Cannons and Clouds

Artist Information

Biography

Cannons and Clouds are an eclectic indie rock band hailing from the old city by the bay, San Francisco, Ca. What had originally started out as a stripped down acoustic collaboration between singer/songwriter Zachary Blizzard and current bassist Joshua Kane has since effloresced into a dynamic, full bodied six-piece ensemble. With their consistent and soaring three to six part harmonies, the almost symphonic permanent inclusion of classical harpist Brittany Gale, and the trademark confessional balladeering of Blizzard, sees Cannons and Clouds truly standing out in San Francisco's esteemed, yet saturated independent rock scene.
The band's coercive and compelling live show has continually broadened and increased an already formidable local fan-base. and has attracted the attention of ITUNES (Currently profiled on the main homepage), The San Francisco Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, and The San Francisco Chronicle. who have handpicked and featured the band in their publications prior and after the release of their debut LP.
After a long and arduous self-financed recording process, the band has finally released their long awaited full-length debut, "After All" on their own vanity label, "Cute Puppy Records". When “After All” co-producer/engineer Michael Winger (President of the Grammy's San Francisco Chapter) was asked to write about the upcoming release, this is what he provided… "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. But through all this, there is a profound sense of joy and beauty. The songs possess an earnestness and a hint of longing that belongs to another era.”

Instrumentation

Zachary Blizzard - guitar and vocals
Joshua Kane - Bass and Vocals
Louis Santucci - guitar and vocals
Brittany Gale - Harp and Vocals
Steven Medd - Drums and Vocals
Travis Woodland - Vocals, Guitar, keyboards

Discography

2010
Cannons and Clouds
"After All"
Produced: Michael Winger, Joshua Kane, and Zachary Blizzard
Engineered: Michael Winger

1. After All
2. Where Reality Has Me
3. Red Sullivan: An Ode to the South
4. The Lion and the Goat
5. Helga Takes Flight
6. Pink and Silver
7. Chameleons Migrate South
8. Pacific Coast Highway
9. Steady and Slow
10. Rainstorm Savior
11. Dolores Park

Select songs from this album can be listened to at www.myspace.com/cannonsandclouds and soon at www.cannonsandclouds.com

Select songs from this album are featured in live video form at:
www.youtube.com (Search using band name)

2009
Cannons and Clouds
"The Slow EP"
Produced: Michael Winger, Joshua Kane, Zach Blizzard, and David Gale
Engineered: Michael Winger and David Gale

1. The Owls are Not What They Seem (Acoustic)
2. Chameleons Migrate South
3. Pacific Coast Highway (Alt. Version)
4. Helga Takes Flight
5. Rainstorm Savior

2008
Build Us Airplanes/Cannons and Clouds
"Cassette Split S/T EP"
Side A: Produced & Engineered by Build Us Airplanes
Side B: Produced & Engineered by Michael Winger
Co-produced by Zachary Blizzard and Joshua Kane


Side A: Build us Airplanes
1. Counterweight
2. Home
3. Unravel
Side B:
1. Where Reality Has Me
2. Chameleons Migrate South
3. Pacific Coast Highway

Side A: Select songs from this side of the album can be heard at www.myspace.com/buildusairplanes .
Side B: Select songs from this side of the album can be heard at www.myspace.com/cannonsandclouds and soon at www.cannonsandclouds.com .

Official Website

http://www.cannonsandclouds.com

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Reverb Nation

Audio

• Chameleons Migrate South
  Listen  
• Helga Takes Flight
  Listen  
• After All
  Listen  
• Where Reality Has Me
  Listen  
• The Lion and the Goat
  Listen  
• Steady and Slow
  Listen  
• Rainstorm Savior
  Listen  
• Dolores Park
  Listen  
• Pacific Coast Highway (Alt. Version)
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Red Sullivan: An Ode to the South
• The Lion and the Goat
• Helga Takes Flight
• Pink and Silver
• Corcoran Hill
• Chameleons Migrate South
• Pacific Coast Highway
• Steady and Stow
• Rainstorm Savior
• Dolores Park

Video

Cannons and Clouds Preforming "Where Reality Has Me" Live at Broken Radio Studios(Promo Video for Universal Audio)

Photo Gallery

Press

• "After All This Time, After All Is Ready" [+ Show ]
  

  Sometimes it's good to hit the ground running, and sometimes that just means you're about to bite of...Sometimes it's good to hit the ground running, and sometimes that just means you're about to bite off
  more than you can chew. Cannons & Clouds founders Zachary Blizzard and Joshua Kane realized the latter after
  doing the former, which explains why it's taken three years for the
  band to complete its debut album, After All. "We had a record's
  worth of songs written that we were really proud of, and instead of
  putting together a functioning band and recording a couple of EPs, we
  went straight into the studio and began recording a full-length
  record," Kane says. "I don't think we were fully prepared for the
  monetary commitment it would take to achieve our vision."
  Now a sextet with a full-time harpist, this San Francisco band
  specializes in smartly designed folk-pop, with influences like Red
  House Painters, Elliott Smith, and Pedro the Lion offering a good idea
  of what to expect. Tonight's show at Bottom of the Hill is the release
  party for After All, which is on the fledgling Los Gatos label Side with Us.
  It includes all of the bells and whistles that the original duo set out
  to document, and the passionate recording is complemented by equally
  intense words. "Lyrically, it's a rather candid, brutally honest
  chronicle of a few years in Zach's life," Kane says. "Jack London's
  novella To Build a Fire was a minor inspiration, too, as Zach
  and I found that there was a striking metaphorical parallel between the
  protagonist's struggle/journey and his own." And picking up where they
  left off three years ago, Cannons & Clouds have already written the
  follow-up to After All.

• Pick of the Week [+ Show ]
  

  There's a casual, understated elegance to the wistful folk rock sounds of local broken-hearts club C...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)

• More Harp! [+ Show ]
  

  "What really makes this band stand out [Cannons and Clouds] is the addition of the electric harp. It..."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

• Essentials: This Weekend's Live Music Picks [+ Show ]
  

  Plunging fists first into a sweetly melodic folk-pop sound, the San Francisco combo revels in harmon...Plunging fists first into a sweetly melodic folk-pop sound, the San Francisco combo revels in harmonies and imagery that draws unashamedly from its city surroundings. Witness "Dolores Park," as vocalist and songwriter Zachary Blizzard warbles, "My ears ring as I climb hills," and fireworks and cell phones go off. With Winfred E Eye and By Sunlight.

Setlist

Typical Set List:

1. LeVar Burton
2. Chameleons Migrate South
3. Gung-Fu
4. International Orange
5. Red Sullivan: An Ode to the South
6. Our Flags at Half Mast
7. Helga Takes Flight
8. Rainstorm Savior
9. Rinse
10. A Classic Tale of the Bearded Musician

Our set runs a maximum of ninety minutes and can be easily cut down to meet any determinable length.

Basic Requirements

Calendar