Brothers Comatose offer lively Americana mix

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The Brothers Comatose have a 2012 South By Southwest Festival promotion video on their website
called “The Living Room Sessions.” The video features the band sitting on some “slightly” used furniture
in a wooded area, a beautiful backdrop for a rootsy string band.During the performance a golden
retriever pops in and out and snips the fiddler’s hand before his solo, the banjo picker drops into his
trademark comatose playing style, and aside from the rustic outdoors setting, you get the sense that
this is probably pretty close to a normal rehearsal for the quintet when they are not on the road.While
the video shoot makes for a nice promotion, in many respects it is also a representation of the roots of
the band’s approach to eclectic American string band music. For 20-something band founders Alex (banjo
and vocals) and Ben (guitar and vocals) Morrison, living room music is and will always be the foundation
of their American musical experience.“My mom was in a band and they used to practice all of the time at
the house,” Ben said in a recent telephone interview.“They had a lot of musician friends and they would
have music parties at our house, usually on Sundays or on days when they didn’t have gigs. Everyone
would just play, and that is what sparked the fire.”Certainly there are numerous musicians around the
world that were initially attracted to a particular instrument, genre, style or sound through growing up
with the music around them. No different for the Morrison brothers, who listened closely and eagerly
sought to participate in the energetic folk and bluegrass musical environment.“I really distinctly
remember people coming over and calling out songs and then everyone being able to play it,” Ben
said.“Everyone just knew what to do and that was just really inspiring when you are a kid and watching
and really wanting to be a part of it.”For the Morrison brothers this early introduction to American
folk music has come full circle through The Brothers Comatose. Alex, Ben and band bassist Gio Beneditti,
had departures into rock and punk rock, but eventually gravitated back to acoustic instruments and
music.While the instruments and means of amplification changed, the energy of experience the music
parties as kids, coupled with their time exploring edgier punk rock, serves as the foundation for the
sound of The Brothers Comatose. The addition of fiddler Philip Brezina and mandolinist Ryan Avellone has
helped the band bring together string band and rock music into a cohesive and attractive sound that is
not traditional bluegrass, but that certainly captures its energy and essence.“We have all been in rock
bands, and we love that sound, but a few years back we started picking up more acoustic instruments,”
Ben said. “My brother picked up a banjo at one of the music parties and ever since then we have been
playing songs that we like to hear on acoustic instruments. It is definitely not traditional bluegrass,
and it definitely has rock influences.”As a quintet the Brothers Comatose continue to expand their
footprint in the Americana and progressive bluegrass music circle, a music scene that continues to
expand through influential bands like the Avett Brothers, Trampled by Turtles and the Infamous
Stringdusters.“Banjos have kind of become cool over the last year or two, which is funny, but is
awesome,” Ben said. “It is nice to open the sound the old time and folk music to broader ranges of
people.”Featured at string band festivals across the country like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, High Sierra
and Grand Targhee, the band is capitalizing on a growing fan base that loves live music, dancing and
high-energy acoustic string bands. With a strong emphasis on their live show, The Brothers Comatose
bring an infectious sound that is ripe for audience participation.“We really love to play live because
of the energy people bring to a show,” Ben said. “I feel like people want to go to a show and have a
party and have fun.”

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