Recharged And Ready To Rock: An Interview With Spafford March 3, 2022 17:27
Photo by Paul Citone Photography
Interview by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen
After a three month hiatus from the road, Arizona-based jam band Spafford is gearing up for what looks to be their strongest year to date. We all know the toll that the ongoing pandemic has taken on the music industry. This band is certainly no exception. Spafford was one of many who were forced to shut down their New Year's plans due to heightened COVID concerns in December.
We've now landed in much more encouraging times, and the band is looking ahed to next week's run through the great state of Colorado with much enthusiasm. This will be followed by a major national tour across the East Coast and Southeast, which ultimately culminates with a performance at SweetWater 420 Festival in Atlanta in late April.
If that wasn't enough, fans can also rejoice in the release of a brand new live Spafford compilation titled Hindsight, which is set for release on all major streaming platforms on Friday, March 4th. Hindsight will feature a collection of live material recorded over the course of 2020.
We recently sat down with all four members of the band (Brian Moss: Guitar/Vocals, Andrew "Red" Johnson: Keyboards/Vocals, Nick Tkachyk: Drums, & Jordan Fairless: Bass/Vocals) to discuss how they have managed to overcome the challenges of a global pandemic, a beautifully positive outlook on 2022, and much more. See below for our full conversation with the band, and make sure to follow Spafford on Facebook and Instagram for all of the latest info.
It's a pleasure to speak with you today, guys. I know it's an exciting time for Spafford, as you're preparing for your first tour in quite a few months. Let's start off by touching on the past year for the band, and how you guys have kept things fresh amongst so many challenges.
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Brian: Absolutely. For me, ever since trying to get back on the road, life has just been full of really high highs and really low lows. The opportunity to go out on our recent fall tour was met with a lot of challenges, just navigating around COVID. That ultimately continued at the end of the year, as we had to cancel our New Year's run due to the heightened COVID concerns.
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It's been a while since we've even played a live show, and we're very fortunate and grateful to be able to jump back out for this Colorado run, which starts next week. After that, we'll be getting ready for the Sunny Dispositions Tour, which has a bunch of dates along the East Coast and Southeast.
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We're really grateful for the opportunity to keep this thing alive, get back on the road, and do what we do best. In the meantime, it's been an opportunity for all of us to take care of our personal lives. Be there for our families at home. The lack of touring has provided those opportunities, which we've met with open arms.
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I can definitely say that I am ready to get back on the road. I'm ready to play live music again. It's my greatest passion and my greatest outlook on life. It's my relief and my therapy to go out and play music. I just can't wait for the opportunity to get out there and do it again.
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I can only imagine. When exactly was y'all's last show?
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Jordan: It was back in November of last year. We were supposed to have New Year's, and things got pretty crazy in the greater New York area. We kind of held off on other potential opportunities just because of the overall conditions out there. We were aware of the effect that COVID was having, even with all of the restrictions in place. It's easy to think about it from the performer's perspective, but then you also have to think about the venue staff, bartenders, merchandise handlers, and the cleaning staff.
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There is a really interesting analysis on the overall drop rate of tickets sold versus people in attendance. You start to see how that trickles down into every aspect of the show. You could sell out a show, but only have half of those people show up. That's half of the people buying merchandise and drinks, too.
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You look at the overall impact that it was having on so many people, and we had to make some tough decisions. It had a big effect on a lot more than just the four guys on stage. It's a big machine that feeds it all. With that being said, we couldn't be more excited to get back out there. It feels like the right time to try and do it again. We've been home since November, and we are ready to play again.
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Wow. I knew that you guys had to cancel the New Year's shows, but I didn't realize that it had been that long. I'm sure y'all are amped about next week in Colorado. So back in December, y'all released the Jam in the Van EP. Tell me about that experience and the four tracks that ultimately made the cut.
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Nick: Yeah man, that was a super fun gig for us. That was in Los Angeles. That setup is just so cool. You're playing inside of a camper/trailer outfit that's decked out with band stickers and merchandise all over the inside. That was a pretty big deal for us to do Jam in the Van. We were super stoked about that. Personally, I've seen so many cool performances in that van from bands that I love over the years. That was so much fun to finally get in there and play in that vibe.
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We played four songs. I believe we played "Be Strange," which is from our album The Gaff Tapes. We played one new song, which was written by Brian, called "Pursuit Of Madness." That's one that we've played live a few times, but it was in a totally different genre. We called it "Pursuit of Trance," previously. That version had more of a techno/trance feel to it. We also played one of Jordan's new tunes called "Giants In The Light," which is a new rock and roller that we've been playing lately. Then we did one that Red wrote called "Comfortable," which features lyrics written by our good friend Chuck Johnson. That one is also from The Gaff Tapes.
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That sounds like a blast. So, this was Spafford's first time doing Jam in the Van?
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Nick: It sure was. Spafford's debut at Jam in the Van.
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Very cool. I feel like that series is somewhat of a 'rite of passage' in the world of musicians. That had to be a fulfilling experience.
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Nick: Yeah, it was super rad. I believe we played at Belly Up in Solano Beach later that night. Jam in the Van was actually in Costa Mesa? South of Los Angelas. It was on the way to Solano Beach. We played the Teragram Ballroom in downtown LA, then we did Jam in the Van, and then Solano Beach. The Belly Up is another historical venue that has been doing super rad shows for years and years. It was a really nice run through Southern California. That's for sure.
