Tag: Brothers Comatose
You Gotta Hear This: Chris Pierce, Humbird, and More
Every Friday, BGS shines a light on some of our favorite new tracks in bluegrass, folk, Americana and beyond. Then we ask the artist about the inspiration behind the music and pass their wise words along to you.
This week, enjoy new music from the longtime favorite Bay Area bluegrass band The Brothers Comatose, thoughtful Los Angeles singer-songwriter Malena Cadiz, and poetic Midwestern musician Humbird. Showing their reverence for the land, we also have a new tune from Upstate New York’s folk-inspired group Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter and a lovely video from Canadian songwriter Mimi O’Bonsawin. In addition, Los Angeles singer-songwriter Chris Pierce shares a song he wishes he didn’t have to write, while Eli Paperboy Reed keeps the home fires burning with the help of his producer, Swamp Dogg.
As always, You Gotta Hear This!
The Brothers Comatose, “High Hoping”
Artist: The Brothers Comatose
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Song: “High Hoping”
Single Release Date: August 20, 2026
Label: Swamp Jam Records
In Their Words: “‘High Hoping’ started with a single concept: ‘whatif-ism.’ But instead of the normal doom-and-gloom ‘what ifs’ (‘What if it doesn’t work out?’ or ‘What if we fail?’) we decided to turn the concept on its head and instead ask ourselves, ‘What if it DOES work out?’ or ‘What if we SUCCEED?’ These days it’s so easy (and understandable) to feel like the sky is falling; this is a song that lets us imagine that just maybe…..it isn’t.” — Addie Levy, The Brothers Comatose
Malena Cadiz, “Fragile”
Artist: Malena Cadiz
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Fragile”
Album: Fragile
Album Release Date: August 28, 2026
Label: Sad Mall
In Their Words: “‘Fragile’ was inspired by the first party after COVID lockdown. I remember feeling really wobbly and vulnerable that night and sensing everyone else might feel the same – our usual social armor was impaired from lack of practice. There was an unrestrained joy at being together and also an awkwardness — do I shake your hand? Do I stand this close? How do I make polite conversation with people I’ve just met?
“In writing the lyrics I was inspired by the one-sided conversational format of George Strait’s ‘The Chair. He’s at a bar hitting on a woman, leaving space for the responses so we as listeners fill in the blanks. It’s campy and hilarious and strangely poetic. I wanted ‘Fragile’ to have a similar earnestness and humor: ‘No, I don’t think I’ll try the punch…Well alright, maybe just a touch. I’m out of practice at making polite conversation… Did I shake your hand too hard?’” — Malena Cadiz
Track Credits:
Malena Cadiz – Acoustic guitar
Jason A. Roberts – Acoustic guitar
Aaron Stern – Bass
Leeann Skoda – Background vocals
Andrew Maguire – Drums & percussion
Humbird, “Hey Big Dipper”
Artist: Humbird
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Song: “Hey Big Dipper”
Album: Morning When It Comes
Album Release Date: September 9, 2026
Label: Nettwerk
In Their Words: “‘Hey Big Dipper’ is an existential lullaby–an ongoing conversation with the stars that took place when I was struggling to find my footing in the world and heartbroken over global events. Lyrically, it’s an acknowledgement of confusion, sorrow and also hope, while reckoning with the way Starlink and other billionaire-funded efforts pollute our planet and the night sky.
“Luke Callen was my co-writer to finish the song, helping me sculpt the final few pieces into a structure that felt soft and strong. I love how Shane Leonard’s percussion part in the recorded version feels like a living, breathing presence within the arrangement. The quiet piano was me, messing around on a scratch take to convey an idea, but to my delight, the messiness was the right fit and we chose to keep it, imperfect and honest.” — Humbird
Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter, “Planting and Harvest”
Artist: Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter
Original hometown: Amsterdam, New York
Current hometown: Beacon, New York)
Song: “Planting and Harvest”
Single Release Date: August 28, 2026
Label: Loonymusik
In Their Words: “I wrote this song as a tribute to long, enduring relationships, to love and partnerships that last through thick and thin. ‘I vow to love you even through planting and harvest’ is painted on a little sign that hangs in the kitchen of my family’s farmhouse in Upstate New York. Growing up on a farm, I can tell you that planting and harvest are the two most stressful seasons of the year, with the longest hours (even by farming standards!) and the most intense time, weather, and financial pressures all converging at once. The results can determine the success or failure of an entire year’s hopes and efforts.
