THE PATTY DUKE FANZINE #2: YOUR FAVORITE PATTY HITS BY... Various Artists 7 inch 1999

 

Discogs

 

Compilation on Top Quality Rock & Roll / Patty Duke Fanzine labels

 

Tracklist

A1	Buck (4)–	Sure Gonna Miss Him
A2	Gaze (2)–	Whenever She Holds You
B1	International House Of Karen–	Tell Me Momma
B2	Rose Melberg–	I Love How You Love Me

 

THE SOFTIES The Softies EP 1996

 

Discogs

 

The Softies Biography by Tim Sendra

Made up of singer/songwriter/guitarists Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia, the Softies live up to their name by crafting quiet, intimate songs that come directly from the heart with no stops along the way. The beginning of their partnership saw the duo issue a trio of albums (1995's It's Love, 1997's Winter Pageant, 2000's Holiday in Rhode Island) that were a warm rejoinder to the noisy indie rock of the day. After a long break that saw them working on other projects, they reunited for 2024's The Bed I Made, sounding almost exactly as they had before, only with more experience to guide the songs.

The duo first got together in the early days of 1994, with both Melberg and Sbragia looking to do something a little different than the noisy indie rock they had been playing. Melberg was a member of Tiger Trap, who had recently split, and Go Sailor, a noise pop band who had just formed, while Sbragia was in Pretty Face. Based in Portland, Oregon and utilizing only electric guitars and their voices -- which often blended in perfect harmony -- they crafted an intimate, heartwarming sound that cradled their deeply felt lyrics. Obvious signposts were the Marine Girls, Linda Smith, and Tracey Thorn's first solo album, and they fit well with Elliott Smith -- who they befriended and toured with -- too. Their first release was the four-song Loveseat single, which was released by Slumberland in 1994. The duo shifted to K Records for two 1995 releases: another single, "He'll Never Have to Know," and their debut album It's Love. Both were produced by Calvin Johnson and feature the duo solidifying their approach in a lovely fashion. The band continued to play shows, often at the Magic Marker house in Portland and sometimes touring with Smith as his opening act. In 1996, Slumberland issued another EP, a self-titled set of songs recorded a few years earlier, and the duo made another single for K, "The Best Days." Meanwhile, they were working on a second album proper and in 1997 issued Winter Pageant, another subdued, introspective album that had all the magic of their debut. After one more record, 2000's Holiday in Rhode Island, that saw the duo adding some new elements like bass and keyboards to their template, Melberg and Sbragia moved on to different projects. The latter had formed All Girl Summer Band and decided to devote her attention to that. Melberg began a solo career and continued to collaborate with other artists in numerous bands (Gaze, Brave Irene, Knife Pleats) over the years. The duo occasionally reunited to play live shows, joining a brief Chickfactor-sponsored tour in 2012, and playing a benefit in Melberg's adopted city of Vancouver in 2018. They reunited in a more tangible manner in 2013 via social media. While commiserating over the loss of their respective mothers, they decided it was time to record a new Softies album. After trading demos back and forth over email, they spent a few months finalizing songs while also finding time to go out on a short tour with Tony Molina, a devoted follower of the band. They booked time in the middle of 2023 at a recording studio (the Unknown) in Anacortes, Washington -- a midway point between Vancouver and Portland -- and emerged with The Bed I Made, a record that sounds like it could have come out decades earlier but it's also colored by their experiences and their growth as musicians. It was issued in August of 2024 by Father/Daughter Records and they launched a small U.S. tour.

 

Tracklist

1		Snow Like This	2:38
2		Selfish	3:31
3		All In Good Time	3:32
4		Half As Much	3:30
5		Sixteen Months	2:32
6		Count To Ten	3:14
7		Postal Blue	1:25
8		Pedestal	2:45

 

ROSE MELBERG / MAGPIES Cupid / I Want A Love I Can See 7 inch 1994

 
Discogs

 

Rose Melberg is a singer-songwriter from Sacramento, California. She has sung and played guitar for bands such as Tiger Trap, The Softies and Go Sailor - and has released a steady amount of solo material which follows almost a gloom/dream-pop style. 

Magpies were a short-lived Bay Area group with 3 songs all released on Slumberland Records 

Tracklist

A1	Rose Melberg–	Cupid
A2	Magpies–	I Want A Love I Can See

 

GAZE Mitsumeru 1998

 

Discogs

 

Indie pop band from Vancouver, BC. 

