The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and in the case of Lucy Wainwright Roche, the endearing quirkiness doesn’t fall far from the mom. That latter would be the fabulous Suzzy Roche, one third of the iconic folk sister act, the Roches.
Mother Suzzy and daughter Lucy hit the road recently for a short string of dates as a duo, a road-trip tour that brought them to Space in Evanston on Wednesday night. The two came armed with two acoustic guitars, one ukulele and voices that intertwined in gorgeous union. In country music, this is called “blood harmony,” and the two have it to the marrow.
Suzzy has the sharper, cutting voice, full of unexpected twists and turns. It’s a dazzling instrument, as eccentric and singular as the woman herself. Lucy’s aching, bell-like soprano rang sweetly in the intimate setting. Lucy is to the folk manor born. Besides her critically-acclaimed mother, her father is Loudon Wainwright III, and she’s a half-sibling to the singer-songwriters Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright.
Suzzy and Lucy opened the show with “G Chord Song,” a number that, like much of their material, managed to be bittersweet and funny in turns. Throughout the night, they kept to a simple approach on their guitars, a mix of picking and strumming, the melodies sweet, the rhythms solid. These are songs that need little instrumental adornment. With these two women, the vocals and the lyrics are the main event.
Alternating on lead vocals, the two held forth with a stream of sharply-observed story-songs. Both women are ace songwriters. “Thirty dollars pays your rent,” Suzzy sang on “Bleecker Street,” a wistful, nostalgic ode filled with palpable images of church bells ringing and voices rising up from street cafes.
Chicago’s Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor came up onstage to cameo on harmony vocals on an exquisitely rendered version of Lucy’s “Chicago,” turning the song into a velvety powerhouse of four-part harmony.
Suzzy and Lucy’s between-song patter ranked right up there with the music. Lucy is the one with the dry, softspoken wit, a perfect foil to Suzzy’s screamingly funny and unvarnished observations about life. Suzzy described the two as a “before-and-after act.” She pointed at her daughter: “This is before you’ve been on the road for 30 years.” She pointed at herself: “And this is after you’ve been on the road for 30 years.”
Space was, well, the perfect space for this. The room was all welcoming warmth, from the candles on the tables to the rugs on the stage to the committed crowd that hung on the duo’s every word. Some called out to Suzzy; they were old-school fans of the Roches. One woman said aloud, “I saw the Roches in 1976.” Suzzy laughed and grimaced at the date. Lucy deadpanned, “I wasn’t born yet.” Everyone laughed.
We often use cliches because they are true: Mother and daughter had the room in the palms of their talented hands. This was a glittering little gem of a show.
