Nora Price—guitarist, vocalist and dancer for local group Durian Durian—discusses the formation of the band and the unique relationship between musical and visual performance that exists within their work. The other members of the band are Emily Snow, who plays the keyboard and dances alongside Price, and Koty Lopez with drum machines and sampling.
Price reflects on her unconventional and somewhat unexpected musical journey—after moving to Utah planning to study ballet at the U, she ended up changing her major to linguistics. An early friendship between her and Lopez formed around their artistic interests and, in 2016, an undeniably unique connection grew between Price and Snow–the two challenging and inspiring each other in a rare way.
After the three became Lounge Night regulars at The Twilite Lounge, the self-taught Price found herself as the replacement drummer for the group Jazz Jags. Not long after, the first Durian Durian set was formed when the three were asked to put something together that was explicitly not rock n roll for an upcoming Hoofless show. In exploring the relationship between movement and sound, Durian Durian took the shape of a post-punk–dreampop collaboration.
The band adapts and adjusts to fit the vibe of their music to the venue it’s being performed at. Often, the dance is constructed parallel to the sonic elements at play, with the intention to enact a variation of ideas using different artistic approaches. Both Price and Snow are formally trained dancers and explore Durian Durian using contemporary ballet and modern dance.
The band is planning to record soon, but they don’t have a set date in mind. Price expects that the songs will be simplified and less dissonant than their live set. Head to the band’s Facebook to stay up to date with forthcoming shows and releases.
Thanks for listening to SLUG Mag Soundwaves.
- This podcast was created by SLUG Magazine and produced by Angela H. Brown, Parker Scott Mortensen
- Associate Producers: Alexander Ortega, Joshua Joye, John Ford, Bianca Velasquez, Zaina Abujebarah
- Executive Producer: Angela H. Brown
- Music by Durian Durian
- Soundwaves logo and art design by Nicholas Dowd
- Technical design by Matthew Rasmussen
- Photo: Amy Falls
