When: 9 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St.
Tickets: $12 in advance or $14 day of show at the venue or etix.com
Information: onepercentproductions.com or 341-7569
Maybe you’ve heard the name or one of the songs. Either way, here’s a quick course on Azure Ray.
Who is Azure Ray?
The dreamy pop duo is made up of Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor, two singer-songwriters who have had success as Azure Ray as well as with solo projects. Signed to Saddle Creek, they’re back together after a several-year hiatus.
How’d they get back together?
“I was visiting her in California. Todd (Fink, frontman of the Faint and Orenda’s husband) and I were selling our house in Omaha and we weren’t really sure where to go next,” Fink said while on tour in Louisiana. “Maria was trying to talk us into moving to L.A. Todd said, ‘We’ll move if you guys make another record.’ I was like, ‘OK.’ Then Todd was like, ‘Oh, no. We really have to move to L.A. now.’”
What’s the latest?
The record they made is “Drawing Down the Moon,” available now. In North Carolina, Eric Bachmann produced the album, which Pitchfork said “sounds warmly familiar, a reminder of why we missed them in the first place.”
What are they doing now?
The group is on a six-week tour, which includes a stop in Omaha. Both Fink and Taylor lived in Omaha for a time.
“Omaha’s so sweet and supportive so it doesn’t seem nerve-wracking,” Fink said. “But usually I want to be partying with everyone instead of being onstage and having to work and play.”
What’s next?
“I’m gonna do another O+S record. Maria’s going to do another record with Andy LeMaster. And then we’re gonna do another Azure Ray record,” Fink said.
Where can I listen?
Hear an album preview at Omaha.com.
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