Some Nice Things People Have Said About Us
"There's a casual, understated elegance to the wistful folk rock sounds of local broken-hearts club Cannons and Clouds — it's there in the band's slow-building acoustic drama, in Zachary Blizzard's tender vocals, and in Steven Medd's expressive brushed-drum rhythms. The septet have a flair for orchestrating unhurried meditations on love and loss and touching reminiscences about dear friends in a vein much like that of Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon). One listen to the evocatively titled "Red Sullivan Ode to the South" — currently featured on their MySpace profile — and you too will find yourself lost in teary-eyed nostalgia." - Todd Lavoie (SF Bay Guardian)
"What really makes this band stand out [Cannons and Clouds] is the addition of the electric harp. It sounds beautiful, elegant and traditional. It no doubt puts an interesting and unique twist on the band’s music. It’s simple, yet engaging—not too complex or over played, anyone could enjoy it. Think Iron & Wine meets Death Cab for Cutie with a little Band of Horses thrown in for good measure." - Jonathan Carabba (SubMerge Magazine)
"In an age of singles and disposable music, Cannons and Clouds forthcoming debut is a testament to the album as a work of art. All of its songs fit together in a narrative that has been mapped out from start to finish. The arrangements range from sparse and naked to brash, noisy, and chaotic... from delicately crafted pop songs to sprawling epics. Some of the featured tracks touch on unspeakable disasters: the betrayal of a close friend, forest fires burning down the towns around them, and the journal of a childhood crush, found in a thrift store, revealing a dark secret following her suicide. But through all this there is a profound sense of joy and beauty. The songs possess an earnestness and a sense of longing that belongs to another era." -Michael Winger, SF Producer/Engineer/Musician (The Shins, Tom Petty, Regina Spektor, Keane, Gomez, Los Lonely Boys, Feist)
"...magic will be in the form of five local magicians, when San Francisco's Cannons and Clouds conjure up their blend of pop-tinged indie rock. Their sound lies somewhere between the Decemberists sans severe vocals and Iron and Wine after a double-shot of espresso." - Daniel Alvarez (SF Bay Guardian)
"Cannons and Clouds is a band who's musical roots germinate shamelessly within the core of their collective heart. In sequence these roots mature, sprout, bud, and eventually unfurl into prodigiously orchestrated songs that possess an allure and ingenuousness that in moments can feel both timeless and trendsetting." -Robert Page (Fundamentally Figment Magazine)
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A Glorified Essay about Cannons and Clouds Written By Journalist, Good Friend, and Fan Mr. Robert Page
In the summer of 06’, the inception and steadfast momentum of what would become Cannons and Clouds was brought to life by the vision and talents of singer/songwriter/guitarist Zachary Blizzard and co-songwriter/bassist Joshua Kane. From their humble, acoustic, grassroot beginnings to their current richly layered, full-bodied, and harmony-laden selves, Cannons and Clouds have and always will be disciplined in the act of tightening, honing, and continually redefining their collaborative musical output. Though, throughout this perpetual evolution the band still seems to place the same amount of emphasis on the stylistic nuances actualized during the formative stages in their career. Poignant lyrical candor, tasteful affecting dynamics, and an innate and passionate adoration for every facet of their chosen art form are just a few of the more obvious traits that were and still are cemented in the foundation of their craft.One could describe Cannons and Clouds music as carefully layered, sensuous musical planes, which expand and peak into emotionally saturated crescendos before fully depreciating, drowning themselves into calming, peaceful lulls. The ability of this band to showcase such expanse while simultaneously maintaining an unremitting flow at its core is both distinctive and refreshing. Epically painful, wallowing instrumentation and harmony-drenched vocals flow seamlessly alongside soothing, pop, and folk melodies. The listener, while drifting through dreamy diapasons, frequently finds himself lost in the effects of Blizzard’s provocative slice of life ballads and love songs of longing and heartache. Another theme frequented and daftly contagious is his romanticism of the ordinary trials of the musician; the human.The ability of Kane and Medd’s rhythm to ebb and flow from minimalistic to triumphant while maintaining its consistency, draws the listener in, holds him there, and in the end is unrelentingly satiating.Brunken has finessed the clean and straightforward trails of song that resonate from her harp. The cooling notes isolate important cruxes within certain compositions’ more intricate arrangements, giving the listener an almost symphonic thread from which to follow the song.Advantageously alternating between electric and acoustic guitars, Blizzard and Santucci generate the hue of the countryside from which their music pours. Think of it as the cusp of the sun’s demise, clarifying the sorrow and beauty of what has passed, and of what is to be. Their interplay projects nothing less.Cannons and Clouds are a striking force, striving for a point beyond traditional territory, to a place as unknown and unforeseen as any future, but believed to exist, and thus, known to be true. Whether or not that point is within reach, they are making haste towards it, whatever it may be.As of this moment, Cannons and Clouds are nearing the completion of their debut album "Steady/Slow" with the assistance of their dedicated producer/engineer and friend Michael Winger. Winger has captured very rich and sweet sounding takes with his quick editing capabilities, incredible ear, tasteful production decisions, and a consistently rational, level-headed demeanor. "In an age of singles and disposable music, Cannons and Clouds forthcoming debut is a testament to the album as a work of art. All of its songs fit together in a narrative that has been mapped out from start to finish. The arrangements range from sparse and naked to brash, noisy, and chaotic... from delicately crafted pop songs to sprawling epics. Some of the featured tracks touch on unspeakable disasters: the betrayal of a close friend, forest fires burning down the towns around them, and the journal of a childhood crush, found in a thrift store, revealing a dark secret following her suicide. But through all this there is a profound sense of joy and beauty. The songs possess an earnestness and a sense of longing that belongs to another era." -Michael Winger (Co-Producer, Engineer on "Steady/Slow")Cannons and Clouds are truly architects of sound, empathetic to the ear and an emotional adjuvant to the heart. They are the rarely paralleled evokers of the nuanced emotions and feelings encapsulated within each and everyone of us. They create the kind of music that strikes, sparks, spurs and pulls at the soul... Poetry that is topically casual, atomic, and simple in one song and emotionally heavy, socially relevant , and/or abstruse the next... their music has the ability to thrust the listener into a maelstrom of both rapture and affliction, a convolution of varying emotions that are presented to the listener with such forthrightness and sincerity that at times it can elicit remembrances of similar feelings within the individuals themselves... but whether they are arousing a semblance of elation or anguish you can't help but feel almost participatory, as if Blizzards seemingly autobiographically spun tales are in actualality metaphor for what is undeniably the true human condition; living, loving, and experiencing. Per their request, Cannons and Clouds would like to humbly thank you for your interest in their musical gathering and for all support present, past, or future.
Peace, Love, Comedy, Tragedy
Written by Robert Page