Cloud Cult's LIGHT CHASERS: Interpreted Dance Performance

4/10/19
The whole thing is now on YouTube.

Being I'm at work, I haven't seen it yet, but hopefully tonight I'll get an hour to spend watching this thing.



12/4/18
This is happening at a school in North Carolina.

Interpreted in Dance and Movement.

Told through dance, movement, lights, and imagery, this beautiful and affirming piece finds joy in loss.  Produced with permission and in partnership with Cloud Cult.  Recommended for all ages.

Per the way that is written, I'm wondering if this is taking the Light Chasers album and using it as a soundtrack to the DANCE PERFORMANCE? which could be very cool itself.

But I also would wish/wonder if it was either

a) Cloud Cult themselves performing it while the interpreted dance performance happens
b) A group of musicians performing it while the interpreted dance performance happens

But even if neither of those situations are happening (and it's not written they are) this will still be cool to see what this group does with the album.

Light Chasers is my favorite Cloud Cult album and one of my favorite albums, especially in the last 20 years.

Given I don't foresee traveling to NC for this though, I will be looking forward to the film in January of course.

Link

We're honored to have the entire Light Chasers album presented via dance, lights and imagery by Western Carolina University. Performances are this Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Cullowhee, NC. More info and tickets: https://www.wcu.edu/…/current-productions/light-chasers.aspx

This performance will also be available in film format in January.

3/12/16 Cloud Cult at the State Theatre Minneapolis, MN

Guess-estimated Set List:

The Great Unknown
Running With The Wolves
Sleepwalker
Time Machine Invention
Everything You Thought You Had
You Were Born
Story Of The Grandson Of Jesus
Days to Remember
Transistor Radio
Meet Me Where You're Going
Light at the End of the Tunnel?
No Hell
The Man Jumped Out the Window
Blessings
Love You All
There's So Much Energy In Us
Complicated Creation
Through the Ages

Another uplifting show from Cloud Cult, supporting their new record/film The Seeker which has become my favorite record of 2015-2016 thus far, and among if not my favorite of theirs overall.

The set list is likely not 100% accurate both in titles and order as I was not able to find it anywhere online (setlist.fm namely at this point), but it's relatively close to this. I did try to get a set list sheet after the show as I saw them on stage, but the security people wouldn't allow me to grab it, or have one of them go up and get one for me unfortunately.

But in terms of what is included, it is quite good and it has a lot material from of course The Seeker, Love and Light Chasers. Love, got a lot of *love*, although I was expecting them to play "Good Friend" after they kept playing tracks off it. But "Sleepwalker" is one of my favorites from that record and I was really happy to hear it last night.

I suppose I would have lost it probably had they included "You Never Were Alone" which has become maybe their saddest song to me ever, at least how the music sounds along with the lyrics hit me. I dunno, I wonder if they will eventually bring it out on another leg, or perhaps they'll play the entire The Seeker record at some point. Which that would also include "The pilgrimage" which has become a favorite of mine.

But the show, I guess while being sold out, many of the tickets were held by the band members for family, etc. I was fortunate enough to meet a gentleman named Gary who had an extra ticket. he was nice enough to give me. And his seats were pretty good, about 20 rows back on the right side in front of Sarah Perbix, Cloud Cult's keyboard/trumpet/french horn and vocalist (and whom I sort of know personally as I took some piano lessons from her a few years ago).

But it was more or less a capacity crowd at the State Theatre. And it had the crowd standing frequently, which I have mixed feelings about. For one, I like to see the whole band and the paintings that are being made by Scott West and Connie Minowa. And I also am not crazy about standing for long lengths of time, especially considering this show went well over 2 hours.

And the Cloud Cult fans also seem to enjoy standing, and even dancing, which I follow I suppose to a point. But what it led to was a lot of standing up, and sitting down. By about the middle of the set, I just couldn't sit anymore given some folks a couple of rows up were not going to sit anymore.

Which makes me wonder if they will do more shows at any of the Hennepin theaters, or go back to First Ave when they do shows in the Twin Cities, save for an outdoor event like Rock the Garden or whatever. Although considering they have played at Orchestra Hall and the Southern Theater, I suppose playing theater shows is not new to them. I was at the Orchestra Hall show back in 2011? I think it was, and it worked really well. I just don't recall the sitting-standing-sitting-standing-sitting-standing thing as much as last night.

