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The Roches Biography
Notes on Moonswept from The Roches:
This cd has been a fun surprise for The Roches. After ten years of collaborating with other people, studying, experimenting, doing and undoing, they decided to see what would happen if they got together to create new songs. They started by going out on the road, reconnecting with their fans who come out of the woodwork to hear them sing. They had a lot of fun making this recording. Instead of working with other musicians, they decided to play almost everything themselves. Most of the time, they sat around in a circle and sang. Stewart Lerman, long time collaborator in the studio, added percussion, some of the bass parts, and a few special touches. Garry Dial played the piano on “Piggy Mask”, and Lucy Roche (Suzzy’s daughter) sang her own composition “Long Before”.
This recording is all about love, growing up and surviving. In a way, it’s a greeting card to long lost friends. Here are a few thoughts about each song from The Roches.
Huh: (words by suzzy, music by terre) This particular song came out of another song (which never made it) I had written a song that Terre didn’t particularly like. So I took the line that she really hated and used it to write this song. -suzzy
Only You Know How: (by terre) I had bought a ukulele after teaching at The Puget Sound Guitar Workshop in the summer of 2005. I am always buying instruments that I don’t know how to play. Trying to learn how to work the ukulele I was distracted by the sadness of that particular week, which was the one in which Hurricane Katrina had demolished New Orleans. I thought about my love, Garry, and how scared we both are of how violent the world seems sometimes. -terre
No Shoes: This song comes to us from Paranoid Larry, a great songwriter from New York City, who also teaches Shakespeare to high school kids. Check out his website: www.paranoidlarry.com -suzzy
Moonswept: (by suzzy) I had the opportunity to hear the poet John Ashbery speak to students. As I was listening to him answer the student’s questions, I found a poem in his book called The Template and I scribbled “moonswept” in a notebook. Months later I stumbled upon these words and liked them. I get a lot of inspiration from poets, who work heavily in the mystery zone, and I thank John Ashbery and the students for inspiring this song. -suzzy
A Family Of Bones: (words by suzzy/music by maggie) I sent Maggie these lyrics, on a fluke. The next day she came in with the tune. Lyrically the song reminds me of my early childhood. Once, when we were very young, Terre and I were almost killed by a runaway car. A sanitation worker who was collecting garbage literally scooped us up in his arms and removed us from the path of the car. The brick wall that we had been standing in front of was completely demolished. Even though I was four years old, I was aware that he had saved our lives. It was my first thought of death and somehow this song reminds me of that incident. -suzzy
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane: This old hit song was one of our very first “45s”. We listened to this song as young kids. When we started singing together, it was one of the first songs we learned. -suzzy
Long Before: (by lucy roche) This is Lucy’s song. She grew up on the road with us. When she was young, she thought she was on stage with us, even though she was in the audience. She would run backstage and tell us all the mistakes we made. Lucy has an uncommonly beautiful, pure voice. -suzzy
Piggy Mask: (by terre & suzzy) At dinner with Suzzy and Garry, he said “The fantasy is over. The piggy mask isn’t working for me anymore.” I knew he was referring to a scene in a Roman Polanski movie in which two people had gone to great lengths to keep their sex lives afloat. Suzzy hadn’t seen the movie but I’ll never forget how heartily she laughed at the words. I wrote them down and the next day she came over to my house and we wrote the song. I’m not sure why, but I have the feeling that this song is about my country, America. I invite you to listen to it with that in mind. -terre
Us Little Kids: (by suzzy) This one comes directly from a childhood memory, also. As a kid, there was a park I used to go to by myself. For some reason, no other kids were ever playing in it. There was a seesaw. If you’ve ever tried to seesaw by yourself, you’ve realized that all you really do is stay on the ground. I used to watch the sun go down there. It was strange and beautiful. -suzzy
Stop Performing: (words by terre/music by maggie) I came across these lyrics in a notebook that I had. I don’t remember what prompted me to write them. I gave them to Maggie and she came into rehearsal with the music. When I heard the words as she had fit them into the music there were things I hadn’t realized were in there. (I would never have been so lewd!) -terre
Gung Ho: (by terre) An 18 year old guy named Ross came to my house for a guitar lesson. His enthusiasm was like a tornado. It left me smiling for a few days afterwards. I had the first verse in a notebook and wrote the rest in the wake of the tornado. But it really is the story of my life. Thanks Ross! -terre
Instead I Chose: (words by suzzy/music by terre) I saw a tv show about the Donner Party. It was incredibly moving. All I had ever heard about the Donner Party was that they were “cannibals”. But the real story is a love story of hardship beyond belief. The next day I got up and wrote these words before I was really awake. I gave them to Terre and she made up the tune. -suzzy
September Eleventh At The Shambhala Center: (by terre) The Shambhala Center is the place where I learned how to meditate. The director of the center asked me if I would participate in a memorial concert which took place on September 11, 2002, one year after the World Trade Center tragedy. I thought I might do one of my older songs at the memorial. Instead this song started appearing in my mind, line by line over the next few weeks. The day of the memorial a very warm strong wind blew through the streets of New York. Many people felt it might be spirits. -terre
Jesus Shaves: (by paranoid larry) Another classic by Paranoid Larry. It speaks for itself, I think. It’s makes me laugh, but it’s also a love story. If you start to meditate on it, you might be surprised at all the different angles it touches. -suzzy
This cd has been a fun surprise for The Roches. After ten years of collaborating with other people, studying, experimenting, doing and undoing, they decided to see what would happen if they got together to create new songs. They started by going out on the road, reconnecting with their fans who come out of the woodwork to hear them sing. They had a lot of fun making this recording. Instead of working with other musicians, they decided to play almost everything themselves. Most of the time, they sat around in a circle and sang. Stewart Lerman, long time collaborator in the studio, added percussion, some of the bass parts, and a few special touches. Garry Dial played the piano on “Piggy Mask”, and Lucy Roche (Suzzy’s daughter) sang her own composition “Long Before”.
