#suzzy roche

[musicmags]

[spilladabalia]

The Roches featuring Robert Fripp ''Hammond Song''

[pierreism]

The Roches - McCarter Theatre, Princeton NJ 4/14/90

The Roches from the McCarter Theatre in Princeton NJ. on April 14th, 1990. This is footage that was ripped from my DVD that was made from my master tape. JVC Single Tube Camera, Nakamichi 300 microphones -} Panasonic AG-7400 portable SVHS recorder. (I've had single songs from this show up for more than 10 years on my channel and I've wanted to put the whole show up in its order for some time. Today is the day. The quality will be a bit better on this one too. Enjoy!

via Jonathan Bernstein

[elvisomar]

The Roches  |  Pretty and High  |  The Roches (1979)

Produced by Robert Fripp.

[jt1674]

[dollarbin]

Nickel Bin #12:

The Roches' Losing True

Ah yeah, Dollar Binners, it's Roches time. We celebrated the beginning of this already silly year with Maggie, Terre and Suzzy's epic monster track, The Hammond Song: five minutes of bizarre and perfectly harmonic storytelling swirling around Robert Fripp's equally bizarre and perfect guitar effusions.

Losing True, from the sisters' third record, Keep on Doing, is the natural sequel to The Hammond Song. And, unlike the Roches' coveted first record, Keep on Doing is a certified Dollar Bin mainstay: it's relatively easy to track down alongside mid to late late seventies Carole King albums (which are optional to your collection) and the essential to us all 70's titles from the Lord and Lady of the Dollar Bin, Gordon Lightfoot and Linda Ronstadt.

Take a listen.

There's no better surf to be had than on this swell of voices. The sisters curl and churn around one another, cradling us in warmth and bold sun sparkle.

We already know that they skipped town, risking everything, to go down Hammond, and, as promised, they never came back. Losing True tells us what happened next. They, or maybe it's just the iconically elfin and yet deep throated Maggie, who wrote both songs, wound up with the wrong guy. But now they're ready to ditch Loudon Wainwright, who seemingly had a thing going with every female singer-songwriter of that era, like a dead skunk in the middle of the road, and reunite with one another in jubilant song.

Happily, they invite Fripp to the reunion. He'd sat out their underwhelming and poorly produced sophomore record but he's back on Losing True with his signature, other-worldly harmonics and blatant skills. Fripp knows better than to upstage the ladies and it's a shame we don't have 16 more sequels to The Hammond Song to keep on spinning on a suddenly sweet weekday.

Cheers Everyone...

[soundgrammar]

The Roches (left to right: Suzzy, Maggie, Terre)

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

The Roches - Metropol, Berlin, Germany, November 3, 1982

Sometimes, nothing but The Roches sounds good. Here, we've got an excellent Rockpalast performance from around the time of the Keep On Doing LP. Maggie, Terre and Suzzy kick things off in fine fashion with that album's "Losing True," sending laser beams of pure harmony out into the crowd of rowdy Berliners. Somehow, that crowd remains a little rowdy throughout the Roches set — how??? Well, it turns out they were waiting for the Go-Go's, who were riding high on a few new wave hits at the time. Can we check out the Go-Go's, too? Oh yeah, we can.

But before you do that, dig the one-two punch that The Roches close with — Dylan's "Clothesline Saga" and "Hammond Song." That Dylan cover is an especially inspired choice, allowing the sisters to inhabit a number of characters and voices, uttering gnomic riddles and otherwise unspeakable truths beneath everyday exchanges. That's kinda the same thing that happens on "Hammond Song," too. Has Bob ever listened to "Hammond Song"? I bet he has.

