Half-Handed Cloud

about

John Ringhofer, the man behind the moniker, is 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 or as the trombonist for Sufjan Stevens' Illinoisemakers, he lives rent-free in Berkeley, California in exchange for his services as a custodian in a church. His music encapsulates his struggle to make sense of his life and his passions. In Half-Handed Cloud, this is expressed as an all-consuming search for God. Like Brother Danielson, Half-Handed Cloud is able to ensconce complicated theological concepts into playground song without condescention towards the subject or to his listeners. Born in a pink hospital in Hawaii to military parents, Ringhofer's make-the-point-and-move-on songwriting reflects the nomadic, drill sergeant lifestyle of those early years, with melodies clocking in as quick and efficient song packages. With a name loosely taken from an occurrence in the Old Testament, the celestial telephone is ringing for Half-Handed Cloud with a message of love and hope on the other end. Unlimited by his status as a solo artist, Half-Handed Cloud stages unpredictable multi-instrument/media performances with the spontaneous gusto of an Electric Company superhero. Full of spirited humor, he dissolves any obstacles sta

top songs

albums

Thy Is a Word & Feet Need Lamps

Halos + Lassos

We Haven't Just Been Told, We've Been Loved

Halos & Lassos

Cut Me Down & Count My Rings

Seven Swans Reimagined

Learning About Your Scale

We Haven't Just Been Told, We Have Been Loved

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The Hollows

As Stowaways in Cabinets of Surf, We Live-out in Our Members a Kind of Rebirth

Flying Scroll Flight Control

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Achoo! An Asthmatic Kitty Sampler

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