Orenda Fink is known for her quiet, introspective songs and her unobtrusive approach to singing. Her music, both on her own solo albums and with Azure Ray (the band she fronts with longtime friend Maria Taylor), tends to be forlorn and unsettling, albeit imbued with an underlying belief in the ultimate goodness of existence. The songs on her new album, Blue Dream were inspired by the death of her dog, as well as general meditations on the limitations of existence on the material plane. On the LP, Fink goes deep into the primal questions of death and the meaning of life. The lyrics are dark, but the music is bright and buoyant, although still played at the laid-back tempos that are her forte. Fink will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on her.
Fink: I am coming up on a 20-year love affair with Dr. John. And I recently met him at the Atlanta airport. I walked off my plane and there, sitting at the gate, looking badass as ever, was no other! I’m assuming because of some health issues, he was wheelchair bound and trying to get someone’s attention for assistance. I had to pinch myself. I walked up and said, “Dr. John? Do you need help?” He said, “I sure do, Honey.” I went to the gate agent and whispered, “You see that man over there? Take good care of him. He’s a legend.” I was too star-struck and nervous to properly introduce myself, or tell him that I had just recorded a cover of one of his songs, but I will always remember how f*$cking cool he was. Sigh.
