Cloud Cult’s philosophical lyrics and indie-chamber-rock sound has been lauded by critics as "insane genius" (Pitchfork) and "an invocation of the lifeforce" (New York Times). Hailed as one of the Top 10 Green Bands by Rolling Stone, Cloud Cult has a history of bucking the mainstream music industry in favor of independently releasing music via their environmentally-conscious record label Earthology Records.
Cloud Cult began as Craig Minowa's solo studio project after the unexpected loss of his son and has grown with an evolving lineup of string, brass, and rock musicians. Known for incorporating “meaning of life” song concepts into film and live painting in their concerts, Cloud Cult has been dubbed by Wall Street Journal as pioneers of multimedia artistry.
Despite major label offers, Cloud Cult has remained staunchly independent in order to maintain full ownership of their art. With a shoestring budget, the band has a long history of topping the college radio charts (including eight songs landing in The Current's Hall of Fame for longest time in the Top 10).
Cloud Cult’s extensive catalogue includes 10 full-length studio albums, Unplug (a live album and film), No One Said It Would Be Easy (a feature length documentary film), Stories From the Road (a series of short films), and their album turned feature film The Seeker – (starring Josh Radnor & Alex McKenna – which landed on Entertainment Weekly’s Must List). Cloud Cult's most recent album, Metamorphosis (2022), was written and composed for performance with the Minnesota Orchestra and included three sold out shows at the prestigious Minnesota Orchestra Hall, in one of the fastest ticket sales in the venue's history.
The common thread through what Cloud Cult does as a creative collective is to explore the medicinal powers of music and art in life’s journey through pain, love, and catharsis.
In addition to music accolades, the band’s green efforts are unmatched. Minowa created the band's own Earthology Records to help green the music industry and co-developed the first 100% post-consumer recycled CD packaging in the U.S. market. The band began zero net greenhouse gas practices for tours long before it was trendy and their merchandise is 100% postconsumer recycled or made of certified organic materials. Cloud Cult has planted several thousand trees to absorb the band's CO2 output, their studio is powered by solar power and built partially from reclaimed wood and recycled plastic, and they donate heavily to projects that build wind turbines as revenue generators on Native American Reservations.
Cloud Cult is set to release a high energy indie-chamber-rock album in August of 2024 with singles debuting in May and national touring in the fall. The album, entitled Alchemy Creek, was written and recorded in a tiny cabin on wheels in the middle of Wisconsin woods by Minowa in isolation over the course of two years. From that cabin studio by a creek, Minowa has been releasing a steady stream of weekly Cloud Cult songs and videos exclusive to its Patreon base, ranking the band as one of the top content creators on the platform.