“Needless to say, this puts a great deal of strain on any relationship during those times. (I’m sure other industries have equivalent situations – I know the music business does!) The song is from the point of view of a couple looking back on all they’ve weathered together, reminiscing about the past and wondering about what the future holds. It’s an ode to resilient love and the work that goes into making a lasting relationship, about commitment to the land, to the lifestyle, and to each other through it all.” — Sara Milonovich
Track Credits:
Sara Milonovich – Lead vocal, fiddle, acoustic guitar
Leigh Gibson – Harmony vocal
Abbie Gardner – Dobro
Cody Kilby – Mandolin, resonator guitar
Greg Anderson – Electric bass
Justin Guip – Drums
Greg Anderson – Producer
Mimi O’Bonsawin, “Worthy”
Artist: Mimi O’Bonsawin
Hometown: Ottawa Valley, Ontario, Canada
Song: “Worthy”
Album: Evoke
Release Date: August 28, 2026
In Their Words: “‘Worthy” is a love note for overthinkers like me, for anyone who spends too much time worrying about being judged or comparing themselves to others. I wrote it during a time I was fighting against the current instead of listening to myself. I wanted it to feel like an anthem, like the warm breeze that rushes through the trees on a summer day.
“My husband, who is also my drummer and co-producer, and I first played this song while touring Australia, where audiences helped shape its final form. Hearing them sing ‘Into my body, out of my mind’ with such conviction made us realize ‘Worthy’ would become the heart of this album. We’ve since watched it bring people together through singing, dancing, and shared emotion.
“As food growers and touring musicians, finding balance isn’t always easy. This song feels like the reward. It reflects the healing we experience on the land and in our garden, offering something honest, human, and deeply felt. Every time we play it, I’m reminded to return to my heart and hold up the things that are truly important in my life.” — Mimi O’Bonsawin
Track Credits:
Mimi O’Bonsawin: Vocals, Mele Guitarlele, Mele Ukulele, acoustic guitar, synth
Ryan Schurman: SJC Drums & Sabian Cymbals, percussion, electric guitar
Miranda Mulholland: Violin
Video Credits:
Directed by The Trenches Media Inc.
Chris Pierce, “First Day of School”
Artist: Chris Pierce
Hometown: Pasadena, California
Song: “First Day of School”
Album: Songs for the Heavy Hearted
Album Release Date: August 21, 2026
In Their Words: “‘First Day of School’ is a song I wish there were no reason to write. Sending a child to school should be one of the most ordinary and hopeful moments in a family’s life. You pack their lunch, straighten their collar, kiss them goodbye and send them out into the world believing they’ll come walking back through that door. But too many parents in this country have been asked to carry a fear that should be unthinkable.
“I wanted to write from inside that moment, not from politics or statistics, but from the heart of a parent saying a prayer as their child walks through those doors. It’s one of the heavy hearts I found myself writing for on Songs for the Heavy Hearted. Folk music has always gone where people are hurting, and sometimes a song has to stand there with them and tell the truth. ‘First Day of School’ is a prayer, but it’s also a call to our conscience. A prayer should move us. Love should move us. Our children deserve the freedom to grow up.” — Chris Pierce
Track Credits:
Chris Pierce – Vocal, acoustic guitar
Stella Mozgawa – Drums
Reggie Hamilton – Bass
Doug Pettibone – Guitars
Gabe Witcher – Fiddle
Dave Palmer – Grand piano
Phil Parlapiano – Wurlitzer
Eli Paperboy Reed, “Like We Used To”
Artist: Eli Paperboy Reed
Hometown: A Boston native who has called Brooklyn home for the past two decades.
Song: “Like We Used To”
Album: Getting There (produced by Swamp Dogg)
Album Release Date: September 11, 2026
Label: Yep Roc Records
In Their Words: “This song has been kicking around for a minute, but it began to hit different for me as I entered the second decade of my marriage. This is a song about making time to make time. When work, school, childcare, doctor’s appointments and all the rest keep getting in the way, you have to remember the spark that started it all in the first place. For me, that’s remembering what it was like to be 23 years old and jumping in a borrowed car to race to Brooklyn from Boston after a certain someone requested my presence. With all that’s changed between then and now, that certain someone is still the same and so am I, sometimes it just takes a reminder.
“When Swamp and I first got together to talk about songs and plans, this is one of the early demos I played for him. He immediately began his trademark sway that indicates that the song is moving him, followed by the highest of Swamp Dogg praise – ‘That one’s a motherf*cker.'” — Eli Paperboy Reed
Track Credits:
Eli Paperboy Reed – Vocals and electric piano, songwriter
Michael “Ish” Montgomery – Bass, background vocals
Noah Rubin – Drums, percussion
Jonny Lam – Electric and acoustic guitar, steel guitar
Morgan Price – Saxophones
Carter Yasutake – Trumpet
Photo Credits: Gabriel Barreto (Chris Pierce); Kendall Rock (Humbird)
You Gotta Hear This: New Music From Brothers Comatose, Caitlin Canty, and More
Your weekly dose of brand new roots music is here – You Gotta Hear This!
