Organ Fairchild is more than a name

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.“

This quote from “Romeo and Juliet” suggests that a name is insignificant, but Shakespeare never heard Organ Fairchild or met Morgan Fairchild.

The former is an organ-based instrumental band, which delivers unique covers and inspired originals. The latter is an actress who was a Hollywood pinup during the '80s. Fairchild, who was born Patsy Ann McClenny, clearly debunks Shakespeare's dated take.

Just like Morgan Fairchild elevates an actress considerably more than the thespian's given name, Organ Fairchild is not just a catchy name.

"It's a fun name, and it led to something that surprised us," guitarist Dave Ruch said while calling from his Buffalo, New York, home. "A year after we started this band, a friend saw us play and he said, ‘You might like to see this.' He went on a service where celebrities can do a shout out for a birthday or whatever. He hired Morgan Fairchild to do a shout out for the band. Apparently she got a big kick out of what we're doing, and it's so cool that she said she wants to jam with us."

Organ Fairchild, which will perform Thursday at Gabe's in Iowa City, has yet to schedule a session with Fairchild, but the group's name is fantastic. Organ Fairchild's moniker is right up there with such acts who have also referenced celebrity names, such as Garfunkel & Oates, The Dandy Warhols, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and REO Speeddealer.

But the funky band — which tips its cap to the 60s organ trios of the '60s when the organist played bass with his left hand and organ with his right — is much more than a name.

Organ Fairchild, which formed in 2020 but its members originally jammed as a Grateful Dead cover band during the early '80s, delivers solid, well-constructed tunes. Back when Fairchild the actress was winning acclaim playing bad girls on prime time soaps like "Flamingo Road" during the '80s, Ruch was trying to find his footing as a songwriter. His impediment was the lyrics.

"It's not easy writing songs," Ruch said. "When you look at everything that's poured into a song, it's difficult when you consider the melody and the harmony and the lyrics. Once the lyrics were taken off the table, all of this music poured out of me. It just became easier for me to write. I had one musical idea after another after I no longer thought about the words."

Once Organ Fairchild focused only on the music, the material for originals flowed, and the band continued to enjoy crafting unique covers.

Organ Fairchild's "Songs We Didn't Write," which was released in 2024, features some clever rearrangements of such classics as The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle," which features a guest appearance from former Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, and Leonard Cohen's incredibly malleable "Hallelujah."

"So many Beatles songs are the perfect marriage of melody and harmony," Ruch said. "It's one thing to write a compelling melody but it's another to come up with the right chords behind it. Paul McCartney is a master at this. Jazz musicians have been taking Beatles songs and improvising while playing, and it always sounds great. We had so much fun playing these classics."

One of the highlights from "Songs We Didn't Write" is a surprising version of Harry Style's "Canyon Moon."

"That's a curveball that can be traced to our drummer Corey Kertzie's daughter Alexa, who is a huge Harry Styles fan," Ruch explained. "She thought we could have fun with 'Canyon Moon,' and she was right."

Organ Fairchild, which also includes keyboardist Joe Bellanti, is comprised of late bloomers, all of whom are in their early '60s, but the band is enjoying their better late than never run.

"It's such a good time playing together like this," Ruch said. "How this has gone is a big surprise for us."

Nothing has taken the band aback more than the surprising support it has received from the heartland earlier this year.

"The last time out we played several shows in Colorado," Ruch said. "As we were working our way back East, we knew there's a lot of ground to cover when driving toward Chicago. We looked at what was between Colorado and Illinois, and we booked shows in Lincoln and Omaha. We played a place in Lincoln at 6 p.m. on a Monday night, and the place was packed.

“The next night we went to Omaha, and a lot of the people who were there the prior night drove the hour or so to that venue, which was packed. The audience was on every note and were just so enthusiastic. So we're headed back out in that direction, and we're going to play Iowa City, and we're very much looking forward to it."

Perhaps Organ Fairchild can continue heading west to meet and finally jam with Fairchild, the actress.

"There are no plans to do that, but I love that she likes the name of our group," Ruch said. "It's such a cool thing."