Phoning It In 01/11/07
Half-handed Cloud
"An interesting phenomenon, John Ringhofer phones it in from Berkeley, CA. The man behind the Half-Handed Cloud namesake is as joyful and frugal as his music. An economical thinker, Ringhofer prefers the subway over a taxicab, is a recycler of plastic, a compulsive note-taker, and a habitual optimist. He doodles in the margins of National Geographic magazines, carries several different colored pens, and continues to use an antiquated CD Walkman. When not on tour solo, as the trombonist for Sufjan Stevens' Illinoisemakers, or as the occasional Danielson bassist, he lives rent-free in a church in exchange for his services as a custodian. His music encapsulates his struggle to make sense of his life. In Half-Handed Cloud this is expressed as an all-consuming search for God. Half-Handed Cloud is able to ensconce complicated theological concepts into playground songs without condescending to his subject or to his listener."As most of the songs flow into the next, definitely worth listening to as a whole piece!
Nadav Carmel
Nadav Carmel