Interview by Rosemary Morrow
Tagged 2006 baria records cloud cult indie pop indie rock minnesota bands
Cloud Cult isn't just another pretty rock riff. Like a green superhero, singer/songwriter/environmental activist Craig Minowa is out to change the world. If it isn't through his music, it will be through his method. The band's latest album,
Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus, like their previous recordings, was released on their own label, Earthology Records. The label was established as a non-profit, music-centered environmental movement. "If you release an album, you can't release something that goes against your values," Minowa states.
The album's title was taken from a recurring childhood dream, during which young Minowa was visited by the Happy Hippo. The dreams, he recalls, marked times of significant spiritual growth. On this latest album, Minowa reconnects with his amiable spirit animal to seek an understanding of mortality and purpose, and to delve into a realm "on the other side of the (mortal) line." Of the 25 songs on
Happy Hippopotamus, Minowa says, "Each song is a snapshot of being on the line between that place [and this one]." One example of that place is invoked in the soaring, "Living on the Outside of Your Skin," in which he sings, "Come and speak to me, my friend." Is Minowa calling on a friend from this life or one from the afterlife?
Cloud Cult was nominated as 2004's "Artist of the Year" by the Minnesota Music Awards in their native state, along with such diverse talents as Prince and Paul Westerberg. The Cloud Cult collective is made up of Minowa, Dan Greenwood on drums, Sarah Young on cello and keys, and Matthew Freed on bass, keys, and percussion. Their concerts are enhanced with live painting by artists Connie Minowa and Scott West, along with video montages by Adrian Young. The union and expression between artistic media and music during their shows is natural, since, according to West, "Art and music are the same organism. Rhythm is brush strokes; the emotion of the song is color."
Bridging the abyss between believing and doing, Minowa truly walks the talk. He works for Organic Consumers Association by day, and in his "spare" time cleans recycled CD cases, which are amassed and sent in from individuals and college campuses, to reuse as new Cloud Cult CD packaging. He plans to apply for non-profit status so that companies can write off their CD case shipping expenses in the future. The group tours the country in a van equipped with solar panels, and has installed geothermal heating and cooling on their organic farm. They're also very proud of finally achieving a 100% post-consumer recycled CD jewel case, and subsequently adapted cover art, to be shipped with their next album.
But don't let the hippie-love vibe fool you. There is a deep emotional pain, stemming from the loss of Craig and Connie's only child in 2002. It lies at the heart of their songs. That ever-present loss is palpable in the lyrics, especially on songs like "Breakfast with My Shadow" from their 2004 release, Aurora Borealis. In it, Minowa laments about eating alone with his shadow. Musically, the songs surge triumphantly in the most inopportune moments and battle with the heaviness of the lyrics to defy mourning.
Towards the end of Cloud Cult's set at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, Minowa dedicates a song to his "little boy," by singing, "You are my sunshine/ My only sunshine/ You make me happy when skies are gray/ You'll never know dear/ How much I love you…" It's overwhelmingly sad, but there is release in the music, which seemingly allows catharsis for his heartache so he can go on saving the world – one recycled jewel case at a time.
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