 

Tracklist

1		Shady	2:08
2		Jelly-Bean	2:06
3		Bob Again	3:22
4		400 A.D.	2:16
5		Any Way	2:01
6		Portrait	3:41
7		Preppy Villain	2:56
8		Peeking Shows His Ignorance	2:22
9		Listen	2:35
10		Eric Idol	1:14
11		Seed-Less	2:19
12		Turquoise	2:49
13		X-Reel	2:25
14		You Glow	2:30

 

THE THREE PEEPS My Heaven, My Sky 7 inch 1997

Discogs

Rose Melberg, of Tiger Trap and numerous other bands, with a mostly acoustic side project called The Three Peeps.

 

Tracklist 

A1	My Heaven, My Sky
A2	My One True Love
B	Mr. Spaceman

 
 

ROSE MELBERG Portola 1998

 

 

Discogs 

 

Artist Biography by Tim Sendra

Rose Melberg is indie pop royalty. Beginning in 1992, the diminutive singer/songwriter began a streak of classic bands and recordings. First was the riot pop band Tiger Trap, formed in Sacramento, CA, in 1992 by Melberg, singer/guitarist Angela Loy, bassist Jen Braun, and drummer Heather Dunn. They released two singles, an EP, and an influential self-titled LP before splitting in December of 1993. Melberg picked up the pieces and, after relocating to Portland, teamed up with Crimpshrine guitarist Paul Curran and Henry's Dress drummer (and future leader of the excellent Aislers Set) Amy Linton to form Go Sailor. They released three singles and a couple of compilation tracks (helpfully compiled on Go Sailor) before dissolving. While she was playing with Go Sailor, Melberg also began playing with Jen Sbragia in the Softies. Beginning in 1994, they recorded singles for K and Slumberland (two apiece) and three albums for K, including two absolute must-haves for indie pop lovers, 1995's It's Love and 2000's Holiday in Rhode Island. After 1998's Winter Pageant, Melberg married Mint Records owner Bill Baker and moved to British Columbia, where she began playing drums for Vancouver indie pop group Gaze. They lasted for two acclaimed albums, 1998's Mitsumeru and 1999's Shake the Pounce, before splitting.

Melberg began working on solo material again around this time (she had previously released "My Day" on K's international pop underground convention collection in 1992 and "Cupid" on a 1993 split flexi single for Slumberland), the results of which were collected on 1998's Portola for Double Agent Records. After the release of Holiday in Rhode Island in 2000, the Softies disbanded and Melberg left the world of music to raise her son. She returned in 2005 with a brief tour of the Pacific Northwest and an MP3 giveaway (through Double Agent) cover of Anne Briggs' "The Time Has Come." She seemingly took that sentiment to heart and in early 2006 released possibly the best record of her career, the enchanting Cast Away the Clouds. After three long years between records, her second full-length under her own name, Homemade Ship, was released in autumn of 2009 by K.

 

Tracklist 

1	Deep Purple	2:40
2	Golden Gate Bridge	2:33
3	Happy Birthday To Me	1:41
4	Devoted To You	2:11
5	Loose Talk	2:53
6	Another Cup Of Coffee	2:53
7	Stitch	2:57
8	I Will	1:49
9	My Heaven, My Sky	1:28
10	Mr. Spaceman	3:29
11	The Love We Could Have Had	2:08

GAZE Shake the Pounce 1999

by request

  

Discogs

Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

Vancouver, British Columbia-based indie-popsters Gaze comprised singer/guitarist Miko Hoffman, singer/bassist Megan Mallett and drummer Rose Melberg (of Tiger Trap/Softies fame). After signing to the famed K Records label, the trio debuted in 1997 with the single "Seedless; " the full-length Mitsumeru followed a year later, trailed soon after by the seven-inch "So Sad (to watch good love go bad)."

Tracklist

1	So Early To Tell
2	The Snake Song
3	From The Inside
4	Detail Queen
5	Tea Or Coffee
6	Mr. Oh So Suave & Debonaire
7	Nine Lives To Rigel Five
8	He Makes All The Girls Smile (With His Smile)
9	Sunday Night Waterworks
10	Noticed Me
11	A New Home
12	Static
13	I Wonder
14	In The Midst