Cloudkicker

{{Short description|American post-rock band}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Cloudkicker

| image =

| caption =

| origin = Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

| genre = {{hlist|Post-rock|post-metal|progressive metal{{Cite magazine |last=Tagat |first=Anurag |date=2013-10-03 |title=Q&A: Ben Sharp aka Cloudkicker |url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/qa-ben-sharp-aka-cloudkicker/ |access-date=2023-06-01 |magazine=Rolling Stone India}}}}

| years_active = {{Start date|2005}}–present

| label = Independent releases, Century Media

| current_members = Ben Sharp

}}

Cloudkicker is an American post-rock/post-metal musical project based in Columbus, Ohio,{{Cite news|url=https://blog.ourstage.com/2012/10/17/exclusive-interview-ben-sharp-from-cloudkicker/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209133540/http://blog.ourstage.com/2012/10/17/exclusive-interview-ben-sharp-from-cloudkicker/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=December 9, 2015|title=Exclusive Interview: Ben Sharp from Cloudkicker|author=Greg|date=October 17, 2012|work=OurStage|publisher=Amazing Media Group|access-date=May 18, 2020}} created by guitarist Ben Sharp.{{Cite magazine|url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/qa-ben-sharp-aka-cloudkicker/|title=Q&A: Ben Sharp aka Cloudkicker|last=Tagat|first=Anurag|date=October 3, 2013|magazine=Rolling Stone India|access-date=May 18, 2020}} Sharp, a commercial airline pilot,{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/progmetal/comments/2azfiz/hi_my_name_is_ben_sharp_and_i_do_cloudkicker_what/cj0bh8c|title=r/progmetal – Comment by u/BenSharp on "Hi, my name is Ben Sharp and I do Cloudkicker. What would you like to talk about? (AMA)"|website=reddit|date=July 17, 2014 }} does not pursue Cloudkicker as a full-time project; he releases his music as "pay what you want" under the Creative Commons license{{Cite news|url=https://metalinjection.net/news/label-prints-cloudkicker-vinyls-without-consent-from-artist-and-its-totally-legal|title=Label Prints CLOUDKICKER Vinyls Without Consent From Artist and It's Totally Legal|last=Kennelty|first=Greg|date=April 15, 2014|work=Metal Injection|access-date=May 18, 2020}} through Bandcamp.

File:Cloudkicker - Let Yourself Be Huge.flac

Sharp composes, records and engineers all his music by himself; while he originally intended a studio-only project due to his distaste for touring,{{Cite news|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/ben_sharp_music_has_become_a_kind_of_diary_for_me.html|title=Ben Sharp: 'Music Has Become A Kind Of Diary For Me'|date=August 21, 2012|work=Ultimate-Guitar.com|access-date=May 18, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzCDq5ro_-k|title=CLOUDKICKER Exclusive Interview | Metal Injection|author=Metal Injection|date=May 8, 2014|website=YouTube|access-date=May 18, 2020}} Sharp performed a short tour in 2014 with Intronaut (who acted as his backing band){{Cite web|url=https://www.columbusalive.com/article/20140326/ENTERTAINMENT/303269700|title=Locals: Cloudkicker makes a statement without saying a word|author=Andy Downing|publisher=Columbus Alive}} and Tesseract.{{Cite news|url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2014/01/23/tesseract-intronaut-and-cloudkicker-tour-dates-officially-announced/|title=TesseracT, Intronaut, and Cloudkicker: Tour Dates Officially Announced!|last=Rosenberg|first=Axl|date=January 23, 2014|work=MetalSucks|access-date=May 18, 2020}}

Sharp announced a new side project with Gospel's Vinny Roseboom named The Supervoid Choral Ensemble in 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://metalinjection.net/av/full-album-stream/cloudkickers-ben-sharp-debuts-new-band-the-supervoid-choral-ensemble|title=CLOUDKICKER's BEN SHARP Debuts New Band THE SUPERVOID CHORAL ENSEMBLE|first=Greg|last=Kennelty|date=April 7, 2023|website=Metal Injection}}