Cloud Catcher - "Trails of Kozmic Dust" (Album Premiere)
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Music writers love thesauruses, and those that don’t really should. The English language only has so many adjectives to describe a riff, a drum fill, or some perfectly placed howl. Add that to our need for brevity; in the digital age, we can’t go full Lester Bangs and write seven thousand words about the Faces or Coltrane (as much as we’d really like to). Listening to “Astral Warlord”, the first cut from Trails of Kozmic Dust, what would really come in handy is a word that describes the desire to crush cheap beers, push one’s way to the front of a grimy, small stage and bang one’s head as if the rest of the world didn’t matter or even exist.
As a band rooted in the old-school sound, Cloud Catcher bucks the Sabbath-worship trend and takes their cues from some decidedly American sources: Sir Lord Baltimore, Grand Funk Railroad and some of the more obscure acts (Dust, Cactus) that have been uncovered in light of the great vinyl renaissance. While they may be from Denver, a particular Motor City punk sneer permeates Cloud Catcher’s heavy psych vibe. The go-for-broke feel on “Visions” and relentless groove of the title track and “Celestial Empress” recall not only GFR but also the MC5, the Nuge and Alice Cooper.
Of course, if you want to stand on the shoulders of giants, your chops better be up to par. Guitarist/singer Rory Rummings is one of the genre’s best kept secrets. His vocals are strong, earthy and lack any pretension, while his playing skills should be written up and dissected in whatever guitar magazines still have circulation. This is someone who not only reveres the forefathers, but sounds and plays just like them. The rhythm section (bassist Kam Wentworth, drummer Jared Handman) have a Noel Redding/Mitch Mitchell dynamic, where the ferocity of their playing reaches a competitive level; this only further complements Rummings, especially during his incredibly indelible solos.
Trails of Kozmic Dust feels like the output of a band that’s survived decades (and multiple musical trends) together, yet it’s only Cloud Catcher’s second album since forming in 2013. They already get it. Clearly, the next step should be a co-headlining tour with Earthless to completely disintegrate what’s left of our brains.
As it stands, though, the band is about to embark on an Invisible Oranges-sponsored tour beginning tomorrow. The dates are under the stream!
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March 11 – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
March 12 – Colorado Springs, CO – Triple Nickel Tavern
March 13 – Santa Fe, NM – The Underground at Evangelo’s
March 14 – Fort Worth, TX – The Boiled Owl
March 15 – Austin, TX – Spiderhouse Ballroom
March 17 – TX TBA
March 18 – San Antonio, TX – Faust Tavern
March 19 – Houston, TX – Satellite Bar
March 21 – Memphis, TN – Growlers
March 22 – Columbus, OH – The Mothership
March 23 – Fort Wayne, IN – Brass Rail
March 24 – Detroit, MI – Small’s
March 25 – Chicago, IL – Livewire
March 26 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverwest Public House
March 27 – Lawrence, KS – Replay Lounge
March 28 – Denver, CO – Moonroom
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Cloud Catcher was kind enough to offer us this track-by-track commentary of Trails of Kozmic Dust
“Astral Warlord”
Astral Warlord is essentially about conquering self doubt and fear and using those feats to gain new strength. “The sword thats forged in the fire, gains it’s strength from the embers down below” says it all. If you use the blade to your advantage you are able to cut down all obstacles in your path, if you doubt yourself the steel ends up cutting you down.
“Celestial Empress”
Simply put, Celestial Empress is about surrendering yourself to a new found love… whatever, or whomever that may be. Accepting it may seem strange at first, but things suddenly become clearer with this more positive and loving perspective on life. The song is meant take you on that journey.
“Beyond the Electric Sun”
Beyond the Electric Sun is about life’s experience and life’s travels. It’ll build you up, break ya down, and put you right back together. Getting outta your crystal mirrored room and experiencing this world, and reality we live in headfirst… all of this is explained musically, so tune in.
“Dimensional Interlude”
This is just a little inebriated snippet from a jam we had that Cody Tarbell had recorded of us before we recorded “Visions”. It’s nice to break things up every now and then with something mellow haha.
“Visions”
Kam and I wrote Visions as a kind of reflection of the world we live in today. Evil powers prevail, and we as a human race choose to sit by and submit instead of fighting back. We let Earth get destroyed and polluted all in the name of greed and ignorance. All of these “visions” are seen in this tune.
“Trails of Kozmic Dust”
As cliché as it might sound, Trails of Kozmic Dust is about getting way too stoned, examining existence, and the possibility of dimensional travel through black holes hahaha. When you are in an altered state things appear different, hyper enhanced almost. Everything is cyclical, feelings come and go, thoughts enter your mind and then disperse into space only to come back again in a different form, or feeling. Trails of Kozmic Dust is the messenger of those thoughts.
“Super Acid Magick”
Our take on Hawkwind meeting Motorhead in an asteroid field. Also serves as the intro to “Righteous Ruler” Righteous Ruler The final song on the album, and the first step to living a life free of expectations and rules.
“Righteous Ruler” is about using your free will to live life the way you want to live it. Get your signifiant other, head towards the mountains and leave the city life behind. Laws and manmade things only get in the way of living, so hittin’ the road and exploring all this open space we have is the only true way in my eyes to expand consciousness. Controlling your space and time is what you as an individual can do to make this world… or better yet YOUR world better.
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Trails of Kozmic Dust is out on March 13 via Totem Cat Records. Order it here. Follow Cloud Catcher on Facebook.
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