "I'm Not Gone" and "Took You for Granted".-Track listing:#"On the Sun" – 3:33...
was finished in 2003 and went to #1 on college radio station charts across the country.
In January 2004, Cloud Cult added Mara Stemm on bass and released Aurora Borealis
Aurora Borealis (album)
Aurora Borealis is an album by Cloud Cult.-Track listing:#"Breakfast With My Shadow" – 2:17#"Alone at a Party in a Ghost Town" – 2:23#"The Princess Bride" – 3:46#"As Long as You're Happy" – 3:08#"Chandeliers" – 3:51#"Buried Poetry" – 1:47...
just six months later. The album was nominated by the Minnesota Music Awards as “Album of the Year” along with Prince and Paul Westerberg. With a van covered in solar panels, the band began touring nationally.
In 2006 Cloud Cult released Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus
Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus
Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus is an album by Cloud Cult.-Track listing:#"Intro" – 3:03#"Living on the Outside of Your Skin" – 3:06#"Happy Hippo" – 2:40#"What Comes at the End" – 3:57...
, which Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
called “insane genius” and rated the album with an 8.3. The Denver Post ranked the 2007 release The Meaning of 8 as one of the top ten albums of the past decade, along with bands like Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. They are based in Portland, Oregon. Since their 1996 debut album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think...
, The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
and Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
.
Cloud Cult released a new album entitled Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
Feel Good Ghosts is an album by Cloud Cult released on Tuesday, April 8th 2008.-Track listing:#"No One Said It Would Be Easy" – 3:33#"Everybody Here Is a Cloud" – 3:16#"The Tornado Lessons" – 2:34#"When Water Comes to Life" – 3:47...
on April 8, 2008. The album was recorded and produced at Minowa’s small organic farm in Northern Minnesota. "The place is so far out in the boonies, you can barely find it, because it’s not on the maps," said Dan Montalto, an MTV Producer who brought a camera crew to the farm to film a short MTV feature on the band.
Craig said that this might be the final Cloud Cult album: "I don't think there's going to be another Cloud Cult album for a while. It could be never, I don't know." The band's website said that "the band plans to take a short respite to focus on family in the latter part of 2008 and into 2009."
In October 2008, Cloud Cult was featured in an animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
Esurance
Esurance
Esurance Inc. is an American auto insurance provider headquartered in San Francisco, California. Esurance has 1,700 employees in 14 offices nationwide.-History:...
commercial. The band is shown playing the song "Lucky Today" while floating on clouds. This and other songs are available for free downloads on the Esurance website.
In the spring of 2009, Cloud Cult released "No One Said It Would Be Easy" a full length documentary about the band.
At Coachella 2009, Craig revealed that Connie would not be performing because she was "not feeling well.... she's pregnant." They continued to tour and appeared for the second year straight at the "St Johns Block Party" outdoors in front of over 7,000 fans in Rochester, Minnesota.
The band announced a break beginning August 23, 2009 for Connie and Craig's baby. They resumed playing regionally in late spring 2010 and nationally in fall 2010.
In the spring of 2010, Cloud Cult became a contributing artist to Think Out Loud
Think Out Loud
-Think Out Loud: Music Serving the Homeless:Think Out Loud: Music Serving the Twin Cities is a compilation album where 100% of the album profits go directly to serving the homeless in the Twin Cities, through charitable giving to agencies like Sharing and Caring Hands and St. Stephens.The project...
, a compilation album serving the homeless in the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
.
In early 2010, the band announced that it would release a new album entitled Light Chasers, due out September 14, 2010. Despite these plans, the album in its entirety leaked to the internet in early July 2010. The lead single for the album, "Running With The Wolves" was released in April 2010 and received local and national radio play. The band toured nationally in support of the album.
In spring 2011, Cloud Cult music was featured in a commercial on BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
for Petrobras
Petrobras
Petróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market...
, a Brazilian energy company.
In summer 2011, Cloud Cult played at the St. John's Block Party in Rochester, MN; the first band to be three times to play at the St. John's Block Party. Craig announced he and Connie were expecting at the 2011 St. John's Block Party.
Awards
Minnesota Music Awards 2004: "Artist of the year" for the studio album Aurora Borealis.Band members
- Craig MinowaCraig MinowaCraig Minowa is the singer/songwriter/frontman for the alternative rock band, Cloud Cult. He is also the founder of Earthology Records. Minowa was born Craig Richardson in February 1973. Minowa grew up in Owatonna, Minnesota, along with Sean Tillman . Minowa is the middle child. He has two sisters,...
