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Cloud Cult Albums

Cloud Cult: Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus [Us Import]

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03/17/2008 03:34 PM

Celebrity baseball fever, catch it with Billy Crystal

So the commissioner’s office granting Billy Crystal permission to suit up as a New York Yankee for a spring game Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates—a charming experiment or a harmful pattern?I mean, for a major-league team to actually sign a comedian and actor to a one-day contract this way?”My only concern for Billy is that [...]

03/13/2008 01:35 PM

Stars, diamonds, ostrich- feather fans … this celebrity …

Sport Relief Does The Apprentice (BBC1) is the strident child of charity and celebrity. The sport is in putting five celebrities in a sack and waiting for them to start killing each other. You won’t wait long. Sir Alan Sugar ran through their claims to fame in case, as he said drily, “Some of the viewers [...]

03/13/2008 01:35 PM

Handbags clobbered by celebrity fatigue

It’s all over for the “it” bag - or so says consumer research specialist Mintel. Fashion shoppers - mostly female - are finally losing their passion for celebrity-endorsed handbags that can cost thousands of pounds each. The market for big-ticket, big-name bags, as sported by the likes of Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham, has been expanding [...]

03/13/2008 09:34 AM

How SXSW parties kick it VIP-style

When Kirsten Dunst was spotted last year during South by Southwest, the A-list star most certainly was not languishing in a long line or grooving with the festival masses. Rather she was, as one American-Statesman staffer blogged, ” … at the Spin Party, watching Kings of Leon and puffing cigarette after cigarette.” That’s right, like [...]

03/13/2008 09:34 AM

Claudia Thomas, MD: A Pioneer on Two Fronts

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is honored to recognize a surgeon who heals, inspires and encourages others. Claudia Thomas, MD, the first black female orthopaedic surgeon in her field, was presented today with the Academy’s 2008 Diversity Award at the 75th Annual Meeting. Dr. Thomas has worked throughout her residency and practice to recruit and retain individuals who [...]

Cloud Cult Biography

The environmentally conscious Cloud Cult began in the early '90s in Minneapolis, MN, as a solo project for Craig Minowa, who at the time was pursuing a degree in environmental science while shining shoes and driving an ice cream truck, among other jobs. In 1995, Minowa spent the year recording The Shade Project, which included sounds produced by buckets, pans, and couch cushions. In early 2000, he followed up with Who Killed Puck? After the birth of his son, Minowa kept Cloud Cult as a studio project, with the next two years focusing on family, recording, writing grants, and working as an environmental activist. He also formed Earthology Records on his organic farm, powered by geothermal energy and built partially from reclaimed wood and recycled plastic. With the sudden death of his son in February 2002, Minowa became reclusive while writing a large volume of songs. They Live on the Sun eventually was finished in 2003 and featured cellist Sarah Young and drummer Dan Greenwood, who became permanent members of Cloud Cult. In January 2004, Cloud Cult added Mara Stemm on bass and released Aurora Borealis just six months later. For the supporting tour, shows began to include live painters (including Minowa's wife), performance artists, back-screen video, and nonprofit environmental tabling organizations. Yet another Cloud Cult album came in the summer of 2004, titled Lost Songs from the Lost Years, a ten-year anthology of previously unreleased work from Minowa. Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus was released June 2005 with the full live band now consisting of Minowa (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Greenwood (drums), Young (cello, keyboard), and Matthew Freed (bass, keyboard, percussion). ~ Kenyon Hopkin, All Music Guide

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