It’s been said countless times before and it will be said at least once more after Denver Comes Alive on December 4th at Denver’s Mission Ballroom: there is nothing quite like that magic that occurs when Oteil Burbridge and Eric Krasno share a stage [get tickets].
Filling the “never-before-seen band” role on the Denver Comes Alive 2021 lineup is the Ramble On Revival, an outfit packed with celebrated players at every position: Oteil Burbridge (Dead & Company) on bass, Steve Kimock (The Other Ones) and Eric Krasno (Soulive) on guitar, Holly Bowling (Ghost Light) on keys, Jeff Sipe (Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit) on drums, Skerik on sax, and Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band) on trumpet/vocals.
Krasno, the decorated Soulive guitarist, and Burbridge, the beloved bassist for Dead & Company, the Allman Brothers Band, Vida Blue, Aquarium Rescue Unit, and more, have shared a stage countless times. In August 2019, Krasno took part in Burbridge’s birthday-bash Oteil & Friends set at LOCKN‘ alongside Neal Casal, in what would be Casal’s final performance before his death.
In addition to Krasno’s periodic appearances with Oteil & Friends, Burbridge has frequently lent his hand to guest-filled Soulive sets and studio recordings over the years.
Fans might remember all way back to 2014 when Oteil and his late brother, Kofi Burbridge, joined Soulive for “So Live!” during Bowlive 5 at the Brooklyn Bowl. Ahead of the July 2019 edition of Bowlive, the guitarist listed collaborations with Oteil and Kofi among his most memorable Bowlive moments.
As Krasno explained, “Kofi and Oteil were Soulive’s biggest supporters from day one. Oteil was on our first LP and Kofi sat in with us countless times over the years. They both always knew that they were welcome onstage and were an extended part of the band. There’s something transcendent about when the Burbridge and Evans bros make music together. I had the honor of sharing in that magic many times during Bowlive.”
Oteil continued his connection with Soulive during 2019’s Bowlive VIII. On the second night of the six-night Brooklyn Bowl residency, the bassist joined Krasno, drummer Alan Evans, and keyboardist Neal Evans for their entire second set and encore. The Burbridge-augmented band got started with funky Oteil & The Peacemakers instrumental, “Butter Biscuit”, a song that’s tailor-made to thrive with the master instrumentalists of Soulive. Soulive’s “Hat Trick” was up next, followed by a bouncing cover of Bob Marley‘s “Natural Mystic” sung with appropriately mystical gusto by Oteil.
After a run through “Backward Jack”, the four-piece was joined by vocalists Elliott Skinner and Victoria Canal for a moving cover of “Natural Woman”, the Carole King classic widely popularized by the late Aretha Franklin‘s stirring rendition. Finally, the Soulive + Burbridge quartet closed out the set with a pair of go-to covers (The Beatles’ “Get Back”, Jimi Hendrix‘s “Manic Depression”). With time for one more, the quartet returned to the stage for an encore rendition of the Grateful Dead‘s “Fire On The Mountain”, which Oteil had spent the summer singing on tour with Dead & Company. Midway through, Krasno waved Canal and Skinner back onto the stage to bolster the backup vocals, making for a celebratory finish to a memorable night of music. You can watch a full, pro-shot video of that performance below.
Soulive w/ Oteil Burbridge – Brooklyn Bowl (Bowlive VIII) – 7/12/19 – Full Video [Pro-Shot]
[Video: Relix]
Don’t miss Denver Comes Alive on December 4th at Denver’s Mission Ballroom featuring Ramble On Revival, Tank and the Bangas, Circles Around The Sun, and Judith Hill. The one-day event, hosted by SiriusXM’s Ari Fink, will also feature DJ Logic performing between sets and a live-painting exhibition/pop-up gallery by beloved New Orleans artist Frenchy, and more. For more details, head here. Tickets are available here.
