Chasing the Light: The Cloud Cult Story

by Mark Allister

“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 band 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 photos 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, Memoir, Biography

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Cloud Cult has been one of my favorite bands for a long time, but now I get them. Thanks to Mark Allister's book, I found an entry way to some of the songs and albums I previously didn't have the key to open. Albums went from incomprehensible to essential with a bit of background and understanding. I love this band because they have endured immense pain and have moved onto sharing a message of deep love. They bring peace and sanity to a world bent on cynicism, disconnection, and irony. Some of my five star ratings are based on the fact that the book has changed my life in one way or another--actual change. This book changed me from a fan of the band in a scattershot way to a self anointed member of the larger Cloud Cult family. This band, with my new understanding of Craig and Connie Minowa's journey, will be an integral part of my journey in trying to become a better human being hereafter. Read the book, listen to this band, and always Chase the Light.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really have no idea what to say about the book, just because I love this band so much. And I knew that their music and shows have affected me deeply, but until I read this book, I had no idea how profoundly they've affected others. The transformative, healing power of music? This is it.

You can actually listen to the entirety of my favorite album of theirs, Light Chasers on YouTube. If 16 songs is too much, please at least try "There's So Much Energy in Us" and "Room Full of People in My Head".

[Rumi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding account of Craig's journey as the front runner of Cloud Cult. From his previous bands, to his early influences, all throughout the grief of losing a child, through coming out strong on the other side. This book blew me away so much that I read it twice in one week. Though, that might be because I'm a huge Cloud Cult fan. Regardless, it's a captivating story, written incredibly well by Mark Allister. I recommend to all, whether you're into CC or indie music, or not!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw that there was a book written about my favorite band, I jumped at the opportunity to read it. Allister does a great job of mapping the band's journey, Craig's heartbreaking story, and the feeling behind each album. I enjoyed how the chronological story was broken up by chapters of passages written by fans who have been as touched by the band as I have. A good, easy read overall.

[Ferrial Pondrafi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent. It tells in detail the musical journey of Craig Minowa as the founder and core member of Cloud Cult.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to get this book as a gift from the friend who first introduced me to Cloud Cult's music a few years ago. I enjoyed the story of the band, especially more of Craig & Connie's heartbreaking-yet-hopeful lives. I could have done without Allister's lengthy description of Cloud Cult's songs, which added nothing to my appreciation of their music. A number of the fan stories, especially those fans who looked to Cloud Cult's music to help them through difficult times, added meaning to the band's narrative.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think I could love Cloud Cult more than I already did, but I fell in love all over again with each page in this book. Thank you, Mark Allister, for creating this book, and to Cloud Cult for contributing to its production.

[Jessica Lund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! And I usually don't like nonfiction

[Morpho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in 2010 someone entered my life to show me Cloud Cult. Being alternative and into heavy music at the time, it caught me by surprise that a band with this sound would stick to me as much as it did. I immediately acquired all the albums digitally and listened to them religiously on shuffle.

This was the Shade Project up to Light Chasers all at once, so you can see why shuffling this entire story was a fairly interesting experience. Going from uplifting and beautiful songs to suddenly hearing the heart breaking traumatic process, back to high energy, etc was very unique, but with how my brain worked, I loved it.

I researched all the lyrics and found out about the tragic history of Craig's life and I never felt so seen and related to a musician via shared trauma and healing before.

Having my own experiences with death, from my best friend being murdered, another dying of cancer, and then my mother dying shortly after me also escaping narcissistic abuse, the only thing I really had left was the words in Cloud Cult's songs as then Love was released and helped me through all of that.

I will always be thankful for this band, even being lucky enough to meet Craig and Connie twice and most of the other incredible members of the band at various shows. Their kindness touched my heart and has had me a hardcore fan for now over a decade.

I've owned this book since 2015, where I got it at the Unplug video showing at the Riverview Theater and finally got to collect the physical copies of the CDs. For some reason, I never had the opportunity to read it and all the booklets until now, which feels so silly as I've essentially had the song lyrics be my own form of religion for so many years.

Getting to finally paint the entire picture from start to finish and piece together the way the songs were intended to be played really brought even more beauty and meaning to the words I had heard a million times. I learned so much more and only feel more passionate about the band. I look forward to seeing them countless more times in the future and unfolding the healing journey it bizarrely feels like we go on together.

[David Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential book for any lover of the experimental art-rock band, Cloud Cult. The highlight for me was the telling of band leader Craig Minowa's story, his love of music and environmental activism. People with passion are interesting, and what they do with that passion, particularly when it's an artistic vision. As any fan of Cloud Cult knows, their trajectory was changed by tragedy. New details that I had not heard before were revealed in this work, that sheds light on several Cloud Cult songs that I never realized. After being a fan of Cloud Cult for over ten years, I have a newfound appreciation for their work, and their progression. And that is the story of Cloud Cult, how each album is an autobiography, and how their fans relate to the stories being told. As humans we have nowhere to go but forward. Evolution is a scientific fact. And we can see the evolution of Craig Minowa and Cloud Cult from fiddling with instruments in a basement, to the spiritual guides they have become.

[Michael West · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about one of my favorite bands. The author does a great job showing the Minowa's (particulary Craig's) heartbreaking and uplifting experiences that have shaped who they are and the music and experiences they help create for people. Truly, you won't find a band as unique or sincere as Cloud Cult and this book was very interesting to read how the band came to be. I appreciated the author including fan testimonials about how the music has touched so many people and uplifted during times of losing loved ones, depression, and other trials. I attended one of Cloud Cult's concerts last fall in Salt Lake and I've never been to a better concert. I wish I could have read this book beforehand to better appreciate the genius and feeling that Craig puts into his songwriting.

[Lori Koppelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a new fan of the band and enjoyed hearing the story of its creation. Without knowing many of the songs, the deep dives on each one got to be too much for me, but for the super fan, I'll bet it's very interesting. I am now going back and listening to stuff prior to The Seeker.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am incredibly biased but it is a fantastic read! It is a great book about amazing people, an insightful tome about living and working conscientiously, and a testament to love and the possibilities that tragedy can provide.

[Charlotte Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. A cross between the band's history mixed with some indie music history.

[Kristin Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me cry multiple times. A must read.

[Bridget Mattox · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a newer Cloud Cult fan this book was a great dive into the start/history of the band. The fan stories were my favorite!

[Shannon Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. I think I would have enjoyed it much more if I had been fully up-to-date on the band's music, but that's an easy fix.

[Sally Balboa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of The Cloud Cult before reading this book, and after reading some of the lyrics that the novel provides I decided to take it upon myself to find out more about this band. I'm sorry to say I am not a fan, but reading this book makes me appreciate the lyrics and the messages that the band is trying to convey, and gives me a respect for the music.

Chasing The Light tells the story of the Indie band The Cloud Cult, from little stories from the members childhood, to the inspiration for the lyrics now. It's really or people who are fans of the band, but it's nice to learn about other people occasionally.