RINGS of the Fox Valley Band

The magic of RINGS appears when five people, through some mystical alchemy, come together in a musical endeavor so completely that it is often hard to tell the parts from the whole. Ben Franklin stated “Follow your passion and success will follow”. Well, Steve Moser, Tom Maves, Dale Mussell, Tony Gonzalez and Anthony Gonzalez share a passion for vocal harmonies, a passion for lyrical melody and a passion that comes from the joy of working together to play music of uncompromising quality. In RINGS they have found success.

The music of RINGS encompasses many styles and genres within the framework of five lead singers comprising three, four and five part vocal harmonies layered over Acoustic Guitars, Bass and Drums. Add to that: Keyboards, Mandolin, Harmonicas, Ukulele, Banjo, Melodica and a plethora of percussion paraphernalia and you have a sound that at times seems much larger than its elements.

RINGS is often recognized for their faithful reproduction of songs from the sixties and seventies by groups like The Eagles; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Neil Young; The Moody Blues; Simon & Garfunkel and Led Zeppelin, but they are equally adept at capturing the essence of more contemporary artists like Coldplay; Greenday and Jason Mraz. They have five unique solo voices that often harmonize to blend as one.  Tom is particularly good at songs by Gordon Lightfoot and Cat Stevens while Tony’s covers of songs by Neil Young and Sting are amazingly authentic! Steve and Dale cover many other artists as well and Anthony has made his lead vocal debut with RINGS on a song by Coldplay.

One can’t visit a RINGS performance without marveling at the instruments. And there are a lot of them! Steve, Tony and Anthony play Petros, Guild, Hohner, Fender and Taylor 6-string Acoustic Guitars. Tony and Steve play Esteve and Ovation Classical Guitars, Tony plays Guild 12-string Guitar and Kentucky Mandolin. Dale, Tony, Anthony and Steve play Guild, Gibson, Hofner, Kramer, NS and Riverhead Basses.  Anthony and Dale play Korg and Roland keyboards and Hohner Melodicas. Tony and Dale play Hohner and Lee Oskar Harmonicas. Dale plays Ovation Ukulele and Gold Tone Banjo. Tom and Anthony play Mapex Drums and LP Congas. And all play innumerable percussion instruments

With the 2012 release of “ABOUT TIME”, RINGS has three CD recordings to offer. The first and self-titled “RINGS” (which Dale likes to call their “Almost White Album”) contains songs from the early years of the developing band that formed the groundwork of great things to come. Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon”, The Eagles “7 Bridges Road” and Steven Stills’ “Helplessly Hoping” are a few of the covers that inspired the formation of RINGS. This first recording also includes five original songs from the four founding members. Steve’s haunting “A Summer Love”, Dale’s “Midnight Mare”, Tom’s acapella “Loving Every Minute” and Tony’s uplifting “Going Home” showcase the band’s songwriting abilities. Joining them on Tom’s “Losin’ the Blues” is good friend and outstanding Harmonica player, Whoopie Jim Wilfahrt.

Their second CD, “REQUESTS” features the late great Kurt Kuzulka who played Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica and sang with the band during the middle years of RINGS. Three of Kurt’s original songs appear on the recording along with five more originals from Steve, Tom, Tony and Dale. This recording is titled for some of the most requested cover songs from this period in the bands history, including “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot and “Closer to Fine” by The Indigo Girls. “REQUESTS” also features a brass section arranged by Tom Theabo, a Cello solo by Matt Turner on Tony’s “Until We Meet” and the return of Whoopie Jim on Harmonica. The musicians all come together on the last song of the recording, Kurt Kuzulka’s “Even in the Night”.

The most recent CD “ABOUT TIME” returns to the band’s roots, reuniting them with studio engineer, Marc Golde of Rock Garden Studio. This recording exemplifies their vocal strengths on Neil Young’s “Ohio” and Cat Steven’s “Peace Train”, instrumental intricacy on Gordon Lightfoot’s “Song for a Winter’s Night” and Mark Knopfler’s “Sultans of Swing” and sense of fun with Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours”. They also take on the edgy Neil Young song “Rockin’ in the Free World” and Stephen Stills’ song of protest “For What It’s Worth”.  This is the first RINGS recording featuring Anthony playing drums and percussion on several songs and Dale’s son Nathan playing “Thunder Drum” with the full band on the reprise of Tony’s song “Reign of Rain” which was recorded in video format.

In June of 2016 RINGS released their second video with Dale’s song “Blues Free” featuring Tony and Steve on Acoustic Guitars, Anthony on Drums, Tom on Congas, Dale on Bass and special guest, Bruce Arsnow on Electric Guitar. Check out their videos and follow them on Facebook. CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE.

The popularity of RINGS is due in part to their ability to play to a diverse audience, both in age and musical preference, and tailor their volume to the venue. They have a proven track record as shown by their multi-year runs of regular club performances and repeat special events. RINGS has played festivals and banquets, private parties and non-traditional wedding receptions, on concert stages and in intimate gatherings. Tom, Steve, Tony, Dale and Anthony continue to draw on their individual and collective talents, mutual respect and keen friendship to provide a moving musical experience and continue to expand the limits of their own abilities. Where they go from here is a mystery and you’re welcome to come along and share the magic.