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Suzannah Espie
 "Yeah, I have had some trouble writing my songs now that I am way too happy," confesses the Melbourne-based independent country singer and songwriter Suzannah Espie. "I am slowly finding things to write about but love is really the only thing right now. I have never really been able to write about politics or things that are outside of my own experience."
The former member of the dearly loved trio GIT, who had a fine repertoire in humorous and heartbreaking harmonies, is referring to being happily married to renowned Melbourne harmonica and guitar player Ian Collard, with whom she is touring on a duets tour of sorts. These days, I am told, Espie and Collard are joined on the Bless This House tour by their one-year-old son (whom I don't believe actually gets up on stage), as well as Adelaide's own duo The Yearlings which will be gracing Adelaide over three nights. When one considers the fact that this will be a two-month tour the group will certainly be a close-knit one and, while there are two distinct sets, there is some guesting on each other's songs throughout the shows. I am told that the tour is specifically designed to go into more intimate spaces, rather than just pubs, in order to play the beautiful, raw, Australian take on Americana each group does so well. Taking in town halls, theatres and galleries, as well as people's homes, I ask Espie, who speaks from a restaurant in Albury, about how the house concerts in particular are going at the moment.
"Well, we are playing at a farm in Holbrook tonight," she announces. "It is a little town near that submarine under the ground half way up the Hume. The house concerts phenomena has been going for a long while in the US and is being promoted by some folks in Western Australia." There is a call - which can be seen up on Espie's MySpace and official website - for people to get in touch if they are interested in hosting the two duos, but I wonder how one starts something like that...
Espie explains, "Originally we contacted a few people that we knew and then it was them contacting some other people that they knew and so on from there. We were on a Radio National show called 'Bush Telegraph' and after that we got a lot of emails from people who were interested in hosting the shows. That is how the Holbrook show came about actually."
Espie also directs me to houseconcertsaustralia.com, which is a kind of umbrella for the phenomena in Australia and which is run out of Perth. The website offers guidance and ideas about hosting music in people's homes - which sounds like a gorgeous idea and which is particularly suited to Espie's acoustic music inspired by traditional blues, folk and country. Potentially, though, it seems to also be a little daunting for the performer him or herself.
"Yeah, it is slightly daunting but all the house concerts that we have done have been amazing compared to when we've been playing in pubs where people don't really listen to the music. They are all there to listen to the music. It has been happening in the folk scene in America for ages now."
The Adelaide house show is labelled 'tba' and wedged between their shows at the Bosco Theatre, the Singing Gallery in McLaren Vale and the Grace Emily Hotel. However, according to Espie, recently there has been a change of plan...
"We are not actually doing one there anymore. We thought that we might go to some wineries instead on that day!" chuckles Espie. "With the three dates that we've got planned, we thought it might be a bit of an overkill."
Judging by the beautiful songs contained on her 2005 long-player 'A Few More Days', which is made up of some bluesy rock tunes as well as some stripped-back spirituals, Adelaide audiences will no doubt be exalted by each unique show on the Bless This House tour.
Suzannah Espie plays at the Garden Of Unearthly Delights (Bosco Theatre) as part of the Fringe Festival on Thurs 29 March with The Yearlings, at the Singing Gallery (McLaren Vale) on Sat 31 March and at the Grace Emily Hotel on Sun 1 April
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