Artist spotlight on... The Cloud Room
The Cloud Room--the best new thing to come out of New York
By: Nicole Roberge
It might be fate that four talented musicians spread throughout the country (from California to Massachusetts to Mississippi) all wound up in New York City to ultimately form their band, The Cloud Room. It would have been a loss to the music world if they hadn’t. The band, consisting of J (guitar/vocals), Benjamin (keyboards), Jason, and Jon creates illuminating music with a raw sound, sentient lyrics, and just enough spunk to perk up your ears and pull you in. Deriving their name from the secret club at the top of the Chrysler Building, the Cloud Room has made it their own and now stand as one of New York’s best breaking bands—and that should not be kept a secret.
In the status of music today, with conglomerates of over-produced and over-played deficient music, The Cloud Room pours life into their music, proving that it’s not out of style to create good rock songs. An impressive band, they have built up their sound playing in New York clubs, and with an album expected in 2005, we can only expect great things to come from this striking band. It is not often one comes across a band this exciting, so read this interview and then go find all their music. And if you have to catch a flight to check out their show, do it. They’re worth it, and you won’t be disappointed. The Cloud Room gives hope to the future of music.
Tuned In: How would you describe each member of the band and what do they bring to the ensemble?
J: Ben = Woody Allen + Jonathan Richman; Jon = Tom Hanks; J = Northern California, minus Sacramento; Jason = Tommy Lee Jones + Woody Allen. Each member brings a huge wallop of creativity.
TI: Describe your music in less than 10 words:
J: We’re much better at playing our music than describing it.
TI: In a world of ever-changing music, how do you think that bands like yourself (as opposed to teen pop princesses and the like) can continue to find their niche in the music industry?
J: We’ll just keep making as good a music as we can and hope for the best. But, the industry seems to be opening up to what used to be only underground music, like Franz Ferdinand, Modest Mouse, Interpol, The Killers.
Jon: Are you implying that we aren’t teen pop princesses?
TI: Does the type of music you listen to trigger the type of music you want to make?
J: I definitely listened to a lot of early Bowie and early New Order in the past couple years, so that’s had some effect. Basically, the band wants to make music as good as the bands they love.
TI: What is the best thing about being in a band in New York City?
Jason: Constant stimulation.
Ben: Williamsburg is like Ellis Island for wannabe musicians from Oberlin and Santa Cruz and RISD and Canada and random midwestern high schools. Wave after wave of talent washes up on Bedford Avenue. The guy eating at Kellogg’s Diner with a suitcase, go buy him some egg whites and you’ve probably got a drummer who owns the Psycho Killer/ New Feeling 7” and is making his way through Chapter 8 of “All You Need to Know About the Music Business.” Other cities have lots of musicians, but I’ve never seen the uniform seriousness that the Brooklyn arrivistes have right now. One fairly small loft building generated Inouk, Ambulance Ltd., Chris Zane (our current producer), and his friend Aaron who runs Say Hey Records. It was just people fresh off the boat from other places who wound up at the same address in the year 2000. There’s a density of talent.
TI:
You have the songs for download on your website—do you think you’ll be
releasing an album in the near future?
Jason: We're about 80% done with our debut LP and we hope for it to be released in March/April 2005.
Jon: …on Gigantic Records.
TI: Do you have plans for touring?
Jason: We would love to tour and are looking for some type of van/motor-home, etc. Our budget is pretty small. Any leads?
TI: Where is your dream venue to play, and who would you be sharing the stage with?
Jon: We’d love to play with Creed. Or Creed and Interpol.
J: ….or The Arcade Fire…or The Double.
Jason: On top of a very tall mountain, like that guy from Creed. Where was that?
Ben: …or Beyoncé. J’s in love with Beyoncé.
TI: What can we expect from The Cloud Room in the coming year?
J: The album and lots of touring. We’re bloody excited about 2005.
For more information on The Cloud Room, visit www.thecloudroom.com
And if you’re in the NYC area, you MUST attend the Delancey’s Holiday Party
on December 23rd w/ Elkland and The Break-up
And now you must download their song, Hey Now Now.