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Sounds like it. So, you guys released For Amusement Only in 2018 and The Gaff Tapes in 2019. Since then, there have been several live releases. Most recently, you've released the Jam in the Van EP. What type of impact has the recent downtime had on writing new material and the ability to continue collaborating with one another?
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Red: Yeah, all of us individually are always writing and coming up with new material. I will say that with all of the time on my hands, it gave me the opportunity to finally sit back and sift through some of the stuff that I've been working on for a long time. We were very fortunate to be in the same town for a while. We kept our bubble very tight, and we were able to get together to work on new material and old material. Revamping old stuff, while coming up with new stuff as well. We were very fortunate to be able to do that.
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Love hearing that. Now that things seem to be trending in the right direction, with less cancellations and more shows on the calendar, how is the calendar shaping up for the band?
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Brian: Well, on Friday, March 4th, we're releasing a brand new live compilation called Hindsight. This will be a compilation of a bunch of music we played over the course of 2020. Some of the tracks on the album were played in front of virtually no one. They were pulled from our New Year's show, which ended up being an indoor live stream show, instead of an outdoor show with a live audience. We were kind of making lemonade, you know?
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It was a two-night stint, and the music that came from that was some of my favorite music that the band has played in a long time. I think you could really hear and feel the emotions and effects of what was going on with COVID at the time. The band gets on stage and finally had the ability to release all of that frustration, anger, and rage (laughs) that was going on at the time. The music really reflects all of that. Several of the tracks were pulled from that, and some were pulled from the shows we played in early 2020, before we were pulled off the road for essentially 18 months.
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So, that album is coming out on Friday, March 4th. It'll be available on all of your major music outlets. We're finally getting back out there. We have a festival play here in Phoenix this weekend, which is going to be awesome. That will be the kick off to our new touring year. We have a run of five shows in Colorado, which will be great. We'll come back home for a bit, and then we hit this more major tour, which kicks off in April.
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Once we're done with that tour, we have a bunch of festivals lined up for the summer. There are always big things on the horizon. Plenty of secrets that we can't talk about just yet. We're always cooking up some things. I think the fall is going to be really huge for us. All of this leading into the 2023 should be a really promising time for us. All I see is a nice increase in flow and engagement between us and our fans. Hopefully the COVID stuff can be behind us and not be hindering our success moving forward.
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I sure hope things continue in that direction. From what I recall, Spafford was amongst the bands leading the way with socially distanced, innovative shows during the initial COVID shutdown. Is that correct?
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Brian: Yeah, we did take the time to do all of that. Out here in Arizona, it gets really hot once May comes around. That kind of eliminated us from being able to do too many of those shows; putting the band, our crew, and our fans through that type of heat. Like Red said earlier, we tried our best to stay inside, keep our bubble really tight, and work on all of our music as a whole.
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We did a lot of writing and recording, and I think that all of that is still what we are preparing to release for the rest of this year. So, keep your eyes and ears peeled for more announcements and releases from the Spafford camp. It's going to be a really exciting rest of the year.
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That's so great to hear. Well, in regards to these Southeast shows coming up, I know there is plenty of excitement brewing. I'll never forget when y'all made it down south for the first time. Your Atlanta shows were selling out in a matter of minutes. You played SweetWater 420 Fest, then turned around and played to sold out Variety Playhouse later that night. How has it felt for you guys being so well received down here since day one?
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Red: I'll tell you this. We love the south. Some of those shows in Atlanta are amongst my favorite that we have ever played. Some of the Birmingham shows, specifically at Saturn, that is such a sick venue. I love that place. I remember one show at Saturn where we walked out on stage, and somehow the soundboard and PA just crashed. We were just stuck out on stage. We couldn't really do anything about it, so we just sat down and started chatting with the crowd.
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We love it down there. I think this will be the first time that we've played both Huntsville and Tuscaloosa. The vibe in the south is high, and we absolutely love it. Plus, it's just beautiful down there. Well, at least at this time of the year. I know it gets pretty sticky down there in the summer.
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That's the truth. The summers can be rough. I know there is a whole lot of excitement about y'all coming back down here though. I know that there will be no shortage of excitement this go round.
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Brian: You mentioned SweetWater 420 Fest. I still hold that memory as one of the largest crowds we've ever played in front of in our entire career. The opportunity to be able go back is really exciting. What's most exciting is that this tour we're leading into in April caps off at SweetWater 420 Fest. It kind of feels like the road to 420 Fest and getting back to that place that is such a special memory for us. It's just a really great feeling to know that's coming up after enduring this whole COVID thing for so long.
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I bet that is a great feeling. 420 Fest should be a really special one this year. That's such a major weekend for so many music fans across the southeast. Not that they have ever slacked with the lineup, but my goodness, I'm not sure I've seen a better bill than what they've put together this year.
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Red: Yeah, we couldn't be more excited to be a part of that festival again this year.
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Well guys, it has been a true pleasure speaking with y'all today. All of us here in the southeast are certainly ready for a healthy dose of Spafford next month. Stay safe on the road, and we'll see you real soon.
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Brian: Thanks so much Jordan!
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