Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Azure Ray creeped into my life around late 2002 with the ‘November EP’. After that I gradually ended up buying up their entire catalog, but never wound up seeing them live. So you can imagine my disappointment when Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink split up in 2005 to pursue their own solo projects. While their solo material was decent, none of it could live up to the heartwrenching honesty that was Azure Ray. So when Maria Taylor announced on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic show that the band would reform in July 2009 for a handful of shows before working on a new Azure Ray album, I was extatic. A-Ray was back.
Tim Kasher – Monogamy (New Song) from kata rokkar on Vimeo.
Now I wasn’t sure of the turn out even with Cursive’s/The Good Life’s Tim Kasher opening up, but to my surprise, The Great American Music Hall filled up pretty quickly when the Omaha singer-songerwirter took the stage. Not sure what to expect (was he going to play acoustic Cursive numbers? Good Life songs? Covers?), I was pleasantly surprised that he played pretty much nothing but his own solo material. All of it sounded typical “Kasher-style” mope rock about doomed relationships and unusual situations, but it was still nice to hear. He was able to squeeze out “A New Friend” from The Good Life’s ‘Album of the Year’ and a sweet Paul Simon cover. Overall a good performance despite his lack of confidence in his own songs. Also, he mentioned that night that he will be working on a solo record; when it will be released is anyone’s guess.
Azure Ray – Rise from kata rokkar on Vimeo.
When Azure Ray took the stage, all was quiet. Most knew the proper mood for an Azure Ray show and those who didn’t found out within the next few seconds. The set list covered tracks from 2001’s self-titled debut (Rise, Displaced), not many off 2002’s Burn & Shiver, but many off 2003’s Hold On Love. We Are Mice, The Drinks We Drank Last Night (which sounded as emotional as ever), a more upbeat and rocking version of Hold On Love, and the crowd’s favorite, If You Fall. It was quite difficult to find anything not to enjoy about the show.
Once the encore kicked in Nick White from Tilly and the Wall (who was playing guitar that night) sang a cover of Now It’s Overhead’s ‘Blackout Curtain’ with the girls doing backup. I was nearly on my knees in awe at how flawless they played that song. Afterwards were two unexpected new songs, one of which was the a-typical dreary Azure-style and the other seemed more upbeat and positive for a band that seems to keep it low key. They closed the night with my favorite A-Ray song, November. A song that holds a very special place in my life and a reminder of where I was 6 years ago.
Which brings me to this; I felt a deep sense of nostalga that night. In fact I was more emotional than I’ve been at a concert in a long time. This was a band that represented a dark time in my life and acted as a close friend who knew exactly how I was feeling. So hearing them play these songs so flawlessly, in this beautiful venue, on this clear chilly night, was something very special to me. I felt like I had gotten a long embracing hug from an old friend, talked for an hour, and went our seperate ways. I left feeling pretty good that night…
Azure Ray – 
Sea Of Doubts
Azure Ray – November
The Good Life – A New Friend