[hammill-goes-fogwalking]

hmmmmmmmm okay okay top 5 bands. well my absolute favorite top #1 is going to be a dead giveaway as to who i am if you follow me which i think you do and if you pay attention but i don't post about them all too much because nobody else cares so maybe i can preserve my anonymity and still answer this question. i don't know if i even put them on the list of bands on the secret santa signup form actually but

THE ROCHES. they were my first band obsession definitely i have liked them since i was a small child. they're a folk trio, three sisters maggie terre and suzzy roche. they have interesting harmonies and kinda sassy funny lyrics.

i don't know about any kind of order for the other four why don't i go with: syd barrett. genesis (but only pg era). king crimson. pink floyd....can i put them with syd so i can also put....augh either rush or yes...i can't pick five i'm so sorry ahahahhaha

(took two days to post because whenever I dont study I have that terrible laziness 🫥)

okay so it’s the first time I hear of the Roches, and now I’m listening to them… really something completely different from everything else that ive ever been familiar with!? They’re so different, its not easy to listen to more than three songs in a row XD like from a different world

later, now I watched some videos of them, listened to the first half of the debut album (because it’s at night here) and one thing that kinda bothers me: why is there no English Wikipedia side for the members but in German Wikipedia there is 🤣

with your other favourites I agree -except Rush 🗿- but hey, with so many bands I don't dare to say 'all' I always have a negative sight on them before I turn a fan, algorithm

[redsoapbox]

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY INDIE CHRISTMAS (VOLUMES 1-4) COMES TO A CLOSE BY BEING NAMED 'THE GREATEST INDIE XMAS ALBUM EVER' (JOHN KENNEDY - RADIO X).

So there we have it. Three years plus of joyous hard work, curating 208 of the finest original indie Christmas songs in order to raise funds for Crisis at Christmas. The money raised by Have Yourself A Merry Indie Christmas (HYAMIC) will be officially confirmed as soon as the holiday is over (comfortably between £11 and 12,000). I'd like to say a big thank you to the various Crisis case officers who have assisted me, presently Ali Discombe. All have been kind and understanding of my circumstances.

As a music writer, and as somebody who likes to talk about great pop music almost as much as I like listening to great pop music, curating the album has been thrill-a-minute stuff. I still can't quite believe that some of my all-time favourite artists appear on the albums, including The Wedding Present, The Lucksmiths, Suzzy Roche, The Pearlfishers, Pete Astor, Tot Taylor, BOB and Armstrong. Equally, I was thrilled to discover scores of new bands that now rank alongside those favs mentioned above. I could list a 100 here, but will settle for - Sunturns (I played 'III' on Boxing Day morning and it blew me away!), Alpine Subs, Les Bicyclettes de Belsize, St Lenox, Hanemoon, Charlie's Hand Movements and Pale Sunday. There are songs on the HYAMIC albums that I would now rank in my top 20 Xmas songs of all-time - I absolutely fell in love with 'A Pretty Good Christmas' on first listen' (The Disappointment Choir Tr4 Volume 1).

I want to thank all the writers/broadcasters/podcast hosts/presenters/label bosses that got right behind the project, including some names of true international renown. Take a bow -

John Harris, Pete Paphides, John Kennedy, Adrian Goldberg, Gareth Jones, Andy Von Pip, Huw Stephens, Adam Walton, Ken Kessler, DJ Indi, DJ Oscar, Mickey Bradley, Bill Cummings, Alice Peter-Burns, Dr Art Jipson, Matt (Sarah), Tom (Fika Recording), Sandra Zettpunkt, Kat E, Josh Meadows, Tony Hardy, Gideon Coe, Vic Galloway, Geraint Evans, Gary Raymond, Alex Rawls, Francis (New Sound Wales) Wayne (Sunshine music I Radio) and Darrin (subjangle). A special mention for Jim of Christmas Underground, a trailblazer who made an album of this type possible. I spent many, many happy hours reading his always illuminating thoughts on some of the extraordinary songs that he was uncovering. Huge apologies to those that I have no doubt missed off the list somewhere along the way.

Thanks to Karen, Jenny & Becky for all their love and understanding throughout the HYAMIC years!!!

