Cloud Cult is an experimental indie rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota l… Read Full Bio ↴Cloud Cult is an experimental indie rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota led by singer/songwriter Craig Minowa. Formed in 1995, the name originated from the ancient prophecies of indigenous North Americans

The band's founder and singer Craig Minowa has a degree in Environmental Science, and his environmental, political, and social awareness is reflected in much of Cloud Cult's music. (Note: Craig Minowa actually has stated he intentionally doesn't sing about environmental awareness because he lives it...he doesn't need to preach it) The band's self-created non-profit record label, Earthology Records, uses the most environmentally friendly methods available to ensure minimum damage to the environment.

After two solo LP's, The Shade Project (1995), and Who Killed Puck? (2000), Minowa's sudden loss of his two-year-old son and subsequent separation from his wife, Cloud Cult emerged with They Live On The Sun in 2003, combining concepts of Minowa with performances by cellist Sarah Young and drummer Dan Greenwood, who shortly became members of the band. This album was deeply personal and painful album for Cloud Cult and you don't often hear songs from it in concert.

Minowa continued to use music to cope with the loss of his son on the following album Aurora Borealis. This album did begin to branch out more into exploration of pain and loss instead of just feeling it.

Minowa reunited with his wife, and the next album is widely considered their crowning achievement. Advice From The Happy Hippopotamus involved collaboration from a variety of musicians and has garnered praise from critics, even being acclaimed as "a work of insane genius". This album is capped off with the "happy-go-lucky" song, Lucky Today. This album was selected by esurance to be animated into a commercial. This was a contest for the most environmentally sound band because esurance labels themselves as the paperless insurance provider.

On April 10th 2007 Cloud Cult officially released their sixth LP, The Meaning of 8 (although it was available for sale online in late January): the first single was titled "Take Your Medicine." In April 2008, the band followed it with Feel Good Ghosts.

In 2009 band announced a break till 2010, though they released limited re-releases of their albums Lost Songs from the Lost Years, They Live on the Sun and Aurora Borealis (the last two as a double-disc).

Their concerts are certainly a sight to be seen. Along with Minowa on Guitars (and other fun things), they have got bass, drums, violin and cello. There are two official band members who actually do very little music during the shows; Minowa's wife Connie and Scott are painters. They create original works of art during the show (breaking only occasionally to sing or sometimes Scott plays Trumpet). Then, at the end of the show, they silent auction these paintings off to the highest bidder.

Their official website is www.cloudcult.com.

Running With the Wolves
Cloud Cult Lyrics

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Running with the wolves
It's time for us to go
Left all our clothes
With the car back by the road

We were running
For a reason
For the burning

In our veins
And we were running
For a reason
We just need to get away

Running with the wolves
We're screaming at the stars
Left all we own
In a hole in a backyard

And we were running
For a reason
Left our cubicles in little flaming piles
And we were running
For a reason
I need to feel something different for just a little while

I'm not coming home
I'm staying with the wolves
You can burn all my mail
And disconnect my phone
Tell mom I'm sorry
Sorry for leaving
That I'm staying
But I'm not
Now we're running
To find meaning

We're gone
And we're never coming back

Overall Meaning

The song "Running with the Wolves" by Cloud Cult is about the desire to break away from society's norms and expectations in order to find a deeper meaning to life. The lyrics paint a picture of two people who have decided to run away from their everyday lives and responsibilities, leaving all their possessions behind, in order to explore the unknown. They are fueled by a burning desire in their veins, and their journey is one of self-discovery and the search for something more.

The act of running is a metaphor for breaking free and leaving behind the constraints of society. The howling of wolves in the background of the song adds to the sense of wild abandon and freedom. The lyrics also suggest a sense of urgency and a need to escape, as indicated by the repeated emphasis on "running for a reason" and the line "I need to feel something different for just a little while." The main message of the song is the importance of exploring and discovering oneself, and the need to break away from the confines of society to do so.

Line by Line Meaning

Running with the wolves
We're taking a risk and running wild

It's time for us to go
We're out of here, leaving everything behind

Left all our clothes
We shed our old identities

With the car back by the road
Our old lives are parked and forgotten

We were running
We're escaping our old lives

For a reason
We need to feel alive and free

For the burning
Our passion is driving us forward

In our veins
Our desire to live is pulsing through us

And we were running
We're breaking free from societal norms

We just need to get away
We can't survive in the same place anymore

We're screaming at the stars
We're expressing our true selves with abandon