Review by Olivia Mello, Narrows Staff

While the rest of us did our best to dodge the heavy rain on Wednesday night, band members of Brothers Comatose were outside taking pictures of it. “Have you boys never seen rain before?” we asked, sarcastically, before remembering that they’re from California and they haven’t, not in about five years anyway.

Despite the flash flood warnings, the Narrows brought in some eager bluegrass fans. Many of which had never seen the band perform before, let alone visit our venue. Other folks in the crowd were avid fans, which came as a pleasant surprise to the Brothers, as they didn’t expect anyone to know their songs all the way across the country.

The boys really did storm the stage, sounding just as clear and resonant as they do on their recordings. The string band consisted of five young gentlemen from San Francisco: Ben and Alex Morrison on guitar, banjo, and lead vocalists, Phil Brezina on fiddle, Ryan Avellone on mandolin, and Gio Benedetti on the upright bass. Percussion was covered with a single tambourine attached to Ben Morrison.

“Excuse me while I get our drummer on my foot,” he joked.

While they reveled in their original tunes, flaunting quite a knack for songwriting, they also did some flawless covers. My personal favorite was Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie,” during which Ryan played a memorable solo and even offered a swift, scissor kick at the end of it.

As the show neared an end, the Brothers offered an encore without even making the crowd beg for it. “We have nowhere else to be,” they said.

There was an incredible sense of comfort in their performance. The band and audience totally converged as one, chatting and joking around with one another. “This is a community,” Ben said, “it’s a gathering of arts. This place is so invaluable.” Everyone left the Narrows feeling the same way: Grateful.

Grateful for music, grateful for entertainment, grateful to have turned a rainy Wednesday into a big celebration.