Rose Melberg

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- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- musician · songwriter · singer-songwriter
- Fields
- pop music
In this article
Key facts
• Name — Rose Melberg • Background — solo_singer • Instrument — Guitar, vocals, drums • Genre — Indie pop • Occupation — Musician, songwriter • Years Active — 1992–present • Label — Double Agent Records • Associated Acts — Tiger Trap Go Sailor The Softies Gaze Gigi Brave Irene Imaginary Pants Tally Ho! PUPS Knife Pleats • Website — doubleagentrecords.com/ myspace.com/rosemelberg Rose Melberg is a musician and songwriter from Sacramento, California, currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She has performed both as a solo artist and as a member of Tiger Trap, The Softies, Go Sailor, Gaze, Gigi, Imaginary Pants, Brave Irene, Knife Pleats and Olivia's World. Melberg was raised by working musicians and following her appearance right out of high school at the International Pop Underground Convention in Olympia, Washington, in August 1991, she had almost instant success with the all-female band Tiger Trap. The short-lived band garnered a cult following in indie-pop circles. In 2002, she gave birth to a son and lived with her husband and family in Summerland, British Columbia, Canada. She returned to the pop world in 2006 with her second solo album, Cast Away the Clouds. Melberg toured briefly for the album, including a spot opening for Belle and Sebastian. Her third solo album, Homemade Ship, was released on K Records in 2009. The track "Old Days" was featured as Song Of The Day by NPR Music. As of 2011, she was a part of two groups, Brave Irene and Imaginary Pants. In 2019, the band Olivia's World, featuring Melberg along with Lica Rezende and Joe Saxby, released its debut EP.
Tiger Trap
• "Words and Smiles" split 7-inch with Bratmobile (Four Letter Words Records, 1992) • "Supercrush" b/w "You and Me"/"Hiding" [volume 36 of the "International Pop Underground" singles series] (K Records, 1992) • Tiger Trap (K Records, 1993) • Sour Grass EP (K Records, 1993) • "Baby Blue," from Julep (Another Yoyo Studio Compilation) (Yoyo Recordings, 1993) • "Hiding," from the International Hip Swing compilation [songs from the "International Pop Underground" series] (K Records, 1993) • "Supreme Nothing," from the Stars Kill Rock compilation (Kill Rock Stars, 1993)
Go Sailor
• Fine Day for Sailing 7-inch EP (Yo Yo, 1994) • Long Distance 7-inch EP (Slumberland, 1995) • Don't Go 7-inch EP (Lookout!, 1996) • Go Sailor (Lookout!, 1996): Compiles the three 7-inch EPs plus two compilation tracks
The Softies
• It's Love (K Records, 1995) • Loveseat 7-inch EP (Slumberland, 1995) • The Softies (aka "He'll Never Have to Know") 7-inch EP (K Records, 1995) • The Softies (Slumberland, 1996) • "The Best Days" b/w "As Skittish as Me"/"Stranger" (K Records, 1997) • Winter Pageant (K Records, 1997) • Holiday in Rhode Island (K Records, 2000) • The Bed I Made (Father/Daughter Records, 2024)
Gaze
• Mitsumeru (K Records, 1998) • So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) 7-inch EP (Septophilia, 1998) • Shake the Pounce (K Records, 1999)
Brave Irene
• Brave Irene (Slumberland Records, 2011)
Tally Ho!
