NO ONE SAID IT WOULD BE EASY: A Film About Cloud Cult - drops April 21 |
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The film opens with fan testimony about the band Cloud Cult, and cuts to footage on the Minowa farm north of the Twin Cities. A modest house sits in the background as a couple tends to a garden. They are the kind of tree-hugging, vegetable-growing, animal-loving, reducing, reusing, recycling people you'd dislike if you had any inkling that they weren't the real deal. But they are the real deal, and you have no excuse to not like and admire them. The themes and ideals in Cloud Cult's music are the principles by which bandleader Craig Minowa lives his life. Craig is an old friend of mine, and it's quite strange but lovely to hear his music on the radio and see an animated version of him and the band on television, including this Esurance Commercial .
My first memory of Craig is him sitting on the couch in the living room of one of his Minneapolis apartments, eating bean soup that his mom had sent home with him after a visit to his parents' place in Owatonna. I had gotten disastrously ill at school and couldn't imagine driving all the way home, so Jeff, the guy I was dating (and later married, and then later divorced), gave me the key to his place so I could wait it out (and puke if need be) there. Craig was put in the odd position of looking after a sick chick he didn't know. It was awkward but sweet.
A couple weeks later, I met painter Scott West. I was nervous out of my mind because the others had warned me that Scott could be a bit abrasive. Craig and Jeff could be called sensies, but Scott could not. He said what was on his mind, pretty or not. After a while, his paintings stopped giving me the willies (this was a good thing, as several of them adorned the walls of my apartment and contributed frequently to my dreamlife).
When I first met him, Craig had just finished many of the songs that would later be known as The Shade Project. Craig and I were members of a family of friends who nurtured and inspired each other for 10 years. Correction: the family existed before I joined it and lives on without me, but those 10 years will always enrich me. Not that it was all fantastic: there were personality conflicts between Connie and me that catalyzed behavior that I'm not proud of. And of course, my ugly role in the breakup between Jeff and me will nag at me forever, I suspect. But there's plenty I don't regret, and I will always be grateful for the time I had with some of the warmest, most talented people I have ever known.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I've shared my history with Craig, Connie, and Scott (let's be fair: I have a bias) but that should not 
Recent album: Feel Good Ghosts |
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negate any praise I give about the documentary NO ONE SAID IT WOULD BE EASY: A FILM ABOUT CLOUD CULT, if only because I am not alone in my praise for the band and the film. The documentary gives any Cloud Cult fan the chance to get to know all the bandmates in a truly intimate way. But film viewers who are unfamiliar with Cloud Cult will appreciate this film on its merits alone. NO ONE SAID IT WOULD BE EASY is an important documentary about the rise of an indie band, American music and the touring life, plus it shares a green message, it's entertaining, and a truly accessible documentary. It's enriching and educational, while still being intriguing and fun to watch—all elements of a good documentary, no?
Filmmaker John Burgess, along with Scott West, filmed interviews and live shows and collected footage to create a film that illustrates why seeing Cloud Cult live is a much different experience than the average club rock show. Not only does the live art being created on stage bring a unique quality, but the music itself is innovative and beautiful. Craig Minowa is a bandleader, singer, and songwriter, but he is also a composer who has written full orchestral works. Like a true wunderkind, story has it that his high school orchestra teacher was moved to tears by compositions he penned as a teenager. With this uncanny ability to hear full arrangements in his head and put them down, it only makes sense that he would seek string musicians. Violinist Shannon Frid is a recent addition to the band; Cloud Cult had already established a name for themselves, thus were easily able to make use of the Internet, but Craig's approach at promulgating his need for a cellist over 10 years ago was considerably lower-tech, and the story of how Sarah Young and Craig found each other is shared in the film.
The relationship and camaraderie of the band is shared, but not in an uncomfortable, Behind The Music voyeuristic way . . . the film contrasts the bandlife like a Pixies song: quiet, loud, quiet. Traveling in the bio-diesel van, while sometimes funny, can be long and dull. Next, the band throws themselves all in to their stage performance. And in the time between tours, we are shown the quiet of the farm. In reality, these moments could be those of any indie band-- it's a fantastic glimpse into that world, like younger versions of Thurston and Kim.
The documentary NO ONE SAID IT WOULD BE EASY drops April 21, but is available on Cloud Cult's homepage (www.cloudcult.com). The special features include live performances and music videos, and comes with digital downloads of live performances printed on plantable seed paper.
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