Solo Suzzy: Suzzy Roche on her own
by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., May 15, 1998)

-- For Suzzy Roche, stepping out from the confines of the singing sister trio The Roches last fall was more than just about the need to fly solo. It was about the wholesale transformation of the self.

"It was a big step for me in my life, as opposed to just a career move," said Roche, in a recent phone interview from her New York City apartment.

Last fall, Roche took what she calls the "terrifying" step of releasing her debut solo album, "Holy Smokes" (Red House) and performing without sisters Maggie and Terre -- with whom she had been appearing onstage for 20 years -- for the first time.

While it may have been a frightening move for Roche, fans have welcomed her with open arms, and plans are already in the works for a follow-up album.

In the meantime, Roche continues to carve out her new niche as a solo singer-songwriter on the road, her next stop being the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield on Saturday night, May 16, at 8. For ticket information call 443-7171, ext. 20.

"Holy Smokes" served up a recognizable brew of the cozy, literate folk-pop that was The Roches' trademark over the course of 10 albums, albeit in this case all from the particular point of view of the youngest sister of the clan.

"That was probably one of the most interesting things for me, to really allow myself to take the time to write from my own point of view and for myself," said Roche, who in The Roches shared composing and singing duties with her sisters.

As a result of the intense period of concentration on her own work, Roche has "changed into someone else," she said. "I'm no longer the person I was before I started, and that's what I needed. I needed to go into the next phase of my life."

Ironically, just around the time that the Roche sisters were deciding to call it quits as a trio in favor of following their individual muses, the sort of female folk-pop they played was becoming more popular than ever.

The irony of ducking out just as all the LilithFair-style artists were hitting big is not lost on Roche. "We were pioneers," she said. "Just like the first people to cross the Rocky Mountains were. We didn't make it all the way over, but we did our part. That's why for me I really get a lot of satisfaction out of watching all these people coming into the real mainstream.

"We were never in the mainstream. There was always a lot of resistance to what we were doing in the mainstream. So here we were -- the generation before -- and I just feel like this is what we were a part of, the beginning of something. That's a really nice feeling. I feel very proud of our place in things."

Traveling and performing solo has taken some getting used to, said Roche. "I'm used to traveling in a group where I would just be in this little bubble and not interact with other people outside," she said. "It's a big switch because now I'm traveling alone and you meet a lot of people and interact a lot more. It's just so drastically different."

Whereas at first it was terrifying to go out on stage alone, Roche has come to terms with holding forth on her own. "It's different now," she said. "That initial terror doesn't happen any more. Now I just try to be as empty as possible in all things. I just try to be open to whatever is happening at the moment."

While The Roches were never a household name, they had a large enough following so that in this region they played in theaters like the Berkshire Performing Arts Theatre in Lenox and the Troy (N.Y.) Savings Bank Music Hall.

On her own, Roche has had to adjust to a more grassroots-style of touring, playing smaller venues like folk clubs and coffeehouses. "It's on a different level from what I was used to, but it's very human and I like it," she said, likening her current situation to being a "vaudeville performer."

"There's some give and take with the audience. It depends on what they want to do. If they don't want the give and take, then you're stuck with yourself."

Roche said her current concert repertoire consists mostly of songs from "Holy Smokes" and some new, unrecorded material, with an occasional favorite from The Roches thrown in.

When she is not involved in music, Roche has a parallel career in acting. Her film credits include "Crossing Delancey" and the cult- favorite, "My New Gun." This fall, Roche will rejoin the Wooster Group, the New York-based experimental theater troupe she has performed with in the past, in an adaptation of a Gertrude Stein text.

As for her sisters, Roche says Maggie and Terre are each cultivating their own garden. Terre has been the more public one, having performed solo and with a band in and around New York. Maggie, said Roche, is "doing things very much in the privacy of her own life."

As for the question on everyone's minds, Roche makes no predictions about a Roches reunion. "We spent twenty years beyond the point where most people leave their families," she said. "We spent twenty years together in order to do this artistic endeavor, and it was a real nice gift to give ourselves to say it's time for us to go out and be individual people.

"That's a real treat for each of us, because you do sacrifice a lot by always having to be connected to your sisters, and to have to be like the three little dolls. That's the downside of it. The upside is we got to make all these amazing records. We had total creative freedom, and we had a great time."

If you would like to purchase any of Suzzy Roche CDs on-line, please click on the SoundStone logo to the right.

[This article originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on May 15, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]