Set in the intimate Overture Center Rotunda, the three members of The Cloud Hymn sat in a row, mellow and comfortable with one another. As lead singer John Nielson introduced the band with an awkward and earnest hello, he looked out towards the audience, tousling his hair with a nervous chuckle–almost apologetically.

However, despite their meditative and soothing sound, in the midst of Forward Music Festival’s bustling headquarters, The Cloud Hymn commanded the attention of the entire room. As Nielson’s fianc? harmonized by his side, and his college buddy plucked away at the banjo and keyboard, the trio was in sync and sounded lovely the entire set.

Playing favorites off their record, A Seed Buried in the Ground, Nielson crooned their most popular track “Wide” into the microphone right off the bat, shutting his eyes as his high school sweetheart Tani entered in a perfectly charming harmony. As the song ended, Nielson looked at the crowd timidly, introduced himself, and began talking about how he could smell his stanky feet–sort of killing the mood, but adorable and genuine all the same.

Originally from Eau Claire, Nielson began writing his own songs during a reflective period in his life as a means of coping with life in college. Now attending law school at St. Thomas in Minneapolis, playing his songs with The Cloud Hymn has never been his main focus and ambition–but after listening to their set, it will be our loss. Looking into the crowd, the members of the audience looked on in a thoughtful state of melancholy, completely engulfed in the sounds of Nielson’s voice and his talents on the guitar. The Cloud Hymn’s music settled over the crowd with a warm kind of comfort, and after a short half hour set, they cleared the stage to make way for the other members of their showcase.

If only they would stop being so realistic, drop out of school, and take the risk of going big, the Midwest music scene would have a bright new talent on their hands.