Azure Ray was an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. The pair met at the age of 15 at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. They fronted a band called Little Red Rocket, often compared to
... Azure Ray was an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. The pair met at the age of 15 at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. They fronted a band called Little Red Rocket, often compared to Veruca Salt, in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama in the mid and late 1990s and released two albums with the band on Tim/Kerr records.
Azure Ray started in Athens, Georgia, but relocated to Omaha, Nebraska and joined the music scene there. Their sound is sparse and understated, with intimate lyrics, elements of alt-country and folk Americana, and occasional forays into minimalist electronica territory. Taylor and Fink are also in another Saddle Creek band called Now It's Overhead, with Andy LeMaster. The two have collaborated with Moby and co-wrote the song, "Great Escape" on the album 18. They have also appeared on numerous Bright Eyes records. Fink also works with Japancakes.
Azure Ray disbanded in 2004, leaving Fink and Taylor to work on solo and other collaborative projects, including working in Now It's Overhead and Maria Taylor's solo recordings.
Fink and Taylor reformed the band for a one-off show in Los Angeles on November 30, 2008. The duo was accompanied by Andy LeMaster of Now It's Overhead and Nick White of Tilly and the Wall.
Maria Taylor announced on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic show that the band would reform on a more semi-permanent basis in July 2009 for a handful of shows ("5 or 6") before working on a new Azure Ray album.
