Oteil Burbridge Appears On ‘Amigos’ Podcast

Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge is featured on the two latest episodes of Osiris podcast Amigos. Burbridge spoke with host Mike Finoia about Dead & Company, Col. Bruce Hampton, adopting his daughter and various other topics over the course of the two-part interview.

In the first episode, Oteil and Mike begin by discussing comedy and Finoia’s career as a comedian. Burbridge then recalls attending his first Grateful Dead concert and goes on to talk about his family life and formative years. The Washington D.C. native also explains his approach to the bass and how he bridges rhythm and harmony. Additionally, Oteil speaks of his recent trip to India with his wife Jess to adopt their daughter, Kavi.

The second installment starts with Burbridge discussing the spirituality he’s embraced over the past 20 years and how he has dealt with the death of his brother, Kofi. “I know how to make it a seed that is buried that will bear some fruit,” Oteil explained. The bassist speaks of the lessons learned from his brother’s passing and how Kofi pushed him away when he tried to help him. The pair continued on by discussing race and the blind spot he had towards folk music growing up. Oteil recalls some of what Col. Bruce Hampton taught him, his first time singing lead with Dead & Company, why he stopped using a platform with D&C and how that band prefers to play arenas as opposed to amphitheaters. Listen to both episodes below:

Part One

Part Two