Bassist Oteil Burbridge and vocalist Lamar Williams Jr. have announced The Offering, a full-length studio album set for release May 1 via Floki Studios. Recorded at the rising destination studio on Iceland’s Northern Coast and produced by drummer, engineer, and Alan Evans, the collaborative project debuts with its first single, “The Way We Rise.”
The song opens The Offering with a reflection on endurance. Burbridge describes it as a meditation on “how we get through hard times” and “tenacity and perseverance,” with a closing groove he calls “spiritually fortifying.”
The album features an all-star lineup including drummer John Morgan Kimock, percussionist Weedie Braimah, organist Melvin Seals of the Jerry Garcia Band, pianist and violinist Jason Crosby, and guitarists Tom Guarna and Jaden Lehman. Their overlapping histories weave together threads from the Allman Brothers Band, Dead & Company, the Jerry Garcia Band, Soulive, and West African percussion traditions.
Across eight songs, Southern soul, gospel harmonies, improvisational rock, and African-rooted rhythm converge, anchored by Burbridge’s banjo. The material began more than a decade earlier in Burbridge’s basement studio in Georgia, where he was teaching himself banjo and experimenting with rhythms and harmonies. “I didn’t have any kind of aim in mind when we wrote these songs,” Burbridge says. “Those exercises ended up turning into songs.” He brought the melodies to Williams, who supplied lyrics, and the collaboration slowly took shape.
The music remained unfinished for years, carried through touring, family life, and other projects, until the collaborators returned to it. “It was mind-blowing that after all those years we came back and got to record this music,” Williams says.
Burbridge first gained recognition with Aquarium Rescue Unit before joining the Allman Brothers Band in 1997. Williams, son of Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams, developed as a vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader shaped by gospel and soul traditions.
Producer Alan Evans helped turn the long-gestating material into a cohesive album. Recorded at Flóki Studios on Iceland’s northern coast, the sessions emphasized live, ensemble-driven performance rather than piecing together tracks. “It all comes down to the song,” Evans says.
The remote location offered focus and isolation. “There was snow on the ground, but a live volcano erupting at the same time — fire and ice,” Burbridge recalls. Williams adds, “Nothing to do but focus on the work and be at peace with that.” The finished album closes a process spanning nearly twelve years. Williams says simply: “My soul is buzzing. We finally put it in the universe.”
Music from The Offering will be performed on Oteil & Friends tour dates in May, and at summer festivals including GratefulFest in Garrettsville, OH, and Roots Rock Revival in Big Indian, NY.
Tour Dates:
May 1 – The Joy Theater, New Orleans, LA (w/ The Heavyweights)
May 9 – The Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA
May 10 – The Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA
May 12 – Nevermore Hall, Baltimore, MD
May 13 – Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
May 14 – Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
May 15 – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
May 16 – Sun Patio at Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
May 17 – Royale, Boston, MA
May 18 – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, Wilmington, NC (w/ Toy Factory Project)
May 19 – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, Wilmington, NC (w/ Toy Factory Project)
May 20 – Music at Maymont, Richmond, VA (w/ Toy Factory Project)
May 21 – DelFest, Cumberland, MD (w/ Toy Factory Project)
May 28 – Iroquois Amphitheater, Louisville, KY
May 29 – Atomic Block Party, St. Louis, MO
May 30 – Park West, Chicago, IL
May 31 – The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI
July 25 – GratefulFest, Garrettsville, OH
July 27–31 – Roots Rock Revival, Big Indian, NY (Music Masters Collective Participant)
