Cloud Cult (stolen from their website!)
Calling all festival goers, music travelers, musicians and fans!
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. A lot of musicians and bands have become advocates for environmental organizations and Cloud Cult takes it damn serious.
In 1999, lead singer Craig and his wife Connie Minowa formed Earthology with an Earthology Records branch, which was focused on helping to green the music industry. Earthology Records is where all of the bands booking, publicity, CD replication, t-shirt production, and recording take place. Through Earthology, Minowa developed the first 100% post-consumer recycled CD packaging in the U.S. market. Earthology Records was later moved to an organic farm, powered by geothermal energy and built partially from reclaimed wood and recycled plastic. The band’s merchandise is all 100% postconsumer recycled or made of certified organic materials. Cloud Cult has planted over a thousand trees and plants several hundred more each year to absorb the band’s CO2 output. They also donate heavily to projects that build wind turbines as revenue generators on Native American Reservations.
Cloud Cult is music that speaks from the heart, from life, from creativity. After the death of Craig and Connie’s first child they poured their hurt into songs that were extremely personal and painful – yet also celebrated the elements of his life, all of our lives really, by celebrating “the mysteries of life” as Craig says. You can hear and buy their new CD, Running with the Wolves. Their next Minneapolis date is Nov 18th at First Ave. They are also playing Philly, NYC, Brooklyn, Boston and loads of other places.
Cloud Cult is a member of the Green Music Alliance, an organization founded in 2008 for music industry companies and artists who agree that it is time for the industry to examine the way they do business, create products, promote music, sell music and influence their fans. Also, the Green Music Alliance is for music fans who want to know what they can do for the planet. Members of the Green Music Alliance (featured artists this month are soul man John Legend, the lovely and kick-butt Sheryl Crow, and heroes Cloud Cult) strive to reduce the carbon footprint of their companies and raise awareness within their businesses and with their fans about how to reduce our impact on the environment. Their website is a great resource for every aspect of the music industry – everything from where to buy sustainably harvested bamboo guitars to solar stages, and how to tour sustainably. The website also tells the stories of musicians and others who are sending the sustainable world message to their industry and their fans. Radiohead telecommuted for the Conan O’Brian show to reduce their carbon footprint and KT Tunstall tours on a biodesiel bus. I love green rock.
nabbed free and with their permission
Note: Some of this info was blatantly lifted from the Green Music Alliance and Cloud Cult’s websites… oh, and YouTube. Enjoy!
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