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The Cloud Cult at the Rhythm Room. What an amazing concert and experience!

May 19th, 2009 Posted by: Dust Devil

Hello everybody,

My Top Ten Concert List for 2009 is starting to fill up, but one thing I can guarantee right now. The Cloud Cult appearing at the Rhythm Room Sunday, May 17 is a GUARANTEE to be there. Holy cow, what an evening!

I have made it pretty clear how much I like the Rhythm Room, definitely one of my favorite venues in town. Once again they came through in providing the perfect atmosphere for a band of this quality, although for once the sound was not the quality I was accustomed to. When a lot of bass was present in a song, I could hear some crackling in the speakers. Trust me though, a minor convenience.

I first learned of Cloud Cult at the Monolith Festival in 2007. Unfortunately for me, they started their set just before the Flaming Lips, so I only caught two or three songs before heading back to my spot in the amphitheatre at Red Rocks. However, a couple of songs was all I needed to realize they were special, so I bought The Meaning of 8, a great disc, when I returned home.

Cloud Cult released Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) in 2008, an even better disc in my opinion. Unfortunately, no Phoenix show. Bummer …

I was stoked when I saw that Cloud Cult would be performing at Coachella in 2009. I would personally rank their show as my 5th favorite of the weekend, with Bob Mould Band being #1, A Place to Bury Strangers #2, Paul McCartney #3 and Band of Horses #4. Pretty exclusive and fascinating company, and Cloud Cult played the first set on the Outdoor Theater at 1:30pm that Saturday. What a great set that day, and I was really happy to see their crowd grow as the set progressed.

However, this is a band that really presents their act best (I think) in an intimate club, so their first Phoenix appearance was one I was ecstatic about, and boy did they come through!

I arrived around 9:30pm and I want to say they went on about 10 minutes later. The over-21 crowd packed that side of the venue, which was great news, so I made my way over to the under-age side of the Rhythm Room, where there was plenty of room.

The band consists of Arlen Peiffer on the drums, Craig Minowa on vocals and guitar, Sarah Young on cello, Shannon Frid on the violin and Shawn Neary on bass and trombone. There are two other integral parts to the Cloud Cult equation, painters Scott West and Connie Minowa. Scott was the only member to paint on this evening, and I apologize if I am wrong, but I believe Connie was at the merch table that evening. Please visit Scott and Connie’s websites that I provided the links for and check out their artwork!

You need to know their names because this a band you need to know, admire, respect and enjoy. I cannot think of another band that practices the independent spirit of music better than Cloud Cult, and I have seen a ton of bands over the years. Cloud Cult is as eco-friendly as a group can be, producing their discs on recycled paper, printing on them with non-toxic ink and wrapping them in non-toxic LDPE. They plant trees to offset the amount of CO2 they pump into the atmosphere when they tour. Folks, a lot of people talk about what to do in regards to helping the environment. Cloud Cult does not talk about it, they act. They are simply amazing.

The music this band creates is outstanding. Take some good old-fashioned indie-rock, add in the classical elements of two beautiful string instruments and the heart-felt vocals of Craig Minowa, and you have the formula of a great band. I have yet to find another band to compare Cloud Cult to, which is high praise considering so much music today is pure recycled material in my eyes.

Live - wow! This band pours themselves into their performance. There is no rockstar attitude present, just a cohesive unit that play well off one another and are in sync. Sarah and Shannon are one heck of a string section, and their musicianship is what really intrigues me about Cloud Cult. This band is so good live and have proven it to me on three occasions now, so I have to believe an off-night simply is not in their existence.

Off to the left of the rest of the band was Scott West. Watching him work up close was a marvel to see. Once the band kicked things into gear on the first song he was a ball of energy, adding the initial strokes to his painting with unbridled fury. It was awesome to see happen live. He literally paints to the beat of the music, especially when a heavy drum beat from Peiffer was created. With each passing song more detail was added to the painting, with the finished product being an exquisite piece of work. I don’t know a thing about art, but this impressed the heck out of me! I did bid on the painting but did not even come close to winning, which was very cool. Someone at the show knew what he was doing and I am glad for Scott and the rest of Cloud Cult that was the case.

Great show, and I must say that Cloud Cult are one of the coolest bands I have had the pleasure of meeting. I had a chance to meet all but one member after the show, and every individual had an engaging personality and a sincere, humble attitude about his or her work. This simply is a band you have to root for, they deserve every bit of good karma in the world.

Wow. Did I really experience all this, I’m still in awe. Great work Cloud Cult, I look forward to next time!

The Big Dog

Filed under: Event Reviews, Cheers and Jeers