Popular State College band has new sound, new lineup, new name

Popular State College band Miss Melanie and the Valley Rats has shortened its name and changed its lineup.

I caught a set of the recently revamped Miss Melanie band at Otto’s Pub and Brewery recently. The new sounds remain centered around fantastic guitar playing and soaring vocals, but also now features a certain smoothness, a sweetness perhaps, and what in many ways amounts to altogether new musical territory.

“It really is democratic,” singer Melanie Morrison said. “We all sit down together, and if we really love a tune and we want to see what we can do with it we jut put it in a list of songs to learn and we tackle it.”

What’s more, the new sound is based something we all want but don’t necessarily always have — happiness.

“Everybody puts in and says, ‘You know this song really makes me feel good,’” Morrison said. “It really makes me happy to perform it. I get happy anytime I hear it, and I feel like other people might too.”

The band, which features Morrison’s magical magnetism front and center, is one of the mainstays on the Centre County music scene and has recently experienced a sea change, saying goodbye to two longtime members and welcoming three newcomers into the mix.

The newest members are ace electric guitarist Brian Clearly, who also sings some of the songs and shares harmonies with Morrison, and Bob Hart and Jeff Beck on bass, although the two do not play at the same gigs.

“We have two bass players who do gigs as they can,” Morrison said. “I feel like they’re both full members of the band. We have so much fun with each of them. We’re really glad they can be a part of it.”

The new personnel in the band replace the Rev. James Harton, organist, and now retired State College guitar icon and entrepreneur Mark Ross. With the replacements comes a musical revamp that changes the complexion of the music as well as the collaborative culture of the musicians.

“Everybody has input and gets to suggest songs and different things like that,” Morrison said. “Everybody’s voice is heard and it’s really fun.”

The lineup change has also resulted in a natural transition period during which the band has taken a step back to sort through and rehearse new song ideas, and also to re-envision the where the band could be heading. The longstanding Friday night gig at Otto’s remains, while potential gigs in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are on the horizon, as well as the possibility of playing some weddings.

“Ideally we’d like to play a lot more,” Morrison said. “We were taking a couple of months to really get to know each other and to really practice and get some good sets together. We’re ready to spread that out a little more now.”

Along with continuing with the Otto’s gig and looking into new opportunities to perform, a new album, while not imminent, is part of the plan once there are new songs in place.

“As we start to book more gigs,” Morrison said, “we can start to think about those kinds of things. Of course, we need to sit down together, and when the new year comes one of our main goals is to really start writing some originals. That’s something that we for sure want to bring to the table.”

It all has a sense of newness, both when listening to the band and, as Morrison tells it, being a member of the band. And Morrison is no stranger to that sense of newness.

“As much as I feel more well-seasoned than when Mark (Ross) plucked me out of obscurity,” Morrison said, “it’s like that all over again, because this band is kind of new territory, and my bandmates push me. We all encourage each other and elevate each other. I’m ready for that kind of push.”

Another new wrinkle to the band is some lively and dare I say goofy stage banter, which was not always in the mix in the previous iteration. Cleary’s classic good looks and chuckling million-dollar smile blends well with Morrison’s already effortless stage presence. With all of it combined, the music, the new songs, the new vision, and of course the banter, the future is bright for this collection of stellar State College musicians.

For more information, visit www.missmelaniemusic.com or www.instagram.com/missmelanieband.

This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 7:33 AM.