The albums remain on sale here - https://v4velindre.bandcamp.com/music

Look out for the final figure raised on New Years Eve.

[pardontheglueman]

Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas Volume III : Line Up Reveal

Wales Arts Review is delighted to reveal the line-up for Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas Volume III, as the ultimate alternative Christmas album returns for a final installment, with an introduction by the album’s creator, Kevin McGrath.

I spent 2022 curating Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas Volumes I & II, a collection of 108 original Christmas songs, including contributions from Dodgy, Girl Ray, The Lilac Time, Pete Astor, Helen Love, White Town, bis and Suzzy Roche, in order to raise money for the homeless charity Crisis. The albums made a bit of a splash, being played on BBC6 Music, BBC Scotland, BBC Radio Wales (each volume was named an album of the week by Huw Stephens) and on Radio X. Internationally renowned critics John Harris and Pete Paphides endorsed the project, which raised just over £5,800 for Crisis at Christmas.

Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas Vol III, the final album in the series, follows the same eclectic mix as its predecessors: a generous sprinkling of celebrated indie names (this time around it’s The Wedding Present that tops the bill), cult combos from across Europe and America and a selection of underground bands that listeners will be thrilled to hear for the first time. All have one thing in common: they’ve each written a distinctive Christmas earworm that will make your Xmas playlists for years to come!

Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas III is available from Velindre Bandcamp, priced at £5.00. You can pre-order now, but if you can hold on until December 1st, a ‘bandcamp Friday’, the company waives its commission, raising even more money for Crisis. All of the credit for the compilation’s success goes to the contributing artists, a reflection of their creativity and generosity. As always, I don’t receive a penny.

It’s a thrill to exclusively reveal the line-up for Volume III at Wales Arts Review:

Merry Christmas Joey Ramone – El Sancho

El Sancho is a fast, fun DIY punk rock band from Hawaii. “Merry Christmas Joey Ramone”, taken from the combo’s 2022 cassette release Jollier Than Thou, is carried along on a wave of crunching riffs.

Christmas Was Better in the 80s – The Futureheads

The Futureheads, alongside Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, were part of the “angular movement” of post-punk inspired bands that emerged in the 2000s. This track was originally released in 2010 and there remains a lot to like here, from the song’s affectionate swipe at Xmas nostalgia, to its blockbuster chorus.

Would You – Sunturns

Sunturns are a Norwegian super-group devoted to Xmas, featuring members of Making Marks, Moddi, The Little Hands of Asphalt, Monzano and Einar Stray Orchestra. “Would You” has a cool, distrait vocal that smooths the way to a simply glorious chorus. Taken from their 2nd Xmas album Sunturns II (2015).

Lockdown Holiday – The Brixton Riot

New Jersey’s The Brixton Riot wrote and recorded this especially for Jon Solomon’s 32nd Annual 25-hour Holiday Marathon show on WPRB 103.3 FM. Princeton. A legendary festive broadcast from Princeton University campus.

The Loneliest Time of Year – The Wedding Present

David Gedge has flirted with Xmas songs once or twice before, returning to the subject as part of last year’s 24 Songs album. At the time of release, the singer noted “To be honest, I’ve been one of those ‘bah, humbug’ types ever since I realised that the thing we’re really celebrating on 25th of December is capitalism!”.

It Only Snows at Christmas – Les Bicyclettes de Belsize

Charlie Darling, the one and only member of Les Bicyclettes de Belsize, has a true passion for Xmas songs. This track has a sublime Weather Prophets sheen to it and can be found on the Christmas compilation Dufflecoats and Christmas Cards (2016).

Christmas in the Borough of Our Birth – The Virgin Birds

“Kiss me on the mouth, It’s Christmas Eve”, sings Jon Rooney, helmsman of Seattle’s Virgin of the Birds, in a striking, stream of consciousness lyric that ventures well outside the scope of a traditional seasonal song.

