The Roches

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The Roches
Origin New Jersey,
Genre(s) Rock
Folk
Years active 1973 — Present
Label(s) Columbia Records
Warner Bros.
MCA
429 Records
Website http://www.roches.com
Members
Maggie Roche
Terre Roche
Suzzy Roche

The Roches (Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche) are a female vocal group of three songwriting sisters from Park Ridge, New Jersey,[1] known for their unusual and rich harmonies, quirky lyrics, and casually comedic stage performances. In recent years the sisters have performed alone or in pairs, but current appearances (as of January 2007) are featuring the trio.[2]

Contents

[edit] Career

In the late 1960s, eldest sister Margaret and middle sister Terre (pronounced "Terry") quit school to tour as a duo. Maggie wrote most of the songs, with Terre contributing to a few. The sisters got a break when Paul Simon brought them in as backup singers on his album There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973). They returned the favor, so to speak, by getting his assistance (along with an appearance by The Oak Ridge Boys) on their only album as a duo, Seductive Reasoning (1975). Shortly after that, youngest sister Suzzy (rhymes with "fuzzy") joined the group to form The Roches trio.

Around this time, they parlayed bartending jobs at famous Greenwich Village folk venue Gerde's Folk City into stage appearances, an experience they commemorated in their song, "Face Down at Folk City" (from Another World, 1985). It was here that they met many of their future singing and songwriting collaborators. Terre was now writing songs as well, and by the time of their first album as a trio, The Roches (1979), Suzzy also began writing. Robert Fripp produced the musically sparse album that allowed the sisters' harmonies to shine through. Maggie's "The Married Men" from this album was eventually to become the biggest hit of the songwriting trio — not for them, but for Phoebe Snow.

Throughout the 1980s, The Roches continued to release their music to small but appreciative audiences, little or no air play, and only modest record sales. In 1990, they returned to their Christmas-caroling roots with the release of the 24-track We Three Kings, which included the a cappella "Star of Wonder", written by Terre. After another pop album (A Dove, 1992), they recorded an entire album of children's songs entitled Will You Be My Friend?, featuring a song by brother David and a gaggle of young backup singers, including Suzzy's daughter Lucy.

After a tour interrupted by the death of their father, The Roches crafted a more somber and thoughtful album, Can We Go Home Now (1995), the last original recording they released as a trio until 2007.

In 1997, the sisters formally put their group on long-term hold. They continued to work on solo projects and often collaborated on albums and performances. Terre teaches guitar workshops and has released a solo album. Suzzy, who has acted on the stage and in several movies, released two of her own albums and two with Maggie, with whom she has toured. All three sisters can be found periodically participating in New York-area events. At the end of 2005, the three Roches (with brother Dave) reunited for a short but highly successful holiday tour. Several more appearances in the U.S. and Canada took place 2006-7, and in March 2007, after a 12-year hiatus, The Roches released a new studio album, Moonswept.[3]

[edit] A musical family

Maggie has a contralto voice that provides an unusual bass element for all-female harmonies. Terre provides a soprano that brackets the upper range of the sisters, while Suzzy fills in the middle range. While touring, the sisters accompany themselves with guitars and keyboards, frequently without additional musicians.

Musical talent runs further in the family. Brother David is also a singer-songwriter with his own solo album, and has often backed up the trio on their recordings.[4][5] [6] Maggie's son, Felix McTeigue, has recorded two albums (one with his group Filo).[7][8] Suzzy's daughter Lucy Roche has also contributed vocals on the Roches' and McTeigue's albums,[9][10] and in 2007 she produced a CD of her own.[citation needed]

The majority of Roches songs are written by the three sisters, alone, in every combination, and occasionally collaborating with other songwriters. They have also recorded their own arrangements of songs from a variety of New York folk artists, as well as a few covers of famous songs. (Their three-part arrangement of the normally four-part "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah", featured on Keep on Doing [1982], is legendary in a cappella circles.)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Maggie & Terre Roche

  • Seductive Reasoning (Columbia, 1975)
  • I Gave My Love a Kerry (Earth Rock Wreckerds, 2004)

[edit] The Roches

[edit] Suzzy Roche

[edit] Terre Roche

  • The Sound of a Tree Falling (Earth Rock Wreckerds, 1998)

[edit] Suzzy & Maggie Roche

  • Zero Church (Red House, 2002)
  • Why The Long Face (Red House Records, 2004)

[edit] Other appearances

  • Soundstage (1983). The Roches were the featured group in one episode of this televised music series.
  • Songs from Liquid Days (1986). The Roches are featured in two songs in this collection of music composed by Philip Glass.
  • Crossing Delancey (1988), starring Amy Irving. Suzzy played Marilyn, a friend of Isabelle (Irving). The Roches provided several songs for the soundtrack. One of the songs that was featured in the film, "Nocturne," is also featured on the group's 1989 album "Speak."
  • Stay Awake (1988). The Roches contributed to this tribute album.
  • Tiny Toons Adventures, episode "New Character Day" (20 Feb 1991). The Roches appropriately played a trio of singing roaches.
  • A Weekend in the Country (1994). The trio play themselves, performing "Pregnant Pause" at a concert.
  • A Family Concert (K-Tel VHS, 1995). Includes performances by The Roches and The Music Workshop For Kids.
  • Anthem (Intersound, 1996), by the Desolation Angels, an über-group consisting of The Roches, Karla DeVito, Kit Hain, Deborah Berg, the Blister Sisters, and Jane Kelly Williams.
  • Christmas Songs (One Voice/Satellites Records, 1996), by the Carolling Carollers, another über-group consisting of The Roches, Ilana Iguana, Margaret Dorn, Libby Mclaren, and Bonnie Mann.
  • Tracey Takes On..., episode "Music" (30 Apr 1997).
  • Moms That Cook (Baby Boom, 1999), by The Music Workshop For Kids. Suzzy produced as well as performed on this album by various artists.
  • Nod to Bob: An Artists' Tribute to Bob Dylan on His 60th Birthday (Red House, 2001). Suzzy and Maggie perform 'Clothes Line Saga' from The Basement Tapes.
  • Some Assembly Required (Shanachie, 2002), by the Four Bitchin' Babes. Suzzy was one of the latter-day Babes in this rotating-membership pop-folk group founded by Christine Lavin.

[edit] Other musical associations

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Cocks, Jay. "Valentines from the Danger Zone", Time (magazine), May 7, 1979. Retrieved on 2007-10-16. "She and Terre performed them first in the family living room in Park Ridge, N.J., then later on the back of a flat-bed truck in nearby shopping centers for the benefit of a local politician and the glory of the Democratic Party." 
  2. ^ "Calendar of Appearances & Events". Roches' official website. Retrieved on 2007-01-21.
  3. ^ "The Roches" (home page). Roches official website. Retrieved on 2007-01-21.
  4. ^ "Dave Roche: Credits". All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  5. ^ "David Roche: Songs". All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  6. ^ "David Roche: Credits". All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  7. ^ "Filo: Hoi Polloi". All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  8. ^ Hartenbach, Brett. Review: Felix McTeigue. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  9. ^ "Lucy Roche: Songs". All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  10. ^ "Lucy Roche: Credits". All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.

[edit] References

  • O'Dair, Barbara, ed. Trouble Girls: The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock (1997). ISBN 0-679-76874-2.
  • Woliver, Robbie. Bringing It All Back Home: 25 Years of American Music at Folk City (1986). ISBN 0-394-74068-8.
  • Discography liner notes

[edit] External links

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