_John Patrick Gatta_

Oteil Burbridge is currently out on tour with Dead & Company, and the veteran bassist recently talked with The Washington Post about the endeavor, specifically his new role as part-time lead singer, along with his relationship with his predecessor in the music of the Grateful Dead, bassist Phil Lesh.

“Fortunately for me, I have a really good relationship with Phil and we’ve had some great talks since I joined the band,” Burbridge says. He also notes that the three original Dead members in Dead & Co., Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, encouraged Burbridge to do his own thing with the catalog. “They were all like, ‘You have to respond to this music in the way that it makes you feel, because that’s the only way it’s going to be authentic.’”

Burbridge echoes the sentiment, saying, “It’s supposed to go somewhere different. It’s not honest if we don’t take it somewhere different.”

The bassist also discusses his recent stints of taking lead vocals during this tour, a trend that began on June 3 at Mountain View, CA’s Shoreline Amphitheatre when Burbridge took lead on “China Doll.”

That specific tune has a special meaning for Burbridge, he tells the Post, as it was one of the first of the extensive Dead catalog that touched a nerve with him. “It really hits me emotionally,” Burbridge says. “I never thought I would be singing lead at all when I started playing, much less in a stadium, much less with original members of the Grateful Dead, singing one of Jerry’s songs. It’s all very surreal.”

Dead & Company continue their tour tonight at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, VA.