• I Never Will Marry (WIAIWYA, 2012)
PUPS
• PUPS (Green Burrito Records, 2013) • Month Long Sleep 7-inch EP (WIAIWYA, 2013)
Imaginary Pants
• Imaginary Pants (Lost Sound Tapes, 2012) • Channels b/w Seacliff 7-inch EP (Rok Lok Records, 2013) • Kites At Night EP (Lost Sound Tapes, 2014)
Knife Pleats
• Hat Bark Beach (Lost Sound Tapes/WIAIWYA, 2015)
Olivia's World
• Olivia's World (Lost Sound Tapes, 2019)
As producer
• Lisa Prank, Perfect Love Song (Lost Sound Tapes, 2019)
Live collaborations
• "The Biggest Lie" (with Elliott Smith; 2–13–96, Stinkweeds, Tempe, AZ)
Collaborations
• Rose Melberg & Dustin Reske – "The Love We Could Have Had" on 4-band Split (1995, Double Agent) • The Potatomen – "All My Yesterdays" – vocals on 3 tracks (1996, Lookout Records) • The Smugglers – "Rosie" – from Rosie (2000, Lookout Records) • Rose Melberg & Gregory Webster – "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)", originally by Ramones (2013, Kingfisher Bluez single-sided 7") • The Bright Ideas – All Is Calm, All Is Bright! – vocals on "When You Think About Christmas Time" (2000, Popgun Recordings) • Rose Melberg & Nick Krgovich – "The Mental Beast Christmas Compilation" – "Coldest Night of the Year", originally by Vashti Bunyan (2009) • Gigi – Maintenant – vocals on "Alone at the Pier" (2010 Tomlab Records) • Blanket Truth – "Urban Wildlife" – vocals on "Friendly Haunted Mansion", "Bubble Up" (2012, Lost Sound Tapes) • Jay Arner – "Bad Friend b/w Black Horse" – drums (2012)
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Rose Melberg, revision 1363329739 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Solo recordings
Albums • Portola (Double Agent, 1998) • Cast Away The Clouds (Double Agent, 2006; Where It's At Is Where You Are, 2007) • Homemade Ship (K, 2009) • September, a covers album on cassette (Lost Sound Tapes, 2013) • Live in San Francisco - split cassette release with Tony Molina; side A is Rose solo (650 Tapes, 2021) Singles/compilation appearances • "My Day," on the compilation International Pop Underground Convention (K Records, 1991) • "Cupid" (Sam Cooke cover) - 7-inch split single with Magpies, b/w "I Want a Love I Can See" (I Wish I Was a Slumberland Record #3, 1994) • "The Time Has Come" (Anne Briggs cover) (Double Agent, 2005) - digital single; and bonus track on UK LP release of Cast Away The Clouds (2007) • Each New Day (Guitar Version) b/w Autumn (Double Agent - digital single, 2008) • "This Will Be Our Year," originally by The Zombies (Double Agent, 2011) - with Kathy Elzey, Rose's mom • "Our Days In Kansas," on the compilation Wish I'd Kept A Scrapbook: A Tribute to Tullycraft (Unchikun Records, 2010) • "Distant Ships" - single-sided 7" (Kingfisher Bluez, 2013) • "Please," a cover of The Smiths' "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want", on the compilation Carry On Rioting (Tuff Enuff, 2013) • "A Life That's Good" (Lennon & Maisy cover) on Live at the Bluebird: A Nashville (THE TV SHOW) Covers Compilation (Nashville Covers/Bandcamp, 2020)
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Rose Melberg's guide to Rose Melberg AUX.TV. 2016-03-13.
- 2.Homemade Ship (KLP211), by Rose Melberg. Rose Melberg.
- 3.Sendra, Tim. Biography: Rose Melberg. AMG.
- 4.The Softies. The K Mail Order Department.
- 5.Rose Melberg's Go Sailor to Get Vinyl Reissue Treatment. exclaim.ca.
- 6.Gaze Biography & History. AllMusic.
- 7.Gigi: Maintenant. Pitchfork.
- 8.Imaginary Pants. Lost Sound Tapes.
- 9.Sheffield, Rob. 'Rose Melberg Invented Sad Girl': The Triumphant Return of the Softies. Rolling Stone. August 31, 2024.
- 10.Check Out Rose Melberg's New Project, Knife Pleats. IMPOSE Magazine. 2015-07-07.
- 11.Olivia's World. CiTR. 12 May 2020.
- 12.Hopper, Jessica. Riot Grrrl get noticed. the Guardian. 2011-06-13.
- 13.Robbins, Ira. Tiger Trap. Trouser Press.
- 14.Twee as Fuck - Page 2. Pitchfork. 24 October 2005.
- 15.Archive Interview - Rose Melberg. music is love.
- 16.The Rumpus Interview with Rose Melberg. The Rumpus.net. 2012-08-16.
- 17.potatowned. Belle and Sebastian @ the Commodore Ballroom (03/24/06). 2006-03-25.
- 18.Rose Melberg - Homemade Ship. Boomkat.
- 19.Rose Melberg: A Grand Chorus Of Whispers. NPR.org.
- 20.Rose Melberg wears Imaginary Pants. February 2013.
- 21.Olivia's World.
Citations
References
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reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 31 August 2026.
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