The Mighty Orq: Cool blues-rock band with standout guitarist to perform at Bayou Theater
The lead vocalist and guitarist of The Mighty Orq said he acquired his nickname because a kid in his high school cafeteria said he looked like an ‘orq.’ His friends thought it was hilarious and the name stuck. Although it’s likely that the name was intended to mean something more like “nerd,” The Mighty Orq’s performance April 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bayou Theater will prove that his years as a fixture on Houston’s live music scene are about smooth, polished blues and rock and roll delivered with a slightly growly vocal and an agile touch on guitar.
“They called me Orq in high school, and the guy never really explained what it meant,” Orq said. “When I was 18, I started playing in a blues and roots band in Houston. I was introduced onstage as ‘The Mighty Orq’ and I said I liked that, so I kept it.”
Orq said at age 10, he picked up a guitar after his cousin left his behind after a visit, and began taking lessons. “That really got me hooked, and I thought this is what I want to do with my life,” he said.
He began performing soon after, and was inspired by blues legends like BB King. “I started playing professionally at 18 and was into playing blues, Texas blues, and rock,” he said. “From there, I discovered other music like old school Delta blues and solo acoustic guitar, which I just love. Houston has such a rich tradition of blues, rock, jazz and zydeco. I am into all of it.”
Now, he said, when he hears new music or a new instrument, he’s immediately interested. “I want to play it right away,” he said. “Over the years of performing, I have fallen in love with other styles of music and want to incorporate it into my songwriting and performances. That’s how the variety of styles I play with my band happened. It’s all the things I have heard over the years.”
Orq said that the band’s live performances were very meaningful to him.
“When you’re playing for a live audience, you’re able to reach everyone in the room all at once,” he said. “It sounds simple, but you can speak to each person individually, but yet everyone at the same time. To me, music and all art creates this transcendent experience where you’re having a sense of unity with the artist and the people listening in the space with you. It transcends the bounds of one’s normal, everyday experience.”
He said that’s what he hoped his Bayou Theater audience would have. “Live music is special and maybe transformative,” he said. “It’s something you don’t always have in day-to-day life. That’s one of the beauties of live music.”
For more information about upcoming performances at the Bayou Theater at University of Houston-Clear Lake, or to purchase tickets, go online.