'Cult' had Middlebury chilling on cloud nine

Author: Bri Cavallaro and Emily Temple

You would think that a fitting finale to the 2007 Energy Symposium would be hippies with acoustic guitars sitting in the candlelight and not a fully-amped rock show. But Minnesota's Cloud Cult pays to offset every bit of energy that their traveling and concerts produce.

The ever-popular campus band Dawn's Basement started off the night early, playing to a decent crowd eager to hear their Irish-tinged folk rock. Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki '08, on fiddle, is the key element of this band as his unusual instrument coupled with his insane talent lends the band their distinctive flavor. Despite the band's complaints that their playing had been "sloppy," Dawn's Basement set the loins of freshman girls everywhere aflame with songs like 'A Sky Awoken' featuring '08.5 James Riley's ferocious, sexy vocals. Though the band seemed hesitant to premiere the song, claiming that previous attempts had gone awry, Brian Harris '08 and Max Obata '09 provided an excellent, groovy backbone, and Riley's growling voice was at its absolute best.

With the realization that they were running out of time, the band jumped into an awesome rendition of their crowd-pleaser, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," featuring Riley as Johnny and a cowboy-hatted Harris as the titular Devil. Again, Tirrell-Wysocki's fiddling was nothing less than incendiary. The band finished their set with an instrumental piece as everyone filed out the doors to the Grille.

When Cloud Cult took the stage ten minutes later, its lead singer, Craig Minowa, peered out the doors, calling, "You guys can all come back in now, we're gonna start!"

Unfortunately, we were two of about a dozen people to follow instructions. But having eaten with the residents of Weybridge House that night, Cloud Nine seemed comfortable and pleased to be performing despite the minimal crowd.

Their set-up was extensive and on top of the requisite bass, guitar and drums, the band rolled out a cello, keyboards, a canvas, pots of paint and a projector screen to play a loop of uninspired footage - traffic, city lights and, of course, clouds. As soon as the first notes were played, a bald guy in a fedora started smearing paint onto a blank canvas situated on the stage's left side. At first, his painting seemed random. He slashed at the canvas, a brush in each hand, switching colors every few minutes. As the band's set wore on, however, his sloppy painting began to reveal itself as a pre-meditated portrait.

If the audience was not thoroughly impressed by Bald Fedora Dude, halfway through the show, he turned around with a trumpet in his paint-splattered hands and joined in. The audience, all four of us, cheered.

Between the painting and the slideshow, it was hard at times to focus on the band. But we were always brought back by Cloud Cult's music, reminiscent of the Flaming Lips with a liberal dose of pop-punk vocals. Minowa not only sang but also operated a number of samples and electronic beats, sometimes stretching to hold down foot pedals while playing keys above his head.

As a whole, the band seemed multi-talented. The bassist dropped his bass, borrowed from Brian Harris, to assist the drummer, who in turn backed up the vocalist. The cellist was a welcome addition and, much like Tirrell-Wysocki's fiddle, the odd string instrument lent an unusual, almost mannered touch to Cloud Cult's loose, rangy rock. Their sound was not only innovative but also radio-friendly, although the band has refused several major label offers, preferring to stick to their own label, Earthology Records. This choice comes from a desire to continue their previously mentioned "green" performance practices.

Still, their last album, Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus, debuted at number three on the college rock charts, just below major label acts Coldplay and The White Stripes. The band is currently touring to support their forthcoming album, The Meaning of 8, which lucky concertgoers could have scored last Saturday night before its April 10 release date.

As the members of Dawn's Basement groused after their set, it is a shame that poll after poll suggests that Middlebury students want more performances by off-campus bands, yet these same students can't be bothered to show up for a band that they've never heard of.

Our personal opinion?

Cloud Cult's dynamic set will prove much more interesting, not to mention musically superior to, our forthcoming Guster show, one of the few campus concerts these charming reporters will be skipping.