Editor's note: A previously published version of this story failed to mention Jarrod Bramson's sister, Daija Mangutz. Bramson leaves behind his two parents, Cindy and Steve, and his sister, Daija.

Sitting in the soft light streaming through windows of the Customs House Recording Studio, a group of friends gathered, surrounded by guitars and keyboards, mourning the loss of one of their own.

But actually, this is more than just a group of friends.

They are a tribe. A family.

“We haven’t really left each other’s side in the last four days,” said Heidi Tucker, one of the close friends of Jarrod Paul Bramson.

The singer, songwriter, guitarist, activist, father, called a “DIY indie-rock legend” died March 27 of an apparent drug overdose at the age of 43, alone in an idling car in a hospital parking lot.

The investigation of his death has uncovered elements of life in Port Townsend many would prefer to ignore, but his friends are focused on grieving someone who held them together.

And as they have comforted each other through past troubles, the group is again at each other’s sides, swapping stories of their dear friend, eating crumbly croissants from Pan D’Amore and laughing at inside jokes that date back to their teenage years.

Most well-known for his part in the musical duo, the Solvents, Bramson was responsible for bringing a musical scene to Port Townsend that had not existed before. But beyond that, he was instrumental in creating this tight-knit group by putting his creativity to work in this small community.

ROOTED IN PORT TOWNSEND

Born in Long Beach, California in 1975, Bramson’s family moved soon after his birth to Leavenworth.

His parents, Cindy and Steve Mangutz, were artists and he often spoke of spending time in his youth at craft fairs. When he was 14, his family moved to Port Townsend. Bramson, his parents, and his sister Daija, fell in love with the town.

“There was a tight group of young people living here at the time,” said Ruby Fitch, one of Bramson’s close friends. They would hang out behind Elevated Ice Cream, or the Lighthouse Cafe, teenagers who would grow up to be artists, musicians and photographers who shape the artsy vibe of their town.

“It was a tribe,” Fitch said. “It was evident everywhere that group moved. That was the blueprint for the rest of our lives. We all still have that connection with each other.”

Bramson was “the median” for all these friends.

“Someone would feel like an outsider, except for when they were with Jarrod,” said Seth Raymond, who was a friend and bandmate of Bramson.

Bramson drew people to him, because of his energetic charisma, but also his authenticity, Fitch said.

“I’ve talked to so many people in the last few days who have said that Jarrod was their best friend,” she said. “I mean, I felt like I was his best friend … Everything about him was authentic.”

The group of friends who once hung out behind Elevated Ice Cream are now adults, but still deeply rooted in Port Townsend. A large reason for that is Bramson and his wife, Emily Madden.

THE RELATIONSHIP METER

Bramson and Madden met when they were in high school, but didn’t hit it off right away.

Maybe their love story should be set up like this: he was a guitarist, she was an Irish fiddler. The rest is history.

Or it could be said like this: when they played together, they breathed together. They knew what each other was saying, without even speaking.

Perhaps it is best to tell it in Madden’s own words: “It was magnetic. We didn’t even have to look at each other.”

They knew each other for several years before someone suggested that the two musicians team up. They played a few gigs and got a couple bucks for playing at a wedding.

Then, “we got our hearts entwined,” Madden said. “We couldn’t help it, but we just fell in love.”

They created the band the Solvents, with Bramson on guitar and vocals and Madden on violin.

Sometimes the duo kept it simple with acoustic melodies and vocals, while other times the rock and punk influence came into play with drums, electric guitar, bass and piano. The freedom in their sound allowed each of their albums to bring a new side of themselves to the music.

“Their relationship was the meter for all of us,” Fitch said. “I always thought if I am in a relationship, I want the other person to treat me the way that Emily and Jarrod treat each other.”

Bramson and Madden both had kids young, before they entered into their relationship. They raised their three daughters, Bramson’s twin girls, Ana and Aurora, and Madden’s daughter, Rosemary, together.

The three girls, following in their parents’ footsteps, had their own rock band at one time, called the Dirty Skulls.

“He was also a role model for other fathers,” Fitch said. “He had intimate relationships with other fathers, where they talk about what it meant to be a father.”

