Bill Kreutzmann and Scott Murawski were introduced to each other in early 2008 by
Mike Gordon and the three performed together as a trio at a benefit in
Costa Rica. Kreutzmann and Murawski then decided to form a full-time band and they offered Gordon the bassist position but he had to decline due to his other projects. Kreutzmann then offered the position up to Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge and he accepted.[2]
Touring
They dubbed themselves the Bill Kreutzmann Trio and successfully toured the northeast during the summer of 2008[3] including a stop at the
Gathering of the Vibes. The group played many Grateful Dead songs, Max Creek songs and covers as well as new songs written by
Robert Hunter.[4]
The group performed several shows early in the year before Kreutzmann became involved in
The Dead tour.[5] They toured North America again during the summer of 2009 although due to touring commitments with the Allman Brothers Band and a desire to spend more time at home, Oteil Burbridge was replaced by
James "Hutch" Hutchinson from
Bonnie Raitt's band.[2] Bill Kreutzmann speculated that they would release a live album although, to date, this has not occurred.[6] Nonetheless, most of the band's recordings were recorded and made available by
tapers.
They performed a few shows in California early in 2010 with Oteil Burbridge back in the band,[7][8][9]
and played as BK3 at "Jungle Jam" in
Jacó, Costa Rica in 2011 and 2012.