After winning New England Country Music’s Best Duo/Group of 2017, as voted on by the fans, Back Rhodes took the time to answer some questions about themselves, their music and their future.
ack Rhodes is a country rock band with 6 members from Rhode Island. Jesse and Ed Desorcy are brothers. Jay Coutu and Tyler Hill joined the brothers when their previous band member introduced everybody to AJ Salvatore. Chris Quiray was the last member to join Back Rhodes in 2013 completing the ensemble. According to Jesse, the band name was formed when they were “sitting at a local open mic drinking a beer.” The band name came to them when they thought about the style of music they played and where they were from. Ed described their first experience when they were featured at a local open mic night and the whole town came to see them sing. He remembers Tyler was “playing on this muddy sounding amp and Jesse was playing an electric through the PA.”
Back Rhodes has come a long way since the first time they performed. Their latest EP ‘On the Run’ was released in April 2017. The record is a combination of their different music styles and influences. “We draw inspiration from a lot of artists in country, folk, bluegrass and more,” according to Ed. Some of their favorite performers are the Steel Drivers, Charlie Daniels, Garth Brooks and Chris Stapleton. Evolving from a straight cover, the sixth track of ‘On the Run’ is now an “upbeat danceable” rendition of ‘Tennessee Whiskey.’ According to Tyler, he is “psyched with the feedback” from this track. The EP features seven of the bands songs, all a little different from the one before. According to AJ, the band got together and “threw out the songs that we thought were most appropriate to record. Turns out we all had about the same list.” ‘On the Run’ is the result of that collaboration. The title track was the first song the band mixed and they all agreed that it helps “tie some of the diverse song concepts together and was a great name to begin with,” explains Jesse.
In addition to original songs, Back Rhodes’ set list includes covers of some of their favorite artists. Tyler said that if he had to choose his favorite song to play live it would be ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia.’ “Everybody loves that song. Everyone dances and hoots and hollers and records us with their cell phones. Its actually pretty fun to watch the videos the next day.” The band loves to perform live. While Colorado is pretty far from New England, it is Back Rhodes’ dream venue to play Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Jefferson County. Looking to the future, the band hopes and dreams to be playing larger venues and festivals. Jay adds, “Possibly ‘Taste of Country’ and other festivals would be great.”
Back Rhodes hopes to build on the momentum they’ve created this year after winning Cat Country’s ‘Hometown Throwdown’ and the New England Country Music Awards for Best Duo/Group. Chris explains the rush of emotions “we are so grateful to our fans for their support and NECM for this awesome honor.” It is undeniable that Back Rhodes won’t be performing on the back roads for long. Maybe this time next year you’ll see Back Rhodes opening for your favorite artist!