Thank You, Cloud Cult

Last month, while in Australia, I received a message from my great friend Kevin Lowe.

It simply said...

Johnny, I think you will love Cloud Cult. I've been listening for only 24 hours and I'm hooked. I think you will agree with this view. He has his own take on the first law of thermodynamics.
"Basically, what it says is that energy cannot be destroyed; it can only be transformed....So any kind of energy that you put out there never goes away."

Then he tagged me in a post that included a link to this astonishing NPR interview with Cloud Cult's frontman, Craig Minowa. Please take the 4 minutes to listen to the interview, but here is something that took my breath away...

The songs Minowa writes for his band can have the feel and hushed tones of a lullaby, and the emotion comes from a tragedy that's all too real. One night back in 2002, Minowa and his wife put their 2-year-old son, Kaidin, to bed. Their beloved boy did not wake up. Doctors could not explain why Kaidin died in his sleep, leaving Minowa to channel all that sadness and uncertainty into his work.

Gulp. Trust me, click >here<, listen to the interview and read the article. You will be moved and inspired.

Further down there was a link to preview the new album, LOVE, in its entirety, along with this description...

"This album really looks at all the different aspects of the self that need to be healed up in order to facilitate the process of stepping aside and allowing love to speak for our life rather than our wounds," lead singer Craig Minowa says.

Well, I downloaded LOVE. And I, too, am completely hooked. I listen to a TON of music, across all genres, and never before has a band "spoken to me" like Cloud Cult. Song after song after song REALLY MATTERS. LOVE is full of powerful lyrics, challenging you the listener, very personally to step up and truly live. Titles like "You're The Only Thing In Your Way' and "The Show Starts Now" are undisguised calls to action, but "It's Your Decision", "1x1x1" and "The Calling" pack just as powerful a motivational punch. And there are still reminders of Minowa's own challenges, like "Catharsis".

After listening to LOVE, all the way through, every day for a few weeks, I decided I had better download the rest of their catalog. It is less consistent, but there are myriad gems and I am still discovering ones I had missed earlier. On my 15 hr drive this week from Orillia, Ontario to Avon, NC, I just hit "Shuffle All" and was treated to a marathon of simultaneous entertainment and enlightenment, including; "You'll Be Bright", "Blessings" and "A Good God". But, truthfully, I could pretty much just list every single song on every album.

So, instead, after a HUGE THANK YOU TO KEVIN LOWE (I really love you, brother. You are an awesome force for good in this world and make a difference in lives a'plenty!), I am going to include a handful of YouTube videos for the rest of you to enjoy (with a link for lyrics beside each title).

ENJOY!

And LOVE :)

And, click HERE to buy their music <3

(and if you really want to geek out like me, here is a link to the trailer for the upcoming Cloud Cult documentary, "No One Said It Would Be Easy"! Soooo great!!)



You're The Only Thing In Your Way (LYRICS)


Good Friend (LYRICS)


My Little Sunshine - Warning: Major Tearjerker!!


The Show Starts Now (LYRICS)


It's Your Decision (LYRICS)


There's So Much Energy In Us - Live (LYRICS)


When Water Comes To Life (LYRICS) - Keep the Kleenex out for this one!


1x1x1 (LYRICS)


It Takes A Lot (LYRICS)


You'll Be Bright (LYRICS)


The Calling (LYRICS)



And, if you are still here, I am sure you will be surfing your way to all the rest :)