[1] The band 7 Walkers was formed in 2009 by former Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann and guitarist and singer Malcolm Welbourne, better known as Papa Mali, along with multi-instrumentalist Matt Hubbard and bass player Reed Mathis.

In 2010, after most of the tracks for their debut album had been recorded, Mathis went back to touring with his main band, Tea Leaf Green, and was replaced by George Porter Jr., former bassist of the Meters.

"[5] In JamBase, Dennis Cook wrote, "7 Walkers... is the most organic, original music to come out of the core Grateful Dead alumni since the passing of Jerry Garcia.

With their collective pedigree, there's an enormous pool of possibilities and their self-titled debut reflects all their swirling undercurrents and coalesces into fascinating new shapes, fresh colors forming on the surface of things as dark, interesting eddies move below.

"[6] In All About Jazz, Nick DeRiso wrote, "Grateful Dead co-founder Bill Kreutzmann, great groovy Meters bassman George Porter Jr. and hoodoo guitarist Papa Mali have joined together to form 7 Walkers, a rousing fusion of Bay area jam-rock with greasy New Orleans rhythm and blues....