THE MUSIC

The Solvents toured in both America and Europe, but their sound always remained rooted in the Pacific Northwest, particularly to the DIY-nature of Bramson’s musical style.

Any room in their house could become a recording studio, and did, Madden said. He would help other musicians record their albums, too, and they often welcomed touring bands to come and stay with them.

Over the years, many people played with Madden and Bramson in the Solvents. Drummer Sasha Landes brought the sound together in the beginning. Guitarist Seth Raymond played with them, as did musicians Johnathan Eisenhower and Cha Wright, and the list continues.

“Every time it was a little different,” said Raymond, who played with the Solvents over the years. “But there was so much inclusivity.”

Even non-musicians, like Heidi Tucker, who is a visual artist and close friend to Bramson and Madden, got to participate in the band, making flyers, album covers and posters.

“They were a long-lived musical feature of the scene here,” said Larry Stein, a DJ on the local, community radio station, KPTZ, where Bramson also spent years DJing. “Jarrod brought a younger voice to the station, and had an affinity for hard rockin’ music. He was a bit different, but that’s what we like here.”

The band would play at any benefit concert that Bramson and Madden supported and wanted to help. You name it: the memorial for a dog, a fundraiser for someone with health problems, raising money for Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, at a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

“He really did believe that there was always something that could be done to help,” said Adam Karagas, a fellow bandmate and friend of Bramson.

They toured Europe twice, and went up and down the West Coast three times.

Bramson's sister, Daija, often toured with them, and would take videos of their adventures, said Cindy Mangutz, Bramson's mother.

"They rented this van, and had a driver taking them all around from Belgium to England," she said. "They got their name out there, doing house shows, playing in bars and clubs."

But their most-toured area was Port Townsend, where the Solvents were a household name.

In turn, the community began to know Bramson.

While KPTZ played an hour-long tribute to Bramson on Sunday, others made contributions to a GoFundMe for Bramson’s family. Community members posted photos of Bramson playing music, writing tributes in the comment section of the GoFundMe page.

Within a day, the GoFundMe surpassed its goal. As of April 1, the community raised over $30,000 for Bramson’s family.

“It’s beautiful that desire to help that is now coming back around to his family,” said Teresa Verraes, a friend of Bramson’s who set up the GoFundMe. “People have expressed how glad they are to have some way to contribute.”

For those who did not know him personally, it was possible to feel close to Bramson by listening to his heart as he poured it out in song. He would show every bit of himself to people on stage, Fitch said.

His lyricism expressed his feelings, his desire to make a change in the world.

In one of his more recent songs, “Leave The Devil At The Bar,” Bramson wrote, “The pendulum still swings and sways / and still the morning fades away / beyond the silver, starless sea this desperate world is after me / and I don't know what it needs.”

He was a folk singer in many ways, Fitch added. But he was also a true lover of punk rock. All of these nuances are found in his music and his lyrics.

“If people could just go find our music on Spotify, or BandCamp, or wherever, please just listen to his lyrics,” Madden said. “Because people aren’t doing that so much anymore, at least in our opinion. In his opinion. He didn’t think people cared about lyrics anymore.”

THE CASE

On another page in this newspaper, there is a story about the case behind Bramson’s death.

In this group of friends, there are a lot of questions. There is some anger. Some confusion.

But mostly, there is togetherness. And there is a desire to tell Bramson’s story, the story of his life that they knew for so long as someone who brought them together, who created beauty in his music, and who cared deeply for people.

“It would be amazing if this community could embrace this feeling of lifting up youth, of lifting up aspiring musicians, and to take that out into the world to make it better,” said Oceanna Van Lelyveld, one of Bramson’s close friends, who raised her children alongside Bramson and Madden.

But there is healing to be done, and questions to be answered about his last hours. After spending the last five days together, comforting each other, listening to music, talking about Bramson and his life, the group packed up, and headed to the Jefferson County Courthouse for the arraignment of the man police blame for Bramson’s death, where they would stand as one family, in support of each other through the hard times.

A memorial event is going to be planned in the coming month, said Fitch. And the Solvents last album, called “Memory Shreds” will be coming out in the future. In the meantime, for updates on Bramson’s family or to show support, visit gofundme.com/jarrod-paul-bramson-memorial-fund.