Merry (Christmas) and Me – Toad Venom

Even in the age of social media, there is a dearth of info on Toad Venom. A Swedish band “experimenting in the void between the spaghetti western and psychedelic rock”, this track aims for the stratosphere and damn near gets there. Released in 2021.

C U Christmas Day – Jacklen Ro

The opening lines – ‘I’m on my way to your new apartment/Just down the street from Sunset Boulevard/The neon lights are all shining on me/My mistletoe is always where you are’ – sends a romantic shiver skidding down the spine as LA’s Jackie Giroux & Caelen Perkins trade vocals in heartwarming, heart-on-sleeve fashion.

A Cold Wind – The Ornaments

The ninth intriguing instalment of Christmas music from The Ornaments. Wisconsin’s Mike Behrends and Lance Owens are joined on this twist-in-the-tale seasonal story by Erin Kirby, literally phoning in her part from the airport.

Take it Easy This Christmas – Health and Wellbeing

This beautiful tune is taken from the band’s Christmas Demos EP, released on Xmas Day last year. Despite my best efforts, I haven’t found out too much more about the band, except that there may well be a Welsh connection. A proper Christmas mystery!

Thee Christmas Card Committee – Wake Up And Smell The Sun

Philadelphia’s John Murray, the mainstay of Wake Up And Smell The Sun, has long specialised in Xmas music, so it is a shock to hear from the singer/songwriter that he is renouncing, if that is not too strong a word, the seasonal sub-genre altogether. Enjoy it while it lasts.

The Joy is in the Giving – Lisa Mychols

Lisa Mychols, aka the ‘Queen of power-pop’, founded the cult LA group the Masticators in 1998. More relevant to this project, Lisa worked with Darian Sahanaja & Nick Walusko of the Wondermints (regular backing band for Brian Wilson) on Lost Winter’s Dream (1991), now regarded as a lost Xmas classic. Lisa re-recorded this 2017 track for the album.

Always a Dream – Charlie’s Hand Movements

“Always A Dream” is taken from Lance Keeble and Adam Gardner’s unique compilation album Xmas Singles 2014-18.

Xmas Trip – Run On

New York’s Art-Rock outfit Run On ‘combine a love of pop, rock and the avant-garde’ (Heather Phares). Originally written in 1996, “Xmas Trip” was re-released last year to raise funds for the American Foundation for The Prevention of Suicide.

The Pearlfishers

The Pearlfishers released an Xmas classic (if you like Prefab Sprout and The Beach Boys, that is) in 2004’s A Sunflower at Christmas. The track selected here comes from the expanded edition that the Glaswegian band issued through Germany’s Marina Records five years later.

Can You Hear the Snowfall – The Hannah Barberas

The Hannah Barberas play DIY indie pop loaded with sharp melodies and hooks you could hang your Santa hat on. “Can You Hear the Snowfall?” will be part of a vinyl compilation of B-sides and EP tracks planned for 2024 on the Spinout Nuggets label.

Christmas is Coming (We all Know the Score) – Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard

A rollicking glammed-up track that has a proper pop at the commercialisation of Christmas. Singer Tom Rees declaring this 2020 release a ‘sarcastic song about capitalism’.

The Salvation Army Band Plays – Helen Love

The legendary Helen Love has dabbled with Christmas music on and off, including on their cover of the Ramone’s “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight”). This track, released in 2012, features producer, songwriter and musician Ricardo Autobahn.

Ice and Snow – Red Shoe Diaries

Nottingham’s Red Shoe Diaries has played at Indietracks and Edinburgh Popfest. They previously released music through Fika Recordings, a DIY vinyl and cassette label. This track was released in 2012 and is something of a lost classic.

Fell in Love at Christmas – The Photocopies

Sean Turner, a Londoner based in Michigan, maybe the hardest working person in showbiz. In the last year or so, he has released Pop Trivia a 45-track retrospective and Triple Decker a 39-track follow up on the Subjangle label.

