Can you be in a band and not be in the band? That’s the question songwriter Joe O’Rourke asks regarding the album “There is No Right or Wrong” on which he wrote all the songs but didn’t sing or play any of the instruments.

O’Rourke, of South Deerfield, has been involved with the local music scene since the early 1980s, playing in various bands and currently drumming for The Hendersons Blues Band and Treefort. He’s also been writing songs for years, but because he doesn’t consider himself a singer, these tunes have been piling up until now.

To understand how his material was finally recorded, we have to look at this project’s roots, which brings us to the Turnip Yard, the old name for the section of South Deerfield where O’Rourke has lived since 1989. He also built a small studio on his property for people to “plug in and play.”

“There’s a group of us that get together every week and just play — we call it the O’Rourkestra,” O’Rourke said of the casual jam sessions held at his place. “Our motto is ‘All People Welcome Always.’ Some come every week, others just a couple of times a year.”

In this setting, O’Rourke would feel comfortable singing his songs with the other musicians.

“They’d indulge me because I’m no singer,” he said.

One of the group members is Richard Cahillane, a longtime valley musician who owns Cooleyville Records. This label, which takes its name from a section of Shutesbury where he has a studio, was started during the pandemic as a vehicle to release a series of “Pandemic Playlists,” a collection of songs he and his songwriting friends recorded remotely during the lockdown.

And during the winter of 2021 as the pandemic lingered, Cahillane approached O’Rourke about finally recording his songs on the label, which currently presents the work of 13 artists on Bandcamp.com.

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“I liked Joe’s songs, and we had been playing them for years. It seemed like it was finally time to get them down on tape,” said Cahillane, who plays bass and guitar for the Joni Mitchell tribute band Big Yellow Taxi and also is a member of the country group the Riverbenders.

O’Rourke, whose day job is writing radio advertisements, was open to the idea but had no interest in singing or playing on the album.

“If I could sing, I’d front the band, but I can’t,” he said. “I’m a passable drummer, I’m not a great guitarist, I’m not a great pianist. But I can write songs,” he explained about this decision.

Cahillane, of Leverett, first met O’Rourke years ago when he was selling ads for the Daily Hampshire Gazette and Cahillane was working in his family’s car dealership in Northampton. The fact that O’Rourke wouldn’t be the singer didn’t dissuade him from the project.

“I was thankful for that,” Cahillane said with a laugh. “We knew we could find someone else.”

“We thought of finding different singers for different songs, but there’s this guy in our group, Paul Yandoli, who is a drummer but also a good singer who likes my songs,” said O’Rourke, adding that he felt Yandoli connected to his material and that the drummer from Easthampton was the guy for the job.

As for having someone else sing his songs, O’Rourke thinks more bands should cover other songwriters’ material, as the songwriting is often the weak link in a group. While not a common arrangement, he points to artists like Pete Townsend of The Who — where he writes the songs while Roger Daltrey sings them — as an example of how this model works well.

You might assume that O’Rourke would want to be the drummer, but he felt that Fraser Stowe of Greenfield was much better for the job.

O’Rourke described Fraser as “our Hal Blaine. He could have been a studio drummer — he does so many different things, never sounds slick or polished, and always has good ideas. I’ve known him since 1981. He’s a Greenfield kid.”

Cahillane produced and played guitars, bass, keyboards and banjo.

They called this studio band Right or Wrong.

“Richard took the helm, producing the songs in creative ways I couldn’t imagine,” O’Rourke said. “He’d try this here and there, all with a deft hand and a light touch. We enlisted friends for various songs and parts. I sat back in wonder.”

“Some of the things I took and changed around completely from his concept of it,” Cahillane said of the collaborative process. “I would bring it to him, and he’d say, ‘That’s great’ or ‘That’s not it.’”

Finally, at the end of last year, with the release of “There is No Right or Wrong,” these songs were given their due and made it on a record.

The nine tracks are varied in style and subject matter and could easily be lumped under the ambiguous title of Americana. From the pensive, piano-led opening track “Early One,” in which Yandoli sings about the early days of the pandemic accompanied by Shady Hartshorne’s sparse piano playing, to the rowdy barroom vibe of “Swingin,” Cahillane brings in a host of talented local musicians to add just the right sonic touches while never overwhelming O’Rourke’s words and melodies.

Whether he’s writing about Airstream trailers, small businesses getting swallowed up by the internet or a good old love song, O’Rourke’s lyrics are honest and straightforward — and are finally getting a chance to be heard.

O’Rourke sums up the experience as “gratifying” and said he hopes to work in this manner again, particularly with Yandoli handling vocals. He’s written a Christmas song called “Let’s Leave the Office Party Now” that he plans to record this year.

And as for there not being an actual band to perform these songs live, O’Rourke knew that and is fine with it.

“Everyone hopes that their music is appreciated,” O’Rourke said. “My definition of success would be that if somebody wanted to cover one of my songs, or, God forbid, somebody found one of my songs in Germany or somewhere and said they are using it in a movie. So that’s what it was all about for me.”

“There is No Right or Wrong” is available on all streaming services and can be purchased on bandcamp.com. Also visit cooleyvillerecords.bandcamp.com.

It will be a night of Chicago blues music when The Mighty King Snakes perform at Warwick Town Hall on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. This show is presented by the Trinitarian Congregational Church Mission Committee of Warwick and Wooden Fender.

The band plays the music of such blues greats as Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, along with favorites from bands like The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead and even some originals. Led by vocalist Charlie Scott, The Mighty King Snakes will keep the crowd swaying to the power of the blues.

Come at 6 p.m. to enjoy a pizza dinner. The proceeds will support the mission projects of the Trinitarian Congregational Church of Warwick. Every dollar is donated to local and worldwide charities.

A donation of $5 for the music is suggested. Warwick Town Hall is located at 12 Athol Road.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.