BURRILLVILLE – They’ve worked together in various capacities for decades, playing backup, producing tracks and even sharing epic moments on the national stage.
Now, four musicians – all graduates from Burrillville High School – have come together to create an original, high-energy rock band that unites their talents.
The Nurse brings together seasoned musicians Rich Polseno, Kyle Siner, Jesse Desorcy and Chris Quiray for an exciting new project, with the band set to release their first singles in early 2022.
Local music fans may recognize Siner from his work with rock band The Aviators; and Quiray and Desorcy from progressive country act Back Rhodes and River’s North, and of course, Desorcy’s recent appearance on NBC’s The Voice.
But Desorcy doesn’t sing for The Nurse and according to Quiray, the music is, “0 percent,” country.
“The music itself is high-energy and will literally excite you,” Quiray told NRI NOW.
Polseno, a 2003 graduate from BHS who now works as a high school English teacher in North Kingstown, is the band’s frontman on vocals and guitar. Polseno has released several albums of solo material, and it was his 2016 project, “Molts,” that led to The Nurse’s eventual formation.
Guitarist Quiray, who graduated BHS in 2004, had played with Polseno in various efforts since his youth, and joined bassist Siner, Class of 2005, in performing backup on the album to replicate a live setting.
“It was fun, but we decided it would be even more fun to write and develop our own material as a group,” said Quiray. “We tagged Jesse in on drums and found the secret sauce, and have gone on to write a full-length album and more of original material and we’re very excited to share it.”
“There are a lot of shared formative musical experiences in this band and to me personally, it has the feeling of things coming full circle,” he added.
Quiray says the band name emerged after months of brainstorming had led the group to come up with, “Rebecca Nurse,” a historical figure from the Salem Witch Trials. But they soon learned a band out of Providence had already recorded under the moniker.
“We had to choose another name,” Quiray said. “It’s fun being able to draw parallels between music and medicine.”
“Little did we know we’d end up living through a pandemic and the name would garner even more layers of meaning.”
From Siner’s experience as multi-instrumentalist and producer, to many respective solo projects, and Desorcy’s work on lead vocals, banjo and percussion and more, The Nurse brings together the diverse musical backgrounds of four accomplished artists.
“Kyle & Jesse make an explosive yet intricate rhythm section and I have the absolute pleasure of contributing lead guitar to the mix,” said Quiray.
Fans of Back Rhodes should find plenty to love about the new project, but don’t expect to hear Desorcy’s raspy, soulful vocals, or the band’s country/bluegrass influences. The Nurse, Quiray warns, is pure, high-energy rock – the type, he says, that will make you accidentally drive faster.
“Buckle up and consume The Nurse responsibly,” Quiray joked.
The band is currently recording their debut album at No Boundaries Studios with producer Chris Piquette, and according to Quiray, it’s going well.
“This band has been what you would call a passion project,” he said. “We’ve been playing and honing our material together for years and it’s super exciting for us to see our music come to life in the studio.”
“There’s a rich and inter-connected musical history between the band members,” he added. “We’ve spent years developing our songs and our style and we look forward to sharing the music and getting feedback on our sound.”
The Nurse’s full length album, ‘Memento Mori’, will be available sometime mid-late 2022. Follow the band online for updates at https://www.facebook.com/thenursemusic.
