The Brothers Comatose – Golden Grass
If you’ve ever been to San Francisco and Northern California, you know the vibe is palpably unique. It’s unlike the East Coast, of course, but it’s also different from Southern California. Golden Grass, the latest release from The Brothers Comatose, casts a golden aural glow over hillsides, snow-covered peaks, redwood groves, and rocky coastlines. It’s the band’s home turf, and you can feel it in every track. Their West Coast brand of traditional bluegrass (once dubbed Golden Grass by a fan) is in full bloom, and more laidback than high lonesome.
The title track, “Golden Grass,” instantly sets you down “in a San Francisco Holler, all the songs echo through the cypress trees. Golden highway stretches out forever as the sun slowly sinks into the sea.” Out West they do it differently, or “untraditionally,” as the band puts it. Throughout this opener, “grass” has multiple meanings — after all, this is California.
At its heart, Golden Grass leans into the tension between staying and leaving, a sense of place, and looking back while keeping hopeful eyes on the future. The Brothers Comatose honor tradition without sounding stuck in it. Their string-band foundation carries ease and looseness, balancing between polished craft and the raw energy of live performance. Lyrically, the album reflects on family, place, and longing, but it never sits still. Each track looks both inward and outward toward home and the horizon.
“Hills of San Francisco” is the band’s clearest ode to San Francisco, with emotional ups and downs mirroring the city’s iconic hills. Travis McClintic’s whistle weaves through the melody like a hazily half-remembered Roger Miller tune. “Home Again” is a heartbreaking remembrance of the Golden State’s past battles against wildfires “burning crimson red,” while packing up to leave, wondering if it will ever be home again. Jesse Appelman’s mandolin pairs beautifully with Lindsay Lou’s vocals that add to the melancholy mood of an uncertain future.
On “IPA Song,” Ronnie McCoury’s mandolin injects playful bar-band energy to this lively and raucous rant against bitter high alcohol IPA beer. “I just wanna enjoy myself, I don’t wanna be comatose. You can keep your hoppy IPAs, I’ll be sipping on my PBR.”
If you’ve never been to Northern California, listening to Golden Grass is almost like being there. Still, listening to this album while on a hillside overlooking the San Francisco Bay should be on your bucket list.
Golden Grass was produced by Greg Holden & Tim Bluhm; recorded at Brothers (Chinese) Recording, Forrest Power Studio & Sanctuary Sound, by Jay Pellicci, Tim Bluhm & Roan Gibson; mixed by John Alagia, and mastered by Whynot Jansveld.
The Brothers Comatose are Ben Morrison (guitar, vocals), Alex Morrison (banjo, vocals), Philip Brezina (violin), Steve Height (upright bass) and Addie Levy (mandolin, vocals). Guest musicians include Greg Fleischut (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Ronnie McCoury (mandolin and vocals on “IPA Song”), Jesse Appelman (mandolin on “Home Again”), Lindsay Lou (vocals on “Home Again”), Minna Choi (organ, Rhodes on “Huckleberry Wine”), Nick Weitzenfeld (guitar on “Blue Mountain”), Travis McClintic (whistle solo on “Hills of San Francisco”) and Michelle Kwon (cello on “Runnin’ on Back”).
Go here to hear choice cuts from Golden Grass (out September 12) along with past standouts: https://thebrotherscomatose.bandcamp.com/
Check out tour dates here: https://www.thebrotherscomatose.com/tour-dates
