Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on December 21, 2025
Chris Williams and Kid Reverie (aka Steve Varney of Gregory Alan Isakov) have announced their second collaborative recording project, a follow-up to their 2023 release Something From Nothing, which was described as “life affirming and transcendental” by Holler. The new project is introduced today with the release of its first single, “Bees,” featuring John Paul Grigsby (bass), Jeb Bows (violin), Max Barcelow (drums), and Russick Smith (cello).
“I was sitting at a friend’s house in Santa Cruz, watching these bees work their asses off when I began plucking away at this song,” explains Varney. Based respectively in Boulder, Colorado (Varney) and Wilmington, North Carolina (Williams), the duo first connected serendipitously in 2020 over a banjo, ultimately creating their debut album entirely through remote collaboration during the pandemic.
The new single, “Bees,” serves as a contemplative opening statement for their second project—a ruminative meditation on human greed and self-interest. “I used to think our language / made us rise above the bees / but all we say is selfish / talking the most, saying the least,” Varney sings in a restrained, pensive tenor. Beneath the vocals, cello, violin, piano, and percussion weave in an ordered chaos, ducking and drifting before resolving into a quietly powerful conclusion.
The collaboration blends Williams’ folk-rooted songwriting with Varney’s more subversive production aesthetic. Williams cites influences such as Joni Mitchell, Béla Fleck, and Newgrass Revival, while Varney—who began studying piano at age five before finding his voice on the banjo—has spent the last decade touring with Gregory Alan Isakov and releasing solo material under the name Kid Reverie.
While Something From Nothing was created entirely at a distance, the new EP marks a shift toward in-person collaboration. Williams traveled to Colorado to record with Varney at The Blasting Room Studios in Fort Collins, working alongside engineer Andrew Berlin. The collection also features increased songwriting contributions from Varney, with Williams helping shape long-standing musical ideas.
“With the first album it was more about me helping Chris finish his songs and produce them out,” Varney explains. “On this collection, he was able to do that for me as well, which makes it feel more collaborative on the songwriting front.”
Listen to “Bees”: Spotify
