Cloud Cult singer wears a heart in his sleeve

Three years ago, Cloud Cult skipped out on a scheduled performance at the South by Southwest music festival in Texas — a potentially career-making gig for ambitious indie rock bands — to open for Ralph Nader at a protest rally.

That decision tells you a lot about Cloud Cult, a ragtag crew of musicians and painters who put more value on their unique brand of DIY environmentalism than on record sales; and who fill their records with painfully sincere songs about grief and loss, and then set them to raging hard rock guitars, soaring strings and weird studio trickery.

Somehow, it all works. While still far off the mainstream radar, Cloud Cult has earned acclaim and a growing audience for their passionate rock. They did show up at this year’s recent South by Southwest, and staged several well-attended performances for their sprawling live show (which features two artists painting onstage the entire time). An anticipated new album will be released April 8.