For more than a decade Minnesota’s Cloud Cult has been moving audiences with their epic, feel-good indie music inspired by living a life of purpose and value.

Diane caught up with lead vocalist/songwriter Craig Minowa near the release of Metamorphosis, Cloud Cult’s first LP in six years. He dives deep into his life philosophies and how they power his artmaking and relationship building. (Read/hear the full conversation here.)

“The formulation of this record was different (than) in the past, because we’ve had such multifaceted instrumentalists onstage with brass and strings,” he says. “It got to the point where the sky was the limit as far as what you can do in producing an album. And oftentimes, even approaching songs from the early inception phase would begin with a full, big orchestral production. And this one, from the very early stages, the intention was to try and create something where I could play the whole album, front to back, on an acoustic guitar in a cabin in the woods. And we've never had an album like that before.” 

The album’s first single is "One Way Out of A Hole," which Minowa describes as “really trying to look at the struggle and weight that everybody is carrying, and all sing it together, standing/leaning on each other. We need to do that right now.”

A master collaborator as evidenced by his leadership of large ensembles, Minowa’s Cloud Cult will team up with the Minnesota Orchestra this week for a massive, full-bodied experience of the band’s latest work on March 31, April 1, and April 2. A portion of the show on Friday, April 1, will be broadcast live on The Current at 8 p.m.