With two songwriters, six albums, and more than a thousand shows under their belt, The Coffis Brothers have earned their reputation as modern-day torchbearers of all-American rock & roll. It’s a sound caught halfway between amplified Americana, acoustic folk, roadhouse R&B, and electrifying roots music, crafted by a pair of California-born siblings who’ve been sharing the stage since childhood, and the five piece band filled out by their childhood friend, Kyle Poppen on lead guitar, and the rhythm section of Aidan Collins (bass), and Cory Graves (drums). That sound reaches a new peak with Kaw-fis Bruth-urs. The band’s third collaboration with Bay Area legend (and longtime Mother Hips frontman) Tim Bluhm, who serves as the album’s producer, Kaw-fis Bruth-urs finds Jamie and Kellen Coffis letting their guard down, enjoying the creative ride as much as the destination itself. For every signature-sounding song like “Cut Right Through” — a heartland rock anthem built for highway drives and long horizons, as sunny as the band’s Golden State homeland and as hook-driven as a Tom Petty classic — there’s another track that stretches the band’s sound into new territory. The result is The Coffis Brothers’ widest-ranging album yet, running the gamut from bluesy, blue-eyed soul (“Face the Music”) to jangling, harmony-heavy power pop (“Do You Want To"). “This is what we do, and we’re giving ourselves license to evolve and get better at it, too” says Jamie, who was raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains of northern California alongside his mother — a children’s musician — and his younger brother. Decades after Jamie and Kellen made their stage debut alongside their mom, singing three-part blood harmonies at a young age, their musical bond has only grown stronger, sharpened by hundreds of live shows as much as their shared DNA. “It’s the natural evolution of us performing together and spending so much of our lives together,” Kellen adds. “We didn’t set out to make anything in one particular direction — we just wanted to make a batch of really great songs.”
The Coffis Brothers & The Mountain Men are a rootsy rock n’ roll band born and raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Influenced by those early surroundings, songwriters Jamie and Kellen Coffis’ blend of folk, blues, R&B and straight-ahead rock is evidence an upbringing spent listening to all of the right records from Tom Petty, Neil Young, and The Beatles.
On their third full-length album, Roll With It, The Coffis Brothers put that rock into overdrive, looking ahead to the good things coming and suffering no fools. First single “You Ain’t Got the Heart” is a barn burner and a fan favorite, having already been part of the band’s live set for a couple of years. “There’s a little bit of that sense of angst and that sort of ‘I don’t need this’ attitude,” says Kellen Coffis, “but don’t overthink this one.”
Not that there isn’t plenty to think about on Roll With It. Tracks like “Bad Luck” and “Better Days” reflect on how to live with and learn from rough times, while “You and Me” is a testament to how people can make it through these things together. But on every song, The Coffis Brothers & the Mountain Men stay true to a rock sound that draws from Southern grit and California hills.
Roll With It was recorded on analog tape over a week at Barefoot Studios in Hollywood with producer Andy Zenczak and engineer Cian Riordan. The band’s near-constant touring throughout California and elsewhere has earned them not only devoted fans, but lots of critical praise as well:
“The Coffis Brothers & the Mountain Men have developed a sound that has an easy rock vibe that’s actually hip.” – San Francisco Chronicle
“The Coffis Brothers mix a blend of folk, country and rock with the intensity of personal lyrics into a gritty and often tender harmony of sound… a show that delivers one part Avett Brothers and one part early Neil Young for a full night of dancing and fun.” – Santa Cruz Weekly
Jamie and Kellen are joined by Kyle Poppen on lead guitar, Aidan Collins on bass and Sam Kellerman on drums. Their debut self titled full-length album was released in 2011 and was followed by 2012’s Waiting For You EP and 2014’s Wrong Side of the Road.