But alas, it's been 3 years since I last saw them supporting Love, and even with a little bit of personnel changes, they still are infectious live act. I just feel a bit spoiled I suppose to have them from my hometown, so much that I don't try and see them every chance I get because of time, budget, and priority. But I mentioned to Gary, if they were from another town and came to Minnesota even once every other year, I'd likely never miss a show. They're still THAT good live.

And maybe someday they'll want to play like the complete Light Chasers live, which would probably be a dream set list for me for them.

Cloud Cult - The Seeker (2015-2016) [Album+Film] 1st Single 10/23/15

2/12/16 10:19AM
I just wanted to bump this as the album is released finally today.
Here's Amazon's link

And I saw the film actually the other night at The Riverview Theater, which was beautiful yet incredibly heart-wrenching.

Per time of course, I should try and film a video or 2 about Cloud Cult, 1 about The Seeker album and especially the film.

The other, hopefully about their history/my history, which is somewhat well documented in this blog, but obviously not on YouTube.

This new album and the film has gotten me back thinking about them the last few days. I'd say maybe what I just wrote on their Facebook Wall has something to do with that.

here

hey, I just wanted to congratulate you guys on Album release day today. And seeing the film the other night. I honestly cannot get many parts of it out of my head. Namely "You Never Were Alone," totally gets me every-time I hear it now. That scene in the film where Grace is running and seeing her dad is breathtaking. I was in tears at the theater the other night, and still find myself in the same way when listening to it. You guys may have written and filmed one of the saddest/most melancholy things I've ever come across.

12/4/15 6:21AM
Stream "Through the Ages"

Really good tune. I haven't been able to even see every update via the Pledgemusic campaign that I should have due to time and discipilne, but I mean, namely during the week I have off coming up in a little over a week. But I'm pretty excited for this record and film, more than I was before.

10/23/15 6:10AM
Story with Stream to "No Hell"

It also says Josh Radnor of How I Met Your Mother, will be in the film, which has no dialogue. I imagine it'll be a bit like the Marillion Brave film, with the music on with the actors going through the story. That story has some quotes from Craig Minowa and the story or concept behind The Seeker being about the life of a girl.

Josh Radnor of course, is a noted big fan of Cloud Cult, so that doesn't come as a huge surprise.

"No Hell" of course, also is download-able with a preorder/pledge.

10/22/15 2:07PM


The Seeker, Looks and sounds intriguing, I doubt it has any reference to the song by The Who though. The Seeker is coming out in multiple formats, including for the 1st time ever, VINYL (recycled..CC have been noted as to against Vinyl per the environmental issues that the manufacturing can create, but maybe Recycled is more friendly?..I'd love to see/purchase a lot of their more recent albums, on recycled vinyl at least..Light Chasers namely).

A New song is coming tomorrow 10/23, so I'll have to bump/edit this entry when that happens tomorrow.

February 2016 is when this sucker drops though. I did *love* a number of tracks on their last record Love from 2013...Pretty excited.

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/cloudcult


Preorder “The Seeker” and you'll get weekly downloads from our forthcoming album and film starting now! http://www.cloudcult.com/seeker

Cloud Cult presents “The Seeker”, a new studio album and feature length fiction film coming February 2016. But those who participate in our Preorder Campaign will get an “All Access Pass”, where every Friday, starting now until the release date, you will get one song from the album and/or get to watch one “chapter” of the movie in chronological order and gradually watch the story unfold. Also see behind the scenes footage, and buy exclusive Preorder merch not available anywhere else: Signed props from the film, one on one time with the band, autographed recycled vinyl records, handwritten lyric sheets and more… Profits of the preorder are donated to environmental charities.
Preorder “The Seeker” and get your All Access Pass now! 
www.cloudcult.com/seeker

Cloud Cult - 11/18/10 First Ave

Here's my forum post

I just got back a bit ago from seeing them. These guys are a CLASS ACT live. It's a total ENERGY FEST. The whole band sings perfectly in chorus, and every member (other than the drummer) is frequently switching between instruments including single tom drums.

Plus, as I had read about, they have 2 people do these layered pieces of art throughout the whole show.

I would totally endorse seeing them live if you are even on the fence about their studio work.

