by Adam McGrath
The music of Cloud Minder speaks volumes without needing a single lyric. The four-piece instrumental rock group creates a universe of complex ideas and emotions through precise musicianship and unbridled love for their craft. The Philly-bred band returned to the stage for the first time in more than two years for the record release of Solace, unveiled digitally earlier in 2013.
Saturday night’s show at Johnny Brenda’s represented more than the accomplishment of releasing an album. Guitarist Dave Sommer has spent much of the past four years battling a brain tumor, and simply being able to join his bandmates on stage was a triumph. Cloud Minder has always done it on their own when it comes to recording, booking, packaging—you name it—but they were grateful to the many friends and fans who contributed via Kickstarter to get Solace pressed.
Beyond Sommer’s personal victory, Cloud Minder’s set was inspired and flawlessly executed. Jason Baron’s guitar lines meshed perfectly with Sommer’s, bassist Bob Stokes used his five-string to create unorthodox chords, and drummer Evan Madden combined raw power with clocklike precision. The result was a dark dream flushed out by a lightning crash of consciousness that built a bridge between band and audience.
Metroplex (photo credit, Adam McGrath)
Cloud Minder was joined on the bill by local acts Metroplex, The Downtown Club, and Ape! Metroplex are longtime friends of Cloud Minder, and they brought a post-punk vibe to their set, scorching through songs at a breakneck pace. Singer and bassist Jack Kerrigan’s voice called to mind early Face to Face albums, and any band that drinks whiskey on stage gets bonus points.
The Solace album is now available on vinyl or can be downloaded from Bandcamp, and Madden recently finalized a digital distribution deal that will soon bring Cloud Minder to Spotify. Make sure to take a listen and explore the dedicated, unapologetic approach this band takes to making music.
