For Cloud Cult's Craig Minowa, saving the environment is just as important as the quirky indie rock he writes and records in the basement studio of the northern Minnesota organic farm he lives on with his wife, Connie. He runs his own eco-friendly label, Earthology Records, there and manufactures Cloud Cult's CDs in as an environmentally friendly way as possible. But he has even bigger plans for the future: replacing the traditional merch table at shows with a digital download center. "We'd be able to sell the album for a greatly reduced price," he tells Spinner. "People could have it right on their iPod, and there's no ecological footprint."

Cloud Cult's new record, 'Feel-Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes),' continues Minowa's use of music as catharsis while staying faithful to his environmental conscience, which dates back as long as he can remember. "Even my first job at Pizza Hut," he says, "I got into trouble trying to get the store to stop using aerosol and start using hand-pump sprays." The record's multi-tiered textures and eclectic arrangements display that playful spirit, although the lyrics often offer moments of introspection. "Music is that element that helps me heal and grow," he says. "If I'm finished writing a song and I don't feel like a better person for it, then I didn't write a good song."

The band, just back from SXSW, is heading out on tour in a few weeks and will be covering much of the country through May. Cloud Cult's live shows often incorporate multimedia and visual elements, such as live painting and performance art. "I feel like a show should be just that, a full performance," Minowa says. "I get bored watching a band up there strumming away on their instruments. There's so much more feeling that could be added to music by adding visuals, making it a multisensory experience." Also in the works is a documentary, produced by John Burgess, covering the last 10 years of the band's existence. They plan to release it in the fall, along with a CD that culls songs from various Cloud Cult albums, along with some bonus tracks.