Rebecca Nurse

"Rebecca Nurse lead singer Tracy Garrity is a red-hot rock goddess who drips sex appeal as she shimmies and shakes around the stage belting out song after song. Her voice is powerful and confident, containing equal doses of sarcasm and sweetness. She is the perfect front person for the band's snotty, pop-laced hard rock. She just seems so comfortable onstage, hips thrusting, throwing out vocal put-downs and flipping off all the jerky men and other assorted oddballs that bother her.

And her tough-chick persona merges quite well with the hard rock riffage thrown out by her brother, guitarist Shawn. Shawn has a powerful playing style as he bashes out the power chords that seem to spur his sister on.

They reminded me of a younger, snottier Cheap Trick."
- Thomas Pizzola, Hartford Advocate, 12/05/02

"Listening to Rebecca Nurse's debut CD Infamous Anus (Sling Slang Records), it's not hard to begin name-dropping acts whose magic they recall. Touches of Van Halen (when they didn't take themselves so damn seriously), Lita Ford, Hole and X mix with Wormtown alumni like the Missionarys, Black Rose Garden, The Worst and current Boston darlings The Charms. However, guitarist Shawn Garrity disagrees. "I don't know of any popular bands that sound like us, and that's no mistake." Rebecca Nurse's songs have a nice combination of attitude, snarl, sarcasm, harmony, sing-a-long flavor and nursery-rhyme feel.

On occasion, the vocals of crawl out of your speaker as if vocalist Tracy Garrity (Shawn's sis) is staring you right in the eyes. "She blatantly targets people who have pissed her off in the past, and we try to convey that type of in-your-face attitude in every song," Garrity says. "Its not only an attack on people who piss us off, but on music as well. It takes very little musical talent to make a living playing music today, and we despise people who take advantage of that fact. We use our music to convey that."

Guitarist Garrity says his Providence based group's influences include The Pixies, The Hives and The Strokes. Infamous Anus was released at the start of the summer. The track "Hilly Billy" has been getting the most airplay. "For some reason people really get a kick out of hearing about other people doing stupid things, which is what 'Hilly Billy' is about," Garrity says. "Plus it is probably the catchiest song on the album." Perhaps.

The disc features two versions of "Miserable Hell." The first, which sparks Charms comparisons thanks in part to Angelo Franco's snappy drumbeat dancing with bassist Matt Kucharski, features Tracy promising the object of her scorn, most probably an ex-boyfriend, "I'm on my way to making your life a miserable hell." An acoustic version of the song presents it in a whole different light and recalls the fact that for all the full-fledged carnival that Courtney Love brought to Hole, they received their major label contract thanks to a pure acoustic version of "Doll Parts."

The Garritys used to play Worcester with Frame of Mind, a cover band with whom they'd try to sneak in a few originals each show. "We played The Irish Times about once a month," Garrity says. "However we got sick of playing covers and wanted to concentrate on our own material, which is why we started Rebecca Nurse."

Since that time, they've made frequent house calls to Central Massachusetts. Their performances have earned them repeat invites from local club owners. "The most common feedback we hear after a show is 'Wow, you guys have a great stage performance," says Garrity. "We put every ounce of energy we have into every show, whether there's one person or 1,000 in attendance. It helps that we believe in what we're saying and doing."
- Brian Goslow, Worcester Magazine, 08/21/03

"Tracy Garrity, lead singer for Providence pop-punk band, Rebecca Nurse has one simple goal in mind when she hits the stage. "When I perform, I'll find that one guy who's sitting at the bar who didn't pay attention to the two previous bands on the bill," says Garrity. "I will get him to pay attention."

Those are pretty confident words, but for the most part, she's speaking the truth, as Rebecca Nurse made many people pay attention at their CD release last Saturday at Michel Angelo's. The band was celebrating the release of their Sling Slang Records debut, Infamous Anus.

Rebecca Nurse, which is composed of Tracy's brother Shawn on guitar, bassist Matt Kucharski and drummer Angelo Franco, deals in catchy three-minute tirades against those who royally piss them off, delivered with a cutting sarcasm and an unhealthy dose of toilet humor. It's a raucous combination of Ramones-style riffing and anthemic choruses that sticks to the ears the way all good pop-punk should.

While the CD is a decent introduction to the band, nothing compares to their live show. They just seem like they were born to be on stage. If Rebecca Nurse keep putting on performances as good as this one, then they'll definitely get the attention of more people than just the disinterested drunk at the bar. Many more people, believe me."
- Thomas Pizzola, Hartford Advocate, 06/26/03

"Fantastic transitions is the first thing I think of with the band Rebecca Nurse. Tracy Garrity, lead singer, has an incredibly seductive voice - one of those Gwen Stefani or Debby Harry voices that makes you feel... I don't know... just makes you FEEL. She is enchanting.

I constantly compare bands with great lyrics and sticks-with-you voices to one of my favorites, the band X. This band REALLY captures that free-flowing angry-but-hip vibe. I swear this time. Rebecca Nurse has ended my X comparisons.

My favorite track, by far, is "Patio". Great song with a cool tempo, great bass line. This is followed by another gem, "Hill Billy". They are able to completely change up their style and still bang it out like it was born in them.

"Infamous Anus" has an 80's feel, without a doubt. It brings a lot to the table. Look for a full in-depth feature on this disc. I may not yet be finished. Rebecca Nurse, thanks for reminding me how upbeat music can be. Too much metal out there..."
- Eric Dimbleby, The Local Mix, 11/25/03