- singer/songwriter/guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Arlen Peiffer - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Shannon Frid - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Daniel Zamzow - celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Shawn Neary - bass/tromboneBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Sarah Elhardt - keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
/French horn/trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Connie Minowa - visual artist
- Scott West - visual artist/trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
Former members
- Sarah Young - celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Dan Greenwood - drums
- Mara Stemm - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Matthew Freed - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Martin Begue
- Eduardo Vaz
- Adrian Grote/Young
Studio Albums
- The Shade ProjectThe Shade ProjectThe Shade Project is Cloud Cult's debut album. Craig Minowa spent an entire year recording in a closet and eventually The Shade Project was born. To avoid the limitations of an incredibly low budget, Minowa used household items like buckets, pans, and couch cushions as a substitute for the...
(1994) - Who Killed Puck?Who Killed Puck?Who Killed Puck? is an album by Cloud Cult. Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park by renowned photographer Diane Arbus is featured on the cover.-Track listing:#"Where It Starts"#"Conception"#"9 Months"#"Puck's 6th Birthday"...
(2001) - Lost Songs from the Lost YearsLost Songs from the Lost YearsLost Songs from the Lost Years is a compilation by Cloud Cult, documenting the evolution of the band from the teen years up until 2002...
(2002) - They Live on the SunThey Live on the SunThey Live on the Sun is an album by Cloud Cult, inspired in large part by the 2002 death of songwriter Craig Minowa's son Kaidin, whose voice is sampled on the songs "I'm Not Gone" and "Took You for Granted".-Track listing:#"On the Sun" – 3:33...
(2003) - Aurora BorealisAurora Borealis (album)Aurora Borealis is an album by Cloud Cult.-Track listing:#"Breakfast With My Shadow" – 2:17#"Alone at a Party in a Ghost Town" – 2:23#"The Princess Bride" – 3:46#"As Long as You're Happy" – 3:08#"Chandeliers" – 3:51#"Buried Poetry" – 1:47...
(2004) - Advice from the Happy HippopotamusAdvice from the Happy HippopotamusAdvice from the Happy Hippopotamus is an album by Cloud Cult.-Track listing:#"Intro" – 3:03#"Living on the Outside of Your Skin" – 3:06#"Happy Hippo" – 2:40#"What Comes at the End" – 3:57...
(2005) - The Meaning of 8The Meaning of 8-Track listing:# "Chain Reaction" – 4:28# "Please Remain Calm" – 3:55# "Chemicals Collide" – 3:16# "Pretty Voice" – 3:45# "Brain Gateway" – 3:31# "Take Your Medicine" – 4:41# "Your 8th Birthday" – 4:06# "Dance for the Dead" – 3:48...
(2007) - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)Feel Good Ghosts is an album by Cloud Cult released on Tuesday, April 8th 2008.-Track listing:#"No One Said It Would Be Easy" – 3:33#"Everybody Here Is a Cloud" – 3:16#"The Tornado Lessons" – 2:34#"When Water Comes to Life" – 3:47...
(2008) - Lost Songs from the Lost YearsLost Songs from the Lost YearsLost Songs from the Lost Years is a compilation by Cloud Cult, documenting the evolution of the band from the teen years up until 2002...
[Limited Re-Release] (2009) - Light Chasers (September 2010)
Films
- No One Said It Would Be Easy - A Film About Cloud CultNo One Said It Would Be EasyNo One Said It Would Be Easy is a feature-length film about and featuring the band Cloud Cult that was released in stores on April 21, 2009....
(2009)
Best Of, Live, Remixes
- On Live at KEXP, Volume III the live version of "Mr. Tambourine ManMr. Tambourine Man"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
cover)
A studio cut is available on Spinout Record's Duluth Does Dylan Revisited, a compilation of Bob Dylan covers that reflects how the local music culture has been influenced by being the birthplace of the music icon.
The studio cut is also available on the new Lost Songs from the Lost Year album released in 2009, and is a track on the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Running with the Wolves.
External links
- Official Website
- Cloud Cult at neformat.com.ua
- Cloud Cult info (PDF)
- Cloud Cult performing on The Current in March 2007
- Cloud Cult Interview at REDEFINE Magazine, June 2006
- Cloud Cult feature with Craig Minowa at groundcontrolmag.com, March 2007
- Cloud Cult Forum
- Cloud Cult photography essay (2004-2006)