The Softies Playing San Francisco Show + Hear Rose Melberg’s New Bands

(Above: the concert debut of Rose Melberg’s Puppies.)

After triumphant/heart-melting performances at Chickfactor’s 20th anniversary concerts in New York and Portland, the Softies will reunite once more in San Francisco on Sept. 22, playing alongside Belle & Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson and other twee mainstays. Having flown up to Portland for the last show, let me be the first to tell you: go. I’ll be booking a ticket, as well as catching the sans-Softies Chickfactor show in L.A., which will gently take over the Bootleg on Sept. 20 with Jackson and more.

Meanwhile, the Softies’ Rose Melberg appears to be the musically busiest she’s ever been: in addition to the reunion gigs, she played a London reunion show with Go Sailor and has a bunch of new bands in progress. She did a smart, lengthy interview with Charlotte Richardson Andrews about her storied career and her many current gigs, but in short: solo stuff, Softies, Go Sailor, Brave Irene, Bleating Heart (bass), Puppies (drums, vox), Tally Ho! and a seventh, Jay Arner. Here she is with Tally Ho! covering the Pretenders’ “Kid” and doing a Puppies original. They rule.