Chasing the Light
The Cloud Cult Story
Mark Allister tells the story of the heartbreaking yet affirming journey of Cloud Cult’s lead singer and songwriter Craig Minowa and delves into the career of the band. Featuring rarely seen photographs and passionate testimonials by fans, Chasing the Light is a testament to the profound influence one band’s personal evolution can have on its followers and on indie rock aficionados.
Listening to Cloud Cult continues to inspire me: the band has set a tone for the kind of art I wish to create. They’re a carbon-neutral band in a carbon-saturated world, and a heart-centered band in a heartbroken world. I love them dearly and I’m intensely grateful that Cloud Cult exists.
Josh Radnor, actor and filmmaker
“Cloud Cult’s grand, unkempt indie rock is at once jam band, emo, and avant-garde. Their songs, born out of personal tragedy, are otherworldly lessons in being human.” —Pitchfork
During the past decade, Minnesota-grown Cloud Cult has become one of the most inspirational indie bands, with a deeply devoted fan base and an approach to music and the environment that is hard not to admire. Beyond a musical biography, Chasing the Light tells the story of the heartbreaking yet affirming journey of lead singer and songwriter Craig Minowa and delves into the career of the band known by music lovers as the least cynical and most idealistic band in the country.
Tracing Cloud Cult’s rise to critical acclaim, author Mark Allister details the band’s defining moments, beginning with the death of Craig and Connie Minowa’s two-year-old son and the hundreds of songs that grew out of the tragic loss. Allister describes the band’s unique philosophy and principles, including how Minowa created a zero carbon footprint for the band’s recording and touring, adopting DIY and green-sustainable practices well before the ideas became mainstream. Allister also presents a first-person account of a day in the life of a quintessential indie band and conveys the immense emotional impact of Cloud Cult’s albums and live shows. Described by a fan in the book as “the anthem for the soul searcher in us all,” Cloud Cult’s music and message are both stirring and sincere.
Featuring rarely seen photographs from Cloud Cult’s history and passionate testimonials by fans, Chasing the Light is a testament to the profound influence one band’s personal evolution can have on its followers and on indie rock aficionados in search of beauty, meaning, and redemption.
Listening to Cloud Cult continues to inspire me: the band has set a tone for the kind of art I wish to create. They’re a carbon-neutral band in a carbon-saturated world, and a heart-centered band in a heartbroken world. I love them dearly and I’m intensely grateful that Cloud Cult exists.
Josh Radnor, actor and filmmaker
As a long-time fan of Cloud Cult, I enjoyed this book and am grateful to know the band's emotional story. I have always respected their music and lyrics, and I now understand my connection to Cloud Cult's art and agenda. Their story breaks my heart but also deeply inspires me. We are all connected to the world through pain and love.
MC Sean "Slug" Daley, Atmosphere
Chasing the Light captures the essence of Cloud Cult.
Duluth News-Tribune
Geared not just for music fans, but for readers who are interested in Eastern spirituality and those who have grieved the death of someone close to them.
Rochester Post-Bulletin
Chasing the Light: The Cloud Cult Story is a cleverly intimate reveal of the emotional struggle that birthed Cloud Cult’s rise into the indie-rock scene.
Slug
Contents
Foreword
Mark Wheat
Introduction
Seeds
From Tragedy, Art
Fans Write
Psychological and Philosophical Sojourns
Fans Write
The Message Established: Love and Light
Fans Write
Your Show Starts Now
Acknowledgments
Index
UMP blog: Teenage rebellion by music? Not so prevalent anymore.
Teenage rebellion takes many forms, but teens rejecting their parents’ music is a less likely expression of that rebellion than it once was.
