Biography
Brooklyn's the Cloud Room drew from the measured urgency of 1980s post-punk outfits including Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division, and Bauhaus while sharing an approach with then-current acts such as Interpol, the Kaiser Chiefs, and Bloc Party. The group gained widespread attention once its standout track "Hey Now Now" caught fire across college radio and music blogs throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. Fronted by guitarist and singer J, who was born in San Jose, CA, the band came together after J relocated to New York City intending to enter independent film work on a promised Hal Hartley production that ultimately went to an NYU student. He kept a foothold in the edges of the movie industry yet never abandoned his primary passion for music. During a medical scare in 2004, J endured an 18-day wait for HIV test results; while anxious, he started writing songs, among them "Hey Now Now." Learning the outcome was negative prompted an elated decision to commit fully to music. Dissatisfied with earlier collaborators, he brought in bassist Jonathan Petrow and drummer Jason Pharr from a friend's group Morris Air (subsequently renamed Public), then added guitarist David H and keyboardist Steven Milton after placing Craigslist notices. The band's name references a Prohibition-era private club situated near the summit of a Manhattan high-rise. Its early recordings drew interest from New York independent label Gigantic Music, which in 2005 booked the musicians with producer Chris Zane to cut their self-titled debut. The resulting album received enthusiastic notices from both underground outlets and established publications including Spin, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times.