Catch Of The Week: Back Rhodes
Meet: Back Rhodes, a 6 piece country rock band from Rhode Island
When you see a band having this much fun playing together, it’s bound to translate to the audience. And it does, for the band Back Rhodes. They genuinely like each other, enjoy hanging out together, even when not performing, and respect each other. That’s a lot of love, and that’s why there’s a lot of love out there for this remarkably talented 6 man band from little Rhody.
The boys first got together in 2013. They were all doing separate projects and eventually met up at an open mic night. They have blended their loves of country, rock, Americana, folk and bluegrass music to come up with their uniquely fresh sound. Lead singer, Jesse Desorcy’s voice is weathered and soulful; full of ache and longing, joy and passion. The brotherly love of this band is evident in their tight harmonies. It doesn’t hurt that 2 of the vocalists are actually brothers. Ed Desorcy Jr and Jesse Desorcy. And interestingly, both are legally blind. Undoubtedly, this group has faced unusual challenges, but have managed to turn these challenges into strengths.
Back Rhodes impressively seasoned, sophisticated sound and well crafted songs have earned them accolades, titles and plenty of stage time. You may have seen them performing a Zac Brown Band pre-concert show on Landsdowne Street last summer. New England Country Music named them Best Group in 2017. And 2019 is looking strong for the band from Rhode Island, who’ve chosen a road a little off the beaten path, and that has made all the difference.
Meet The Band
- Jesse Desorcy– banjo/vocals (from Burrillville, RI)
- Ed Desorcy Jr– bass/vocals (Burrillville, RI)
- Chris Quiray– acoustic guitar Burrillville, RI)
- Antonio Salvatore (AJ)– violin/vocals (Narragansett, RI)
- Jay Coutu– Drums (Glocester, RI)
- Tyler Hill– Electric guitar (Foster, RI)
Rhode Trip
Back Rhodes headed north to join me in studio and share a couple of awesome new songs
“Big Spender” showcases the band’s big talent!
The heartfelt “26 Strings” is powerful
Band Aids
- How did you get your name: We wanted something that would reflect the state we’re from and the people we’re playing for. We settled on Back Rhodes to pay respect to our roots and the fans who make it happen.
- Biggest influences: Chris Stapleton, The Steeldrivers, Sturgill Simpson, Garth Brooks, Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, Jason Isbel and Charlie Daniels Band
- All- time favorite country songs: “Friends in Low Places”- Garth Brooks (Tyler), “Time Bomb” by the Old 97s (AJ), “It Just Comes Natural” by George Strait (Jay), “Don’t Take The Girl”-Tim McGraw (Jesse), Charlie Daniels Band-“The Devil Went Down To Georgia” (Chris), and Easton Corbin’s “Lovin’ You Is Fun” (Ed)
- Current Country 102-5 favs: Right now we are pretty much hooked on anything by Midland, as well as Chris Stapleton’s “Millionaire and Garth Brooks’ “All Day Long”
- Day jobs: We are all over the place. Tyler is a carpenter, Jay is an engineering manager, AJ is a property manager, Chris is a solar consultant, Ed is a student, studying cyber security, and Jesse is a full time musician. But we are all about the music at night!
- Most proud moment: Opening up the Cowboy Up Festival in Brockton, and eating ribs with Trent Harmon and his band – a great bunch of musicians
- Accomplishments: Winning New England Country Music‘s Country Group of the Year
- Crazy things happen: In terms of accomplishments. winning New England Country Music’s Country Group of the Year. In terms of playing, it would be performing for the rowdy crowd at Loretta’s Last Call at capacity, afer a Red Sox win, being drowned out by the crowd singing along to “Friends In Low Places,” while people are fighting at the back of the bar and others are making out in the front. Friends were arm and arm swaying to the songs, singing as loud as they could. It was a beautiful mix of emotions and energy in a crowd and those are nights we remember playing forever!
- Other fun facts: AJ is a happy dad to a 4 year old who has starred in several commercials, Jesse had to learn to play the banjo ina months time after the former banjo player left. Tyler’s a fool for F1 racing- he and Jay are planning a motorcycle trip to Montreal to attend the race this June. We once played a show for our Veterans outside with no cover on a 104 degree day, surrounded by hornets. The temperature was high, but so was the energy, it was a gread day. A microphone clip even melted due to the extreme heat! Jess served in the U.S. Coast Guard. Chris is an environmental activist and a prominent voice in our communities. Ed could be called the captain of the band, spearheading our social media presence and negotiating our gigs
Hit The Rhode
- April 6th– Hills Tavern, Chepachet RI
- April 13th– Ray’s Dance Ranch, Worcester, MA
- May 25th– Cady’s, Chepachet RI
- June 5-Back Rhodes(acoustic quartet) at the Nordic in Charleston, RI
Back Rhodes Network
Every week, Kruser’s Local Catch highlights New England’s homegrown country music talent, and tells you where to catch them locally and in Nashville. Click here to view previous catches.
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*Singer/songwriters with original music: Please submit for consideration on The Local Catch by emailing Kruser at carolyn.kruse@bbgi.com
