Cloud Cult at Black Cat 5/28

Cloud Cult brought their multi-media show back to DC last weekend at the Black Cat. DC Surfrider’s MOP was happy to join them and talk OCEANS to folks at the show. We didn’t talk to a lot of folks (slow night for some reason!) but we had a good time and the show was great. Thanks to Gayathri Sriskanthan and Shelley Alingas for volunteering to be at the show! Huge thanks to Connie Minowa of Cloud Cult who got us on the guest list—thanks Connie!

Cloud Cult at the Black Cat

DC Surfrider’s Music Outreach Program was able to attend Cloud Cult’s show at the Black Cat last Monday November 1^st. Special thanks to Connie Minowa of Cloud Cult for getting us on the guest list! It was a learning experience for me as it was MOP’s first time at the Black Cat—their staff was very helpful and we got a great spot in the back by the merchandise table. I had some interesting conversations with a handful of attendees and about 15 people signed our ledger in support of passing a 5-cent bag fee bill in Virginia and Maryland. A few people mentioned Cloud Cult’s commitment to environmental causes—way to go Cloud Cult, hope to see you again next time you are in DC.

Cloud Cult - The Independent - 5/12/2009

photo: Cloud Cult

This was such a fun show! Mellie and I had a table in the far right corner, next to Cloud Cult's merchandise booth, where we had a great view of the live painting taking place on stage, and were able to closely observe and participate in the silent auction for the 2 paintings being created on stage during the show.

At the end of the night one painting sold for about $1600, and the other for about $900. I watched one excited new owner talk with the painter, Connie, about how to transport the painting home to her apartment in a taxi cab. It was wonderful! Yet also very difficult to describe in a manner that does the events of the evening justice!

But check this out, for starters:



It was a sold out show, and the room was full of a lot of excited fans. We met a handful of Surfrider members, and also got to talk with some Cloud Cult fans who were unfamiliar with our organization's work.

Thanks again to Jason who was the Independent's House Manager that night, who took excellent care of us, as always! Thanks to John from the Independent and Connie from Cloud Cult for granting us permission in advance to set up the outreach table, and for providing us with a guest list spot.


photo: Mellie, Connie from Cloud Cult, and Nicole

If you have the opportunity to see a Cloud Cult show, then don't pass that opportunity up!

Coming Up - Cloud Cult

Surfrider's San Francisco Chapter will have an outreach table at Cloud Cult's show at the Independent in San Francisco on Tuesday, May 12th.

The doors open at 7:30pm. The show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $15. Tix are still available at the Independent Box Office (open M-F from 11am-6pm) for purchase, with no surcharge.

TreeHugger.com just awarded Cloud Cult a "Best of Green Award" for "Best Indie Rock Band."


Check out this write up from the Discovery Channel's Planet Green:

Cloud Cult hasn't garnered the big-time recognition of a band like Radiohead, but they're a great example of a band that's green because they really believe in it.

The Minnesota-based band is led by Craig Minowa, who, when not busy writing, recording and touring with the band, is a scientist for the Organic Consumers Association, so he really knows his stuff. Disappointed by the options available elsewhere, Craig started his own record label, Earthology Records, which along with the band's studio (and Minowa's home) is located on a small organic farm in Northern Minnesota, is powered by geothermal power and wind energy, and the recording studio is built from recycled and salvaged materials.

Cloud Cult CD inserts and print materials are on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and printed with non-toxic soy inks by a local, family-owned print shop. Cloud Cult's CD shrink-wrap is not the industry standard toxic PVC; instead, they are packaging all of their materials in a 100% earth-friendly shrink-wrap, made of non-toxic biodegradable corn cellulose.

On tour, the band offsets all of its energy use through renewable energy credits, its van runs on biodiesel and even boasts solar panels on the roof, and also plants trees to offset the shipping and other resource depletion incurred when producing their albums. Oh, and Cloud Cult donates all profits, after expenses, to environmental charity work.



Look for us at the show! We'll be talking with fans about our new Music Outreach Program Campaign, Hold On To Your Butt! (That'd be cigarette butts.)