The Brothers Comatose Have a New Musical Sister

The Brothers Comatose with AJ Lee.

There are times when young bands from the Americana genre of music that leans toward bluegrass will, without knowing it, echo important moments from the past. The first time I heard the Brothers Comatose latest album, Ear Snacks, I felt like I was hearing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Uncle Charley, the Dillards, Wheatstraw Suite, and the Buffalo Springfield’s first album all tied up in the grooves these young guys laid down on the 2023 release. No doubt, this is fun music that finds its place nicely in the country rock-friendly orientation of the New Grass movement pioneered by Sam Bush, John Hartford, and Pat Flynn. This band is generations away from the original New Grass crew that first started to sprout over 50 years ago. Their music plays and echoes down from musical heights to the valleys that hunger and thirst for what they have to offer: real music without gimmicks or the awareness of modern trends.

It’s clear that they are not a jam band. However, as confirmed by lead vocalist/guitarist, Ben Morrison, they are a singer-songwriter band. The craft can be heard in their original songs like “Old Song,” “Brothers,” and “Scout.” The center of the music is the creation of the song and all their vocal and instrumental talents support that pursuit to the heart of the American song.

The Brothers Comatose are also out for a good time in the same sense as the best of the jug bands of times past. It’s apparent at their concerts and in the energizing positive vibes that they’ve created on their six-album discography attests to. They have been described as a high-energy, foot-stompin’, rowdy folk-rock string band. Acoustic Guitar magazine called them “an upbeat brand of Americana with lots of twang, a dash of wit, and a splash of surrealism.” Just enough to be real and to offer the kind of love and joy that comes from a connection with traditions of the past alchemized into present day relevance and originality.

When Ben and Alex Morrison were growing up in the scenic hills north of the San Franciso Bay, they were raised on the best of America roots music. From childhood to the present day their talent and skills have been honed through that family love. This is American parenting at its finest

So, as a result, it’s no surprise that the Brothers Comatose have nurtured in each other, their bandmates, and their audience the same love of the music that carried them through their childhood. In a recent interview with the San Diego Troubadour, Ben remembers:

“Our parents used to throw music parties when we were kids. Everybody was included. Most people could at least play a little bit of an instrument. Everyone would join in with hand-clapping and singalong. We passed out chopsticks to people in the crowd to get them to play along with the beat. We just try to get the audience involved. It’s more fun for us and them.”

But just where did that band name come from? Ben says it was just a stream of consciousness kind of thing that gave the inspiration for the name. “Alex used to get lost in his banjo like he was in a trance. I kept saying he looked comatose. I started using the name more and it stuck for a band name.” So much for my theory that they were trying to out-do the Punch Brothers name for a reference to music that will knock you out.

The band, along with Ben and Alex Morrison on guitar, vocals, and banjo respectively, also includes Steve Height (bass) and Philip Brezina (violin). In 2024, the group added Addie Levy, a multi-instrumentalist who leans on her mandolin talents for the band along with other as-needed instruments. According to the band’s website she has added “a new layer of depth and dynamic to their sound. As a mandolin player and singer, her contribution brings a fresh energy and a new dimension to the band’s harmonies, seamlessly blending with the Morrison brothers’ voices while enhancing their already distinctive bluegrass stylings. Her presence has not only broadened the band’s musical range but has also enriched their live performances, creating an even more compelling and cohesive sound.”

Ben and Alex Morrison, founders of the Brothers Comatose. Photo by Alan Sheckter.

The band’s 2023 release, Ear Snacks, is a treasure of a collaboration on the kinds of covers the band loves to champion. It began during the pandemic, which gave the group the opportunity to create video performances for their YouTube channel. Special guests showed up as the brothers and friends decided to cover only songs they loved and could have a good time with. Their success is a rich, entertaining collection that includes a beautifully funky and danceable version of the ’60s soul classic, Brenton Woods’ “Oogum Boogum.” Singer-songwriter Tom Quell takes the vocal lead. The result is a fresh new take on a true classic song. They also add a folk-gospel-tinged cover of the Welch/Rawlings song, “I Wanna Sing that Rock and Roll.” Sean Hayes takes on Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” as he calls up the haunting ghost of Levon Helm. However, it is the Tom Petty deep track, “It’ll All Work Out,” with Jie Bing Chen on an ethereal and majestic erhu that raises the album into an unexpected transcendent place and provides a haunting remembrance of Tom Petty. The Rainbow Girls and the Brothers’ band managed to out-raunch Keith Richards on an original take on the Let It Bleed version of “Honky Tonk Women,” all dressed up in “Country Honk.” The closing track fits like a glove for the album and our life and times, Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz,” with multi-level harmonies, a drum beat that won’t quit and a chronic banjo from the comatose instrumentalist himself, little brother Alex. A song that was written by Pearl, beat poet Michael McClure and Dylan sidekick, Bob Neuwirth; it’s the perfect track end a very good time in the studio.

As the Brothers Comatose tour this spring and summer, they will bring their foot-stompin’, ass-kicking, country-rock, acoustically delivered for all living and past generations. They’ll be delivering an intimate show Solana Beach’s historic Belly Up on Friday, March 21. Come hungry for a positive message of hope, love, and good-timin’ music that sizzles.