Craig Minowa has been writing songs in an attempt to
understand life for years. The mastermind behind indierock band Cloud
Cult, Minowa didn’t stop searching for answers until he wrote the set
for Cloud Cult’s most recent release, The Meaning of 8.
“I realized it’s about embracing the mystery,” Minowa said over the
phone, taking a break from the road trip he and his wife, Connie, were
taking to celebrate their anniversary. “When our son left us, the
universe woke us up to the beauties of the present moment and taught us
to understand that there is no answer. The birds, the bees, and the
fish don’t have to come up with answers; they just live,” he continued.
“Humans distract themselves with finding answers when they should just
be enjoying the moment.”
The loss of their son, Cayden, is felt throughout The Meaning of
8. “This is the dance that brings the dead to the living/Just say,
I miss you every day, you know,” he coos achingly on the fragile,
lilting “Dance for the Dead.” “They say, I’m with you every day, you
know.”
Minowa speaks with a smile and an open heart of his lost son, who
died suddenly as a toddler in 2002. “He’s with us all the time,” he
said. “He speaks through the music. He travels with us on the
road.”
What began as Minowa’s studio project in 1995 has since morphed into
a full band comprised of: Dan Greenwood (drums/vocals), Matthew Freed
(bass/keys), Sarah Young (cello/vocals), Scott West (trumpet) and, of
course, Minowa (singer/songwriter/guitar/keys). Cloud
Cult—which brings the edgy otherworldliness of groups like Modest
Mouse and Flaming Lips to mind—has independently released five
albums and has, over the years, deservedly garnered a cult
following.
The Minneapolis-based band has also become known for their creative
live performances, which feature videos and live painting by Minowa’s
wife, Connie, and trumpeter West. “It gives the show a creative visual
experience,” Minowa said. “Our overall intention is to leave people
with inspiration and optimism; to strum on the chords of their
souls.”
Minowa—known for his environmental activism and organic
farming—then handed the phone to his wife. “As soon as the drums
kick in, we kick in with our brush strokes,” she said. “The activity of
our painting is based on the song that’s playing. The painting
expresses the music and the experience of traveling.”
After the show, the paintings are auctioned off to the highest
bidder. “They get to take them home for a memory or a souvenir of that
evening,” she said.
The Meaning of 8 deals mostly with mortality and celebrating
both life and death. “I was looking at the various angles of who we are
and why we’re here,” he explained. “Why some are allowed to stay and
others have to leave? We also wanted to celebrate life and the lives of
deceased loved ones, and how to bring deceased loved ones closer
through ceremony, music, and coming to terms.”