Whether traveling to gigs on horseback or by tour bus, Americana mavens The Brothers Comatose forge their own path with raucous West Coast renderings of traditional bluegrass, country and rock ‘n’ roll music. The five-piece string band is anything but a traditional acoustic outfit with their fierce musicianship and rowdy live shows reminiscent of stadium rock concerts. In fall 2017, “Campfire Caravan” featuring The Brothers Comatose, Mipso, and The Lil Smokies hosts three of today’s foremost emerging indie Americana bands as they trek across the United States to more than 30 cities. “Campfire Caravan” honors the musicians’ early days playing music, when they’d perform for friends and family in basements, living rooms, and around campfires. “Campfire Caravan” celebrates the American tradition of gathering communities around music.
Following three critically acclaimed full-length studio albums (Songs From The Stoop, Respect The Van, City Painted Gold), the five-piece string band disrupts the traditional album cycle and focuses their 2017/2018 release schedule on a series of strategically released songs. On Sept. 8, 2017, The Brothers Comatose releases a sun-soaked new single “Don’t Make Me Get Up And Go” produced by indie-rock legend John Vanderslice. Channeling harmony vanguards The Beach Boys, “Don’t Make Me Get Up And Go” is a nod to the delicate dance between two friends and trusting fate to either bring them romantically together or not. With lyrics written by the band’s tour manager Joe Pacini, lead singer Ben Morrison lends his crooning baritone to the fast-paced, feel good song.
“Going into the studio with Vanderslice was all about capturing the moment on analog tape,” says Ben. “We set out to record in a way we’ve never previously attempted. We did it live with all of us playing in the same room as if we were performing on stage. Vanderslice really understood the sonic landscape we were going for. He’s really a super producer, being a musician who has cut a lot of records of his own and produced albums by many great artists.”
The Brothers Comatose entered Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone (San Francisco) studio with drafts of “Don’t Make Me Get Up And Go.” After working out the verses and chorus in the studio, bassist Gio Benedetti came up with the three-part harmony bridge. Vanderslice had the trio of Ben, his brother Alex Morrison, and Gio, head into the studio’s echo chamber with its five-second delay, and the boys did what they do best. They sang their hearts out, and the result is sublime.
The Brothers Comatose is comprised of brothers Ben Morrison (guitar, vocals) and Alex Morrison (banjo, vocals), Gio Benedetti (bass, vocals), Philip Brezina (violin), and Ryan Avellone (mandolin). When they’re not headlining The Fillmore for a sold-out show or appearing at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the band is out on the road performing across America, Canada, Australia, and hosting their very own music festival, Comatopia. In 2018, The Brothers Comatose will travel to Asia for a month of cultural music exchange and education with American Music Abroad, a program directed by the State Department.
