— The blues is more than just feeling sad or down on your luck. Local blues musician Paul Orta, along with his band The Kingpins, is celebrating the release of its newest CD, “Hurricane Rita Blues,” with a special concert this Friday night at Mr. Giggles which is located at 3601 N. Twin City Highway in Port Arthur. Ages 21 and older are welcome to attend and admission is free.

Orta, 54, is well known among Southeast Texans for his blues music and harmonica, but he is also a seasoned veteran around the globe. His new CD features seven original recordings and seven re-recorded tunes Orta hopes will make fans equally as eager to hit the dance floor.

“The music I play is the blues, but it’s mostly dance,” Orta said. “At least that’s what we do here in Texas with this kind of music. It’s not all about being sad or crying in your beer or my woman left me or my dog died. My music is about getting up on the dance floor and having some fun.”

Orta was first influenced by blues legends such as Louis Armstrong, Little Walter and others like Snooky Pryor, whom Orta said was a “big influence.”

“The feeling you get when you hear a good blues song is what interested me,” Orta explained. “When you hear a good blues song, it will pick you up. That’s what it did to me in my early years. I was listening to radio shows and bought all the music I could get my hands on.”

Orta has released more than a dozen albums throughout his career, and he has no plans on stopping anytime soon. In fact, the recording process is partially what spurs his desire to create more music.

“I get hungry to write new songs every time I finish up a new album,” he added. “Putting out new albums just fuels the fire. You put a lot of work into each album, not only the music but the artwork and liner notes too, but I love it. I’m hoping by the end of the year to start on a new CD.”

To some people, it may seem odd for Orta to be releasing a new album titled “Hurricane Rita Blues,” especially since Hurricane Rita slammed Southeast Texas more than six-and-a-half years ago. Orta witnessed the devastation wrought by the storm and has a good reason for naming the CD.

“I was here for that storm and all the devastation it caused,” Orta explained. “It was just amazing how much damage it caused. It was actually a song I wrote with ‘Uncle’ John Turner originally known as ‘I-10 Hurricane Blues.’ I like the song, but I re-wrote some of the guitar parts in it which gives it a whole different groove now.”

Orta’s band, known as The Kingpins, features Jack Edery on guitar, Susan Pierce on piano, Robert Smith on drums, and Jason McCallum on bass. Orta and his band performed a CD release showcase in the early spring at The Gig on Crockett Street in Beaumont, and, with other showcases in Houston and Austin, is now bringing the CD release party home to Port Arthur.

“It’s been a couple of months since our last show in the area, but we’re really excited about being able to play in Port Arthur,” Orta said. “It’s good to be back home.”

Visit www.paulortablues.com for more information on Orta and his band, and visit www.great-recordings.com for more info on his new album.