This recording is all about love, growing up and surviving. In a way, it’s a greeting card to long lost friends. Here are a few thoughts about each song from The Roches.
Huh: (words by suzzy, music by terre) This particular song came out of another song (which never made it) I had written a song that Terre didn’t particularly like. So I took the line that she really hated and used it to write this song. -suzzy
Only You Know How: (by terre) I had bought a ukulele after teaching at The Puget Sound Guitar Workshop in the summer of 2005. I am always buying instruments that I don’t know how to play. Trying to learn how to work the ukulele I was distracted by the sadness of that particular week, which was the one in which Hurricane Katrina had demolished New Orleans. I thought about my love, Garry, and how scared we both are of how violent the world seems sometimes. -terre
No Shoes: This song comes to us from Paranoid Larry, a great songwriter from New York City, who also teaches Shakespeare to high school kids. Check out his website: www.paranoidlarry.com -suzzy
Moonswept: (by suzzy) I had the opportunity to hear the poet John Ashbery speak to students. As I was listening to him answer the student’s questions, I found a poem in his book called The Template and I scribbled “moonswept” in a notebook. Months later I stumbled upon these words and liked them. I get a lot of inspiration from poets, who work heavily in the mystery zone, and I thank John Ashbery and the students for inspiring this song. -suzzy
A Family Of Bones: (words by suzzy/music by maggie) I sent Maggie these lyrics, on a fluke. The next day she came in with the tune. Lyrically the song reminds me of my early childhood. Once, when we were very young, Terre and I were almost killed by a runaway car. A sanitation worker who was collecting garbage literally scooped us up in his arms and removed us from the path of the car. The brick wall that we had been standing in front of was completely demolished. Even though I was four years old, I was aware that he had saved our lives. It was my first thought of death and somehow this song reminds me of that incident. -suzzy
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane: This old hit song was one of our very first “45s”. We listened to this song as young kids. When we started singing together, it was one of the first songs we learned. -suzzy
Long Before: (by lucy roche) This is Lucy’s song. She grew up on the road with us. When she was young, she thought she was on stage with us, even though she was in the audience. She would run backstage and tell us all the mistakes we made. Lucy has an uncommonly beautiful, pure voice. -suzzy
Piggy Mask: (by terre & suzzy) At dinner with Suzzy and Garry, he said “The fantasy is over. The piggy mask isn’t working for me anymore.” I knew he was referring to a scene in a Roman Polanski movie in which two people had gone to great lengths to keep their sex lives afloat. Suzzy hadn’t seen the movie but I’ll never forget how heartily she laughed at the words. I wrote them down and the next day she came over to my house and we wrote the song. I’m not sure why, but I have the feeling that this song is about my country, America. I invite you to listen to it with that in mind. -terre
Us Little Kids: (by suzzy) This one comes directly from a childhood memory, also. As a kid, there was a park I used to go to by myself. For some reason, no other kids were ever playing in it. There was a seesaw. If you’ve ever tried to seesaw by yourself, you’ve realized that all you really do is stay on the ground. I used to watch the sun go down there. It was strange and beautiful. -suzzy
Stop Performing: (words by terre/music by maggie) I came across these lyrics in a notebook that I had. I don’t remember what prompted me to write them. I gave them to Maggie and she came into rehearsal with the music. When I heard the words as she had fit them into the music there were things I hadn’t realized were in there. (I would never have been so lewd!) -terre
Gung Ho: (by terre) An 18 year old guy named Ross came to my house for a guitar lesson. His enthusiasm was like a tornado. It left me smiling for a few days afterwards. I had the first verse in a notebook and wrote the rest in the wake of the tornado. But it really is the story of my life. Thanks Ross! -terre
Instead I Chose: (words by suzzy/music by terre) I saw a tv show about the Donner Party. It was incredibly moving. All I had ever heard about the Donner Party was that they were “cannibals”. But the real story is a love story of hardship beyond belief. The next day I got up and wrote these words before I was really awake. I gave them to Terre and she made up the tune. -suzzy
September Eleventh At The Shambhala Center: (by terre) The Shambhala Center is the place where I learned how to meditate. The director of the center asked me if I would participate in a memorial concert which took place on September 11, 2002, one year after the World Trade Center tragedy. I thought I might do one of my older songs at the memorial. Instead this song started appearing in my mind, line by line over the next few weeks. The day of the memorial a very warm strong wind blew through the streets of New York. Many people felt it might be spirits. -terre
Jesus Shaves: (by paranoid larry) Another classic by Paranoid Larry. It speaks for itself, I think. It’s makes me laugh, but it’s also a love story. If you start to meditate on it, you might be surprised at all the different angles it touches. -suzzy
The Roches All Music Guide Biography
Noted for their lush harmonies, quirky songs, and impressive stylistic range, the three Roche sisters -- Maggie, Terre, and Suzzy -- were among contemporary folk music's most endearing artists. The Roches began singing together while growing up in New York during the late '50s and early '60s, taking to the streets of the city each holiday season to regale passersby with Christmas carols. At the end of the decade both Maggie (the oldest) and Terre (the middle daughter) quit school to begin touring professionally as a duo. In 1970 they met Paul Simon, who tapped them to sing backup on his There Goes Rhymin' Simon album. He also helped get them a contract with Columbia; their debut LP, Seductive Reasoning, followed in 1975, but went largely unnoticed. For a time, the Roches considered quitting the music business, even leaving New York to retreat to Louisiana; eventually they returned north, at which time Suzzy left college to join the group full-time.
