Orenda Fink
Although Orenda Fink made her first splash as the songwriting partner of Maria Taylor, she later became a respected bandleader and solo musician in her own right, drawing upon everything from Haitian folk music to pop/rock for her own material. Fink and Taylor first launched their partnership as students at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, which led to the formation of Little Red Rocket several years later. When that group disbanded after two albums -- 1997's Who Did You Pay and 2000's It's in the Sound -- due to the dust-up of Geffen Records' merger with Universal Music Group, the two decamped to Athens, GA, and formed the sulk-pop duo Azure Ray.
While working to get Azure Ray off the ground, the musicians were recruited to join Now It's Overhead, which brought them to the attention of that band's label -- Saddle Creek -- as well as co-founder Conor Oberst. In 2001, both Azure Ray and Now It's Overhead released scantly received self-titled debuts, and Taylor and Fink took up full-time residence in Omaha -- Saddle Creek's home base -- one year later. A second Azure Ray release, Burn and Shiver, followed before 2002 was up. The pair's third full-length, 2003's Hold on Love, brought indie scene raves on the merits of the singles "The Drinks We Drank Last Night" and "New Resolution." Meanwhile, Now It's Overhead released another album in 2004 amid heavy touring.
Fink remained active outside of her partnership with Maria Taylor by working with such acts as Moby, Bright Eyes, and Japancakes. Accordingly, when Azure Ray split up in 2004, she wasted little time involving herself with other projects, even forming two Saddle Creek bands (O+S and Art in Manila) and releasing material with both. Moreover, she struck out on her own as a solo artist, drawing upon her travels in India, Cambodia, and Haiti to shape the sounds of 2005's Invisible Ones. A second solo effort, the stripped-down Ask the Night, followed in 2009.
~ Andrew Leahey & Tammy La Gorce, All Music Guide
