Meet Mood Ring, a "Perfect Hexagon" of Musical Collaboration

MoodRing is not your typical band.

In fact they have a total of six members. Bill Pearsall operates the drum set and is lead vocalist while David Gomberg rips the guitar. Gary Tyler sets the foundation on the bass, and Marina Stern plays the flute. Then there is Andre Schuetz on congas and percussion and multi-instrumentalist Nate Knight on keyboard and guitar.

“Gary and I have been playing together for nine years. But we have been in this particular formation for about four,” explained Gomberg.

“We all met each other while waiting for our kids to get out of school, and they convinced me to come out of retirement and play bass,” Tyler added.

In fact, all of their children went to Clinton School. If it weren’t for that, MoodRing may have never formed in the first place.

“Bill was recruited as a result of his kid's birthday party a few years back. He’s been our drummer ever since,” stated Stern.

Ultimately, the group formed the perfect hexagon and began jammin’ together.

“We are a jam band, that’s one of the reasons we chose the name MoodRing. We play for whatever the mood or setting is calling for,” Pearsall explained. “We have a very wide and diversified range. We play anything from jazz to rock to blues to original and cover songs. We also try to evoke that 70’s vibe,” he added.

The sixties and seventies influence much of the music MoodRing plays. The sounds of the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead live on through MoodRing, who claim to perform just as many original songs as they do covers.

“Even our covers have our own original twist to them.” Pearsall added.

MoodRing has performed at South Orange Elks Rent Party, but they enjoy and are adept at playing in a variety of settings.

“We play at block parties, private parties. We also love to jam at local area clubs such as Suzie Que’s in West Orange for example.” explained Gomberg.

MoodRing’s first CD is titled “One” and showcases their unbelievable talents. They have recently recorded three more original songs that they say demonstrate their range and versatility.

“The key to our success, and part of the reason why I believe we have been able to stay together and work virtually drama free is that we all get along very well. We write songs by starting with lyrics or chords, and then let everyone add their part," stated Gomberg.

That is not easy to do when you have six artists with totally different styles.

"It is important to start at a foundation, and then let everyone creatively collaborate. That is the definition of writing music together. Listening to everybody is important. We let our skills and diversity compliment each other,” Knight explained.

"Listening is key", emphasized Schuetz, hoping to highlight the importance of working together to create something special.

"We all have been around the block, so it is nice to find a group of people who get it, and just want to jam,” Stern added.

MoodRing is blast from the past, and in a great way. They treat their music with creativity and experimentation in an era where that is sometimes forgotten. In addition, MoodRing demonstrates a diverse and eclectic blend of rock, jazz, blues and world music. Whatever the mood, they jam it!

To follow MoodRing, click here.

MoodRing will appear Friday May 3 at  Suzie Que's  in  West Orange, 8 PM until closing.