By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

It’s been a few years (almost a dozen) since The Roches—sisters Maggie, Terre and Suzzy—released a new CD as a trio, but their new album “Moonswept” (429) made the wait worthwhile. Since they first introduced themselves in song, on “We” from their eponymous 1979 debut disc, The Roches have provided the voices of reason and rhyme and amusement. Their gorgeous harmonies, distinctive sense of humor and knack for writing wondrous songs helped establish their devoted following. That following should be pleased to know that “Moonswept” easily ranks among the best work by The Roches. Youngest sister Suzzy graciously took time out of her schedule to answer some questions about the new disc.

Gregg Shapiro: I just finished reading the essay compilation “Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys,” about the relationships between gay men and straight women. As someone who was a theater major in college, do you qualify as one?

Suzzy Roche: Yes. You hit the nail right on the head (laughs). I was just saying the other day that all of my friends are gay (laughs).

GS: That’s a pretty good claim to be able to make.

SR: (laughs) I know. It’s kind of remarkable, actually.

GS: I was talking to the writer Sukie De La Croix, who is from England, and he told me about a cover of (The Roches’ song) “The Married Men” by a gay man called Kinny Gardner.

SR: Actually, that’s not the only person in England who’s done a cover of “The Married Men.” There’s another guy named Julian Dawson who did a cover of it. 

GS: Really? How do you feel about that?

SR: I think it’s great, I like all the gender mixing. I think that’s a good sign.

GS: The song was also covered by Phoebe Snow.

SR: That’s right.

GS: Are there any other versions of which you are aware?

SR: I think there is a Swedish version of it. People have covered things in different languages. It’s always fun to have them in different languages.

GS: I also noticed that in 1979, Bette Midler had a song called “Married Men,” which came out around the same time as the Roches’ song “The Married Men.” What do you think was in the air in 1979?

SR: (laughs) I guess you wouldn’t dare sing a song like that now, things have swung so conservatively. It’s really funny. But I have no idea what was in the air. Some rather dangerous girls on the loose.

GS: Performing as a trio, how does song selection and songwriting process work?

SR: We’ve done a lot of solo projects, each of us. Especially with this particular record we wanted to do a lot of co-writing, so that the integrity of the group, the voice of the group, came out, as opposed to individual voices. We did a lot of bringing in lyrics and switching off to each other, giving lyrics and music, so that it would sort of distance ourselves from the individual.

GS: In terms of when you cover other people’s songs, such as “The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane” and the couple of songs by Paranoid Larry, is there one person that tends to bring more of that in than the other?

SR: No, I think we just sort of just have a certain sensibility from all these years of things that we like. Actually, the “Naughty Lady” was something we used to listen to as kids on 45s. Paranoid Larry is someone that we know here, and we like his songs. They work well for us live, too, because they are a little bit more every-man than our songs are, and they are also written by men, which is something that is good because there is another crossing over there.

GS: The Roches have a reputation for always having a degree of humor in their music, and the same holds true for the new “Moonswept” disc, with songs such as “Piggy Mask,” “Huh” and “Gung Ho” and the covers of “No Shoes” and “Jesus Shaves.”

SR: I think it’s something that, to me, seems like an obvious thing to want to include. However, it’s dangerous because it tends to make you into a sort of novelty (act). People don’t really, actually pay attention to the whole thing. So, that’s a problem. I think things are funny and sad at the same time. I think that is something that is the truth, so there’s something about staying in between the balance of those two things. 

GS: There is the famous equation, which is, “Tragedy plus time equals comedy.”

SR: Yeah, I would even say that it could happen at the same time. Things that are very tragic are often quite funny, too, in the weirdest way, almost simultaneously.

GS: On a more serious note, the “Moonswept” disc also includes two references to 9/11, in the songs “Only You Know How” and “Sept. 11th at the Shambhala Center.”

SR: Actually, Terre (Roche) wrote both of those songs. I think that living in New York there is no way that that is not going to work its way into it (your) work. Because it’s just something that’s so in your face everyday. Really, even if you’re not really consciously thinking about it. Every time you get on the subway, you’re wondering. ...It was just such a huge event for everyone in the world, but if you happened to be here and watch it happening, it’s just like being bombed. I think it changed all of the people in New York. It was a traumatic thing for everybody.

GS: Like 9/11, the moon is also a recurring theme. In addition to the title track “Moonswept,” the moon also appears in “Stop Performing.”

SR: (laughs) The moon is such a great person (laughs). It’s like a friend or something that is out of this world, basically—sort of a window to something greater and mysterious. I think that the moon keeps coming up, (because) it literally keeps coming up.

GS: The Roches can also be heard performing “Acadian Driftwood” on The Band tribute “Endless Highway.” How did that come about?

SR: Actually, that’s the same record company, the one that “Moonswept” is on. As we were about to sign with them they asked us to do the song. 

GS: Did you get to choose the song?

SR: They gave us a choice of two songs and we picked this one. Actually, we had a very heavy attachment to this song, so it worked out nicely.

GS: When I interviewed Maria Muldaur, we talked about the next generation of musicians from great musical families—the incredibly talented offspring who are now making music on their own. As the mother of one such artist, Lucy Wainwright, how does it feel to be part of that family tree?

SR: It’s very, very mixed, because I feel that it’s a very tough life.

GS: That’s almost exactly what Maria said.

SR: Really? Yeah, you have to really, really want to do it. But at the same time things have changed so drastically with people being in charge of their own music now, and stuff. In a way things are more possible for people. But I worry about it. And I also worry about the way artists are sort of isolated from the society now. There is this sort of elitism that goes along with the celebrity culture and that, really, you’ve got do something useful in this world and you have to keep your eye on that, if you’re going to do this for a living.

The Roches perform Dec. 14 at the Freedom Hall/Nathan Manilow Theater, 410 Lakewood Blvd., in Park Forest.