KING ORBAFor those unfamiliar with King Orba, his sound lies somewhere in between Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes and Jack Johnson. He cites artits as diverse as T. Rex, Prince, and the Sex Pistols, as influences. He keeps things loose and upbeat, but punches in found sound such as an AM radio- most poignantly on a *song about fishing with his grandmother- or drumsticks on a cola bottle. As a songwriter, the bulk of his oeuvre is recorded on a TASCAM 4-track. He fell in love with his portastudio and recalls 12-hour trysts that kept the neighbors up: "Yeah, ...it's about 3:30. Can we stop with the music for the night?"
"Product" is anathema to King Orba. He has been content with the intimacy of his music to date and dreads the prospect of it becoming a mere product. However, he realizes that something will inevitably relate to someone. He points out that even the guy on the Venice Beach Boardwalk rollerskating by and playing an electric guitar is putting something out there that will change someone's perception of the world. King Orba's message is a little easier to decpher than that of the aforementioned VB fixture. His songs are grounded in realism because, "The real is at least attainable."You might imagine that King Orba would be content with his large body of work and rest on his laurels. He can't do this, as, "There's just so much out there to write and sing about." This may explain his prolific songwriting, but it does nothing to explain his proficiency in relating an experience in rich visual language. There are few musicians whose message comes across clearly without labored study. Every song of King Orba's that I've listened to receives this hallmark.
Excerpts from an article in PUSH Magazine
Vol 02_03