From jazz to soul to motown, Cade Ortego and The Mood Swings exist in their own venn diagram of a genre.
The Mood Swings blend these influences and describe themselves as “young guys with old souls.” They draw a modern sound from older musical inspirations that have shaped each member as a musician.
The group appears on stage bedecked in suits of all colors and styles with each performance. After signing to student-run record label Match Records in the fall, they gained traction with MTSU students, frequenting local spots like Diana Street and Hop Springs.
Three members of the group — keyboardist Noel Musson, drummer Patrick McGann and frontman Cade Ortego — met while working as session musicians for another MTSU artist, Mario Williams.
Ortego met saxophonist Nigel Pillow in his freshman-year dorm, while Musson lived with trombonist Lucas Merriman before the band was even a thought. Bass player Ian Fisher seemed to just appear in their lives, according to Ortego.
“He [Pillow] was one of my neighbors at Corlew, and I would totally hear him playing every night … because the walls are thin,” Ortego said. “But I always thought, ‘Man, he’s kind of good.'”
The group’s first gig, playing on campus at the Monaroo music festival in spring 2024, marked the moment they realized they truly wanted to be a band.
The name Cade Ortego and the Mood Swings came later that year.
The group’s sound evolved from Ortego’s songwriting, combined with the musical styles of the various band members. Many songs began as stripped-down acoustic tracks written by Ortego, but the vision was always bigger. The first time Musson heard Ortego play “Moodswingin’” was during a stripped-down, acoustic performance on stage at Puckett’s. Ortego’s Motown vision exceeded Musson’s expectations for what the song would be.
Their first single, “Sophia,” debuted Friday, Feb. 28, with another single and an EP soon to follow.
These songs began with riffs and vocal progressions sent back and forth via voice memo — a multitude of ideas fully fleshed out once the band got into the studio. The Mood Swings became more than a backing band; they became a group where each individual brought something to the table, and all voices were heard and allowed to be creative.
The group’s offstage chemistry mirrors their interaction in front of an audience. Their friendship grew exponentially after spending time together in the studio, and a shared love for music drew them together even without instruments in hand. Sharing lunch or late-night food runs after practice not only strengthened their on-stage interactions, but their relationships offstage as well, Musson said.
“The biggest compliment anyone could give us is when they say, ‘Oh, it looks like you had so much fun up there,’” Ortego said.
Throughout this semester, the band has played a variety of shows. One of the most memorable was a fraternity event at the University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee, where they narrowly escaped a fire alarm, a tornado and many “Free Bird” shouts after staying on stage 90 minutes past their allotted set time. The crowd wouldn’t let them leave.
The group has a full schedule in the coming months, including a return to Puckett’s, a show at The Basement in March and an appearance at the National Cornbread Festival in April. They also hope for an early summer tour to support their much-anticipated EP.
“Sophia” is available now on all streaming platforms.
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