Just when you think all the good band names have already been taken, along comes The Brothers Comatose, an exceptional string outfit from San Francisco. Their second full-length CD, Respect The Van, comes out today and it provides a showcase for the quintet’s prodigious talents. Brothers Alex and Ben Morrison, vocals, banjo and guitar; Gio Benedetti, vocals and bass; Philip Brezina, fiddle; Ryan Avellone, mandolin, are rocking the room at places like the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, The Strawberry Festival, and High Sierra Music Festival. By the way, the comatose assignation comes from the trance that Alex enters when he plays banjo.

The Brothers Comatose simmer a stew that combines old and new for soul satisfaction. A quick note about what separates old school bluegrass from this music - it's the rock and roll structure to the composition. You gotta see these guys on their ambitious summer touring adventure, Respect The Van indeed! Speaking of ‘seeing’ them, there is a series of strip poker-esque photos, as the band did a countdown to this week’s album release. A layer of clothing was removed by each member for each photo, culminating here. Here is one of the songs from the new album, “The Scout,” which of course, features the van. I wonder if it has a name...

- Jessie Scott