I will go on record as saying that cloudeater have been one of my favorite bands of the past year. The two EPs they’ve released in their time together have been in constant rotation for me since I picked them up. So of course I was pleasently surprised that a band that makes electronic rock as diverse and skilled as they still are on a largely independent get-down; I believe its only a matter of time til that changes. (A few have already taken notice)
@Social8gency / @BJones21: You guys have cultivated a sound that doesn’t have a sound quite yet it seems; is that intentional or more of just you guys as a young band going through creative growth?
@cloudeatermusic: It’s intentional. As a band, we have a very diverse range of styles and influences. This comes out when we start writing new music. We have ideas about the big picture and where we want the music to go. Each of us have a different way of developing these ideas. As a whole, we are trying to make something interesting. We want cloudeater to be an experience, not just well written songs. -Nolan [synth/fx]
@Social8gency / @BJones21: You guys for a while seemed to keep a rather mysterious image about you, I point to this image in particular; purposeful?
@cloudeatermusic: We are fully aware that the cloudeater sound is something different. Its uncharted territory. The mystery inspires people to dig deeper. -Nolan [synth/fx]
@Social8gency: When I first heard Sun & Sidearm EP, I was very struck by the difference between it and your previous effort, was that an intentional step? Sun & Sidearm had a very ethereal tone to it and felt like a journey of sorts where as Greatest Tragedy came rather straight forward about the conflicts inherent in love (artistic love or romantic).
@cloudeatermusic: Greatest Tragedy was an attempt to address aspects of love usually overlooked in popular music. Anxiety and despair that accompanies the excitement and warmth therein. The second ep was more of an early-release b-side to Sun and Sidearm. We stated in a teaser released earlier this year that the album serves to “document a process of thought with no perceivable end”. It is an attempt to answer the universal personal queries that fill our minds daily. -Sam [vox]
@Social8gency: Was there a point where concept clashed with what you wanted your identity to be as a band?
@cloudeatermusic: Because off the way the band started off, we didn’t have a concept to begin with, just music. Since the beginning we’ve been working towards uniting identity and concept. With the most recent music we’ve been writing its getting closer but it’ll always be a process. -Chris [drums]
@Social8gency: How did you guys come together as I understand it you all are from the south with a Chicago transplant in there for spice?
@cloudeatermusic: I (Nolan) used to DJ and make mixtapes. At the time, I was just getting to into audio engineering. I was looking for more people to collaborate with and decided that djing open mic nights was an easy way to meet new artists in Atlanta. One night a rock band came in without their lead singer. They asked Sam, one of the baristas (this event was at a coffee shop) to sing a cover song with them. His vocal delivery was impressive, so I introduced myself. We ran into each other at a few events around town after that. Sam heard some live remixing that I was doing at a show and asked me to come to one of his band practices. “We wanted it to feel like a man alone with his thoughts, when all else has proven fleeting.”
This band was the 11 piece group that I mentioned previously. I later found out that they needed a new guitar player. Dan, a friend of mine since elementary school, had recently moved back to Atlanta. When we decided to leave the cover band, a drummer was needed. Dan suggested Chris, who he met in his high school jazz band. None of us had ever really worked on music together before. Without these circumstances, most of us wouldn’t have even met each other. -Nolan [synth/fx]
@Social8gency: What does 2012 have in store for Cloudeater? Releases, tour dates, etc?
@cloudeatermusic: 2012 is going to be a big year for [e. Were planning shows outside of Atlanta. Since recording Sun and Sidearm we have been stockpiling demos for new material. We hope to start releasing some of these before the end of the year. -Nolan [synth/fx]
@Social8gency: Tracks like Hardly Wait, Love Don’t Live Here, Vampire, Decade, & The Dive feel very commercially viable and perfect for media consumption via tv/movie/ commercial, is that sort of recognition something you shy away form or are looking to embrace?
@cloudeatermusic: We’re certainly interested in these kinds of opportunities. It couldn’t be for just anything though. It would have to be for something we’re comfortable with. I don’t know if we’d want our music associated with dog food for example. -Dan [gtr]
@Social8gency: Do those considerations come into play during your writing process?
@cloudeatermusic: No, never. -Dan [gtr]
@Social8gency: Have you been approached in that capacity up until this point?
@cloudeatermusic: We have, but nothing I can mention at this time. -Dan [gtr]
@Social8gency: Has there been label interest in your music?
@cloudeatermusic: There has been, but again nothing I can mention at this time. -Dan [gtr]
@Social8gency: My favorite track has to be a Sun & Sidearm which I always characterized as the inner monologue of some lone gunman or samurai? What was the song about for you guys?
@cloudeatermusic: For us there is no literal gunman. There is no samurai or sidearm. We used them as tools to give these thoughts voice. This was the first song written on the album and contained the strongest imagery of what we chose to release. We wanted it to feel like a man alone with his thoughts, when all else has proven fleeting. -Sam [vox]