All these years they've been this big deal in this town, especially live, and I see why now. I really had no clue what I was missing. I am now off to seek out the rest of their catalog that I have yet to hear (4 albums and a documentary film).

the set list show was probably 75% or more from Light Chasers and Feel Good Ghosts. I know they did a couple of tunes off their others. But I guess last night's show was a pretty different set given they knew some fans attended both.

But they have been playing the whole Light Chasers record live at times at least, from what their drummer said. The sound check was really nice, they gave everyone free pizza and the chance to talk with the band members. I don't think I've ever had that kind of experience at a concert, especially at a place like First Ave that I often never see the bands before or after wards. I kind of wish I had gone to the show on Wednesday, but I had a ticket for dredg last night.

But I have to add some stuff. Here's just a guess of the set list

Unexplainable Stories
No One Said It Would Be Easy
Exploding People
You'll Be Bright
Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan)
Running With the Wolves
Journey of the Featherless?
Blessings
Today We Give Ourselves To The Fire
Story of Granson Jesus?
There's So Much Energy In Us

Encore
Everybody Here Is a Cloud

they did I'm pretty sure at least 1 maybe 2 tunes off Hippopotamus and then I would guess 1 or 2 off albums I have not heard.

The other big things about this show that I honestly will never forget.

-I LOST (misplaced) my actual show-ticket sometime between the moment I pulled it out with my dredg show ticket at the Cabooze last night. Luckily (or unluckily), I didn't actually realize it until about 2:30 and spend the last 24 hours freaking out over it. So, I had my SOUND CHECK pass still, and I showed up after filling a meter on the street with 16 quarters, lol. I maybe missed 10 minutes of the band actually playing. But the Sound Check while it was cool, ended up having me feeling kind of miserable without a ticket for the actual show. I told the security at the door about misplacing my ticket and they said they had to clear out the club after the Sound Check ended, and I need a ticket given I could have given someone my ticket (and not be telling them).

So, they had free pizza from Pizza Luce, which was really nice, although I'm totally guilty for more or less living on their food over the last week. But it was still welcome. I asked a few people about what I should do. One girl told me to hang out in the bathroom or something. But after the band finished rehearsing they came down on to the floor and grabbed some pizza as well. But I was watching the Sound Check from my desired seated spot on the upper right hand side at a table + chair.

So CC's keyboard/french-horn/trumpet player Sarah and I think their manager (or lighting? sound?) Adrian came upstairs to use the restroom, and I caught them and explained my situation to them and they were really very nice to put me on the guest list.

From that moment on, I was on Cloud 9 it seemed.

I think I'm going to have to try and see them again as soon as I can. I sort of have some make up for lost time. Especially if I find myself even more into them with getting into their back catalog more in depth.

Their drummer Arlin also was really cool to chat with for a bit after their Sound Check. I guess he plays with Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps as well. I would go for seeing them again, but even more now. I had no idea I saw him when I saw Caroline and her band back in January of 2009 with Best Friends Forever and Jeremy Messersmith.

I also can't stress enough how good their energy was, along with the group drumming and the paintings. Although I think Scott West's darker/blacker painting of a woman, which I didn't see as much of the creation-of as given my view was better to Connie Minowa's, was better. Connie's was more of that layer-over-layer-over-layer thing which I'm kind of less crazy about as I once mentioned about a Judgement Day's video. The more subtle, less-is-more at times work on Scott's was more my thing, and more similar to the guy who painted at those Jenny Dalton shows a few years ago.

Cloud Cult - Light Chasers (2010)

This is their next full-length album, due out on August 17th.

They also have a new ep with 1 new track called "Running With the Wolves" that includes 3 older (b-sides?) tunes.



1 Running With the Wolves
2 Mr. Tambourine Man
3 A Place
4 Where Are You Now?

Mr.Tambourine Man, a cover of the classic 60's tune?

This ep is being released on 4/20 to coincide with Earth Day I guess. But it's already available for $3 digitally at their online store.

2008's "Feel Good Ghosts" was a surprising addiction for me. I knew the band's name, but never expected to like them. I have since checked out some of their older work and enjoy that as well. So, this new album I certainly expect more of the same at this point.

It is still really sad I have yet to see them live still. They should play a show at The Varsity instead of 1st Crapenue. Or maybe even 1 of the theaters, and I'd definitely make an effort to go. Maybe I'll win tickets from Radio K.