Our West Coast friends, The Brothers Comatose, kick us off this week with their new single, “Golden Grass.” The title track for their upcoming album, it’s a loping bluegrass number that pays tribute to the special regional string band styles and genre-bending of their home state, California. From the opposite side of the country, Caitlin Canty brings us “Hotter Than Hell,” a nostalgic song about nighttime summer drives, first loves, and first jobs that features fellow Vermonter Matt Lorenz on backing vocals.
We have a couple great new music videos, too, this week. Singer-songwriter Kai Crowe-Getty shares a live performance video of “Dancing on a Razor’s Edge,” a heartfelt original song about grief, loss, that takes inspiration from – as Joni Mitchell would put it – “you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.” Meanwhile, Hillary Reynolds also comes to us from an Americana space with her new track, “Can’t Turn Off My Mind,” a song about insomnia with an accompanying video that demonstrates how, to Reynolds, sleeplessness can become a familiar friend.
Keep scrolling though, because Nashville-based honky-tonker and picker-singer-songwriter Mose Wilson gives an unexpected flair to traditional country with his song, “Since I Lost You.” Wilson’s friend and sometimes bandmate, award-winning bassist Vickie Vaughn, returns to You Gotta Hear This once again with her latest Mountain Home Music Co. single, a fiery, soulful, and plaintive rendition of Vince Gill’s classic, “Liza Jane.” And, from just up the road across town in Nashville, string duo and old-time aficionados Golden Shoals turn their skills to “dad rock” for their pro-worker, anti-work-week summer anthem, “Five Day Weekend.” Of course, it’s just perfect for entering a long holiday weekend.
Country, bluegrass, folk, Americana, and blends of all of the above are all right here on BGS. You Gotta Hear This!
The Brothers Comatose, “Golden Grass”
Artist: The Brothers Comatose
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Song: “Golden Grass”
Album: Golden Grass
Release Date: May 21, 2025 (single); September 12, 2025 (album)
Label: Swamp Jam Records.
In Their Words: “We wrote ‘Golden Grass’ about the current wave of string bands coming out of California that are creating a new take on an old style of music. They start with their foundations in traditional bluegrass and incorporate folk, rock, and jam elements to form that Western ‘golden grass’ sound. Lots of great string bands have come out of California, like AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Molly Tuttle, and even going back to Old & In the Way who were trailblazers for this type of sound. It’s about taking the heart and soul of bluegrass and infusing it with everything we love about music today.” – Ben Morrison
Caitlin Canty, “Hotter Than Hell”
Artist: Caitlin Canty
Hometown: Danby, Vermont
Song: “Hotter Than Hell”
Album: Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove
Release Date: May 22, 2025 (single); October 2, 2025 (album)
Label: Distributed by Tone Tree
In Their Words: “This is the first track I’m sharing from my forthcoming record, Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove, out October 2. This song grew from the ground in Vermont, where I was born and raised and have recently returned to raise my little kids. On those hot humid nights before we had air conditioning, my folks would pack us all in the truck and we’d drive along mountain roads with the windows down to cool off. ‘Hotter Than Hell’ is a nostalgic summer throwback to first love, first jobs – those ephemeral firsts seared into memory.
“And making this record was my first time partnering with Sam Kassirer, who produced and played keys. I was nearly 8 months pregnant when we cut the record live at his Great North Sound Society in Maine. I just love to hear fellow Vermonter, Matt Lorenz (The Suitcase Junket) singing his blazing backing vocals on this song.” – Caitlin Canty
Track Credits:
Caitlin Canty – Vocals, acoustic guitar, songwriting
Jeremy Moses Curtis – Bass
Rich Hinman – Electric guitar
Sam Kassirer – Piano, organ
Matt Lorenz – Backing vocals
Ray Rizzo – Drums, percussion
Kai Crowe-Getty, “Dancing on a Razor’s Edge”
Artist: Kai Crowe-Getty
Hometown: Nelson County, Virginia
Song: “Dancing on a Razor’s Edge”
Album: The Wreckage
Release Date: May 23, 2025 (single); June 27, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “In my life, I’m not one who does a lot of looking backwards or dwelling in the past with much intention. This song, like several on the record, does exactly that. The Joni Mitchell refrain of ‘don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone’ was a lost inspiration here. My mother died when I was young and this collection of memories, some with her, some without, is trying to make sense of the present in one of my more personal writes. Like many things we avoid, tuck away, wait to face another day, it tends to come out in unexpected floods and fissures as we navigate the grief of it, standing on different shores.” – Kai Crowe-Getty
Video Credits: Filmed by Zach Phillips. Edited by Kai Crowe-Getty.
