|
|
|
|
|
Grasping sound
One-man-band A Cloud for Climbing reaches for experimental new heights
By Troy Farah
Published on 01/14/2010
|
A Cloud for Climbing, a.k.a. Brock Lefferts.
|
|
“Music is literally my entire life,” says the mastermind behind A Cloud for Climbing, Brock Lefferts. “I’m kind of addicted to the feeling that music creates.”
To describe ACFC’s style, think of Mary Poppins’ chimney-sweep friend Bert, the one-man-band—except bouncing about with long, dirty-blond hair and a guitar. Lefferts begins with looping acoustic guitar chords, then hits a glockenspiel, a melodica and a drum kit, running back and forth to each instrument like a scientist, carefully manufacturing each sound. The result is a concoction of post-rock lullabies that invoke the styles of Sigur Rós, Four Tet, Boards of Canada and many others.
“He’s like a mellow Explosions in the Sky, but he’s only one person. That says a lot about what kind of instrumentalist he is,” says Todd Frankenfield of the Contrast Medium. Frankenfield met Lefferts through Fight the Quiet where Lefferts is the drummer.
“He definitely brings a level of excitement to everything he does,” says Dustin Yoes, also of the Contrast Medium. “For people just meeting him, he gives off a great vibe and it’d be hard not to like him.”
At the very least, Lefferts is ambitious.
He’s currently in three bands besides his own, including Fight the Quiet, Yes, Columbus and Paper Pillows.
“If I’m not in school, I’m either playing in one of many bands or writing and listening to music. It’s all that I do,” Lefferts says. “Music functions so well for controlling emotion. You can listen to Explosions in the Sky or Sigur Rós and feel tiny. It makes you feel so small, but so important at the same time. I love that more than anything.”
Lefferts claims he doesn’t use vocals because he holds the same idea as Sigur Rós—that lyrics shouldn’t be the focus. Music doesn’t need lyrics to be beautiful.
“I listen to primarily instrumental music and I don’t ever listen to lyrics,” says Lefferts. “I just think there’s so much beauty within music, and you’re able to create so much emotion with the music itself. When you put in lyrics, it kind of pulls away from that.”
To a degree, the ambience of A Cloud for Climbing can sound psychedelic, a genre Lefferts greatly appreciates. “In psychedelia there’s a lot of focus on subtlety, which I try to approach from that aspect of it,” he says. “Just getting a lot of detail, having a layer of reverb in the background to soften things up. I think if you do that right it just adds so much more power to it.”
Lefferts is a senior at Northern Arizona University, but surprisingly his major is in graphic design, not music. Lefferts figured a career as a designer would make him a better living.
“I kind of regret not going to school for music,” Lefferts says. “But I like having enough knowledge to create a song to the point that I do a lot of experimenting. I’m recording what sounds good and figuring out why it sounds good. I’m figuring this out for myself.”
And independence is what Lefferts is all about. A Cloud for Climbing seems to epitomize Flagstaff’s do-it-yourself culture, recording and creating all the music himself and even designing his own artwork.
“That’s kind of what I’m trying to do with this project. Make this my project,” Lefferts says. “Having complete control over everything says a lot more, I think.”
ACFC’s efforts started a year and a half ago, when Lefferts’ typography professor William Culpepper hosted Arizona Digital Media Investigations and asked Lefferts and a friend to play a set. Lefferts only had three songs recorded and, according to him, it was a much less refined performance than his current act. But it was a start.
“I was so thankful to get my foot in the door that way,” Lefferts says. “I’ve had the idea for this project for so long, but I’ve always held back and didn’t put anything out there.”
According to Lefferts, this is just the beginning for ACFC. He wants to take this project as far as it will go. “I’ve got a bunch of ideas for unique ways to attack the music industry,” he says with a grin. “I’m just doing a lot of incorporations with my music and my art, trying to combine everything together. I don’t think there are a lot of people out there that are trying that right now. Having a song and then having a full package for every individual song is a really cool idea. I’m working on that and playing as many shows as possible.”
It is Lefferts’ personal goal to play at least one show a month. So far, he’s kept his promise, headlining with Dear and the Headlights and locals such as the Contrast Medium and Fight the Quiet.
Catch ACFC’s next performance this Fri, Jan. 15 at White Dove Coffee, 2211 E. 7th, along with Really Big Birds and Pastries. The all-ages show starts at 7 p.m. For more info, call 774-3059 or visit www.acloudforclimbing.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