Restored to a trio, the Roches became a staple of the Greenwich Village folk circuit and a favorite of local critics. In 1979, they signed to Warner Bros. to issue a self-titled LP produced by Robert Fripp, earning acclaim for their exquisite harmonies (equal parts Terre's ethereal upper register, Maggie's near-baritone low notes, and Suzzy's midrange acrobatics). While the track "The Married Men" later scored a successful cover by Phoebe Snow, The Roches itself was not a hit. For 1980's Nurds, they changed direction, augmenting their basic folk sound with a rock rhythm section comprised of former Television bassist Fred Smith and Patti Smith Group drummer Jay Dee Daugherty. Fripp returned to produce 1982's Keep on Doing, a largely acoustic effort featuring cameos from members of his band King Crimson. When neither it nor its follow-up, 1985's Another World, was a commercial success, the trio left Warner to return to touring.
The Roches finally resurfaced on record in 1989, issuing Speak on MCA to the usual press acclaim and negligible sales. Their next effort, 1990's We Three Kings, was a Christmas album fondly recalling the sisters' roots. After 1992's A Dove, the trio left MCA to record a children's album, Will You Be My Friend?, issued on the tiny Baby Boom label in 1994. Continuing to cater to the younger set, that same year they recorded the soundtrack to the animated feature The Land Before Time II. For 1995's Can We Go Home Now, they signed to Rykodisc; another Roche sibling -- brother David -- was on hand to lend backing vocals. In early 1997, the Roches announced they were, at least temporarily, going their separate ways. While Maggie remained quiet, Terre soon formed a new group, Terre Roche & Her Moodswings, and later that same year Suzzy issued her first solo LP, Holy Smokes. In 2003 Rhino/Warner Bros released the Collected Works of the Roches compilation, prompting the trio to re-form after an 11-year hiatus for 2007's excellent Moonswept. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Restored to a trio, the Roches became a staple of the Greenwich Village folk circuit and a favorite of local critics. In 1979, they signed to Warner Bros. to issue a self-titled LP produced by Robert Fripp, earning acclaim for their exquisite harmonies (equal parts Terre's ethereal upper register, Maggie's near-baritone low notes, and Suzzy's midrange acrobatics). While the track "The Married Men" later scored a successful cover by Phoebe Snow, The Roches itself was not a hit. For 1980's Nurds, they changed direction, augmenting their basic folk sound with a rock rhythm section comprised of former Television bassist Fred Smith and Patti Smith Group drummer Jay Dee Daugherty. Fripp returned to produce 1982's Keep on Doing, a largely acoustic effort featuring cameos from members of his band King Crimson. When neither it nor its follow-up, 1985's Another World, was a commercial success, the trio left Warner to return to touring.
The Roches finally resurfaced on record in 1989, issuing Speak on MCA to the usual press acclaim and negligible sales. Their next effort, 1990's We Three Kings, was a Christmas album fondly recalling the sisters' roots. After 1992's A Dove, the trio left MCA to record a children's album, Will You Be My Friend?, issued on the tiny Baby Boom label in 1994. Continuing to cater to the younger set, that same year they recorded the soundtrack to the animated feature The Land Before Time II. For 1995's Can We Go Home Now, they signed to Rykodisc; another Roche sibling -- brother David -- was on hand to lend backing vocals. In early 1997, the Roches announced they were, at least temporarily, going their separate ways. While Maggie remained quiet, Terre soon formed a new group, Terre Roche & Her Moodswings, and later that same year Suzzy issued her first solo LP, Holy Smokes. In 2003 Rhino/Warner Bros released the Collected Works of the Roches compilation, prompting the trio to re-form after an 11-year hiatus for 2007's excellent Moonswept. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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