Golden Shoals, “Five Day Weekend”
Artist: Golden Shoals
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Song: “Five Day Weekend”
Album: The Dream and The Hunger
Release Date: May 23, 2025
In Their Words: “We live in a world where we’re pushed to our limits of productivity while being sold tons of garbage that we don’t need. At the same time, we could be harnessing AI to do the work that allows humans more leisure time, but Big Tech seems intent on replacing meaningful human work instead. The song just kind of manifested with a dad rock vibe. It details my dream for a world that I think is possible – where we all spend a significant, but not overwhelming, amount of time doing the hard work that a society needs to thrive and the rest of the time taking care of ourselves making the world a great place to live in.” – Mark Kilianski
Track Credits:
Mark Kilianski – Electric guitar, vocals, songwriting
Amy Alvey – Fiddle, vocals
Chris Sartori – Electric bass
Alex Bice – Drum kit, cowbell
Hillary Reynolds, “Can’t Turn Off My Mind”
Artist: Hillary Reynolds
Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin (for the summer) and Los Angeles, California (for the winter)
Song: “Can’t Turn Off My Mind”
Album: Changing Seasons
Release Date: May 22, 2025 (single); August 8, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “‘Can’t Turn Off My Mind’ ended up being the first song I wrote for my album. It came in stages. I wrote the first half by myself and when I felt like it needed fresh energy, I turned to my dear friend and fellow artist, Madison Malone, for a little nudge. Simply put, ‘Can’t Turn Off My Mind’ is a song about insomnia. I love how the narrative has evolved over time. Since finishing this song, Madison and I have become mothers and insomnia has taken on a new meaning, becoming a familiar friend – whether it was breast feeding and watching Schitt’s Creek in the wee hours of the morning or having an endless to-do list running through my brain at 3 a.m., I love that this song is the first single, setting the tone of my forthcoming morning album, Changing Seasons.” – Hillary Reynolds
Track Credits:
Hillary Reynolds – Vocals, piano, songwriting
Madison Malone – Background vocals
Benjamin Kopf – Acoustic guitar, bass, singing bowl
Tom Shewmake – Octave mandolin
Matt Musty – Percussion
Jim Frink – Drums
Video Credit: Directed and filmed by New Normal Studios.
Vickie Vaughn, “Liza Jane”
Artist: Vickie Vaughn
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Liza Jane”
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “I’ve loved Vince Gill’s ‘Liza Jane’ since I heard it on local country radio when I was little. His version is so iconic and playful and the groove is intoxicating. I wanted to take to the song and add some serious drama, giving it a little bit of a darker vibe and instead of just singing about Liza Jane, I wanted to be pleading and angry and desperate about her.” – Vickie Vaughn
Track Credits:
Vickie Vaughn – Upright bass, lead vocal
Cody Kilby – Guitar
Casey Campbell – Mandolin
Wes Corbett – Banjo
Dave Racine – Drums
Deanie Richardson – Fiddle
Lillie Mae Rische – Harmony vocal
Frank Rische – Harmony vocal
Mose Wilson, “Since I Lost You”
Artist: Mose Wilson
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Since I Lost You”
Album: That’s Love
Release Date: May 28, 2025 (single); July 17, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “‘Since I Lost You’ is unlike anything I’ve released before. It’s a bridge between worlds – a song that could invite listeners from outside the traditional country audience to experience something new and unexpected. It’s a story of love lost told with a groove that’s both timeless and entirely my own.” – Mose Wilson
Track Credits:
Henry Long – Keyboards
Norbert McGettigan – Bass
John Papageourgiou – Drums
Will Johnson – Electric guitar
Stephen “Tebbs” Kearney – Dobro
Mose Wilson – Vocals, acoustic guitar
Photo Credit: Brothers Comatose by Jessie McCall; Caitlin Canty by Laura Partain.
GIVEAWAY – Win tickets to Campfire Caravan at Bootleg Theater (LA) 10/5
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GIVEAWAY – Win tickets to Campfire Caravan at Neumo’s (Seattle) 9/30
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GIVEAWAY – Win tickets to Campfire Caravan at the Crystal Ballroom (Portland, OR)
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3×3: Jo Harman on Bassoon, Batman, and the Brothers Comatose
Artist: Jo Harman
Hometown: London, UK
Latest Album: People We Become
Personal Nicknames: The Harmanator, JRH
If you were in a high school marching band, which instrument would you want to play?
Bassoon
Do your socks always match?
Never
If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?
Batman, if only for the rubber
What’s your go-to road food?
Anything without meat
Who was the best teacher you ever had — and why?
I had a few, not least those who believed in me and empowered me to chase my dreams.
What’s your favorite TV show?
Friends
Boots or sneakers?
I’m a big lover and user of both, but sneakers, if I had to choose.
Which brothers do you prefer — Avett, Wood, Stanley, Comatose, or Louvin?
Comatose
Canada or Mexico?
I love everybody. Particularly anyone Trump dislikes.