The Sound of Snow – Math and Physics Club

All Music has a nice line on the band, which I can’t top: “Sweet and earnest indie-pop from a group of sweater clad fellows from the Pacific Northwest”. This track can be found on the B-side of “Jimmy Had a Polaroid” and on In This Together: EPs, B-Sides, Rarities and Unreleased Songs 2005-2015.

Christmas Has Come – Man Behind Tree

Berlin’s Hans Forster featured on Volume I in the guise of Hanemoon and he returns here with a track from one of his many other projects, Man Behind Tree. Described by Rolling Stone as purveyors of “sunny Westcoast melancholia”.

Merry, Merry Christmas – El Gato Roboto

Chicago’s El Gato Roboto play a frothy mix of Garage Rock, Power Pop and Space Rock. This track was released back in 2019.

Nadolig, Pwy a Wyr? – Swansea Sound

Swansea Sound kicked off Vol I, so it’s great to have this underground super group (Hue Williams-The Pooh Sticks, Amelia Fletcher-Tallulah Gosh, Rob Pursey-Heavenly & Ian Button-Death in Vegas) back again. The vocal is provided by Catrin Saran James, formally of The Loves.

I Fell in Love on Christmas Day – Caleb Nichols

This ballad is included on It’s Hard to Dance When It’s Cold and There’s no Music: Kill Rock Stars Winter Holiday Album Volume 2 and is also the closing track on Caleb’s 2022 album, Ramon.

Ho Ho It’s Christmas Again – Wicketkeeper

The band makes no secret of how this Xmas ditty came about: “The story is we got asked to demo a tune to pitch for a TV ad. When they didn’t use it (boo, British Telecom), we thought it would be funny to re-record the vocals, add some sleigh bells and plop it down your chimneys”.

Grief of a (Frozen) Sailor – Jetstream Pony

Fronted by Beth Arzy (Trembling Blue Stars and featuring Shaun Charman (The Wedding Present). This track originally appeared as a Snowflake Singles Club (a specialist Dutch Xmas label) selection back in 2020.

All I Got for Christmas Was This Lousy Boy – Bunnygrunt

Missouri’s Bunnygrunt has been around since 1993, although they did take a break between 1998 and 2003. Leading exponents of ‘Cuddlecore’, they were once labelled by All Music as ‘the world’s cutest band’.

I Want New Ramones Songs for Christmas – Vista Blue

Vista Blue is a rock band based in Nashville and rooted in New Orleans. This is one of many festive tunes the band has released and was included in their Keep it all Year EP (2019).

Advent Calendar – Valentina Way

A Charlie Darling composition given an Xmas makeover on the Balham band’s Advent Calendar EP (2022). With five mixes to choose from, I’ve opted for the ‘Candlelight’ version, which should only be played in absolute darkness, save for the lights on your Christmas tree.

Sleep Sound – Bjéar (featuring Ella Ion)

Adelaide’s Bjéar released A Christmas with Friends Vol 1 & Vol II in November last year. A stunning mix of standards and originals, it found favour with the peerless Christmas Underground, who described the mesmerising “Sleep Sound” as a “sonic hug”.

Christmas in Love  –  Euros Childs

Euros Childs, former frontman with the legendary outfit Gorki’s Zygotic Mwnci and current keyboards player with the legendary Teenage Fanclub, released his 20th solo studio album Curries last year. ‘Christmas in Love’ is taken from the album Sweetheart, released in 2015.

Have Yourself a Merry Indie Christmas is available now via Bandcamp.

[shadowland]

The Roches [1979] photographed by Janette Beckman

[reds1981]

The Roches photographed by Paul Natkin, Chicago, December 1982.

[countrymusicandcher]

The Roches and Linda Ronstadt ❤

[jt1674]

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

Can you imagine catching your husband having an affair and then finding out his mistress wrote a melancholy folk song about it?