For millions of us, performers and fans alike, the stage is a place of refuge, for celebration, and for building community. A sort of sanctuary one might say. On a recent night, a packed house came together in Bellingham’s Wild Buffalo House of Music to experience the safety and freedom of Spafford music, a potent blend of rock, jazz, funk, and reggae.
On the penultimate show of its Pacific Northwest tour, Spafford (Brian Moss: guitar, vocals; Nick Tkachyk: drums; Cory Schechtman: keys; Shon Gordon: bass, vocals) put on a dazzling display of musicianship. As is the band’s custom, getting lost in the music provided a haven for fans and band alike, with fans swaying, grooving and dancing throughout the three hour show.
Getting to the stage safely, however, can be a journey fraught with danger and the unknown. For touring bands and musicians who spend much of their time on the road, it can have disastrous consequences, sometimes even ending careers. In 1978, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s chartered plane went down on the way to a gig in Louisiana, killing several band members and severely injuring others. Steve Ray Vaughn was killed in a 1990 helicopter crash following a concert. And more recently in July 2023, Austin-based band Good Looks was involved in a horrific car crash that, thankfully, all band members were able to walk away from.
And then in March this year, Spafford experienced firsthand the dangers of the road. A car crash forced band members to deal with injuries physical and mental, primarily post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s caused by an extremely stressful or terrifying event — either being part of it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety and uncontrollable thoughts about the event.” Of the several types of events that can be responsible for PTSD, car crashes are one of the most common.
As a result of the crash, lead guitarist Brian Moss took time off from the road over the summer: “Recently, Brian shared with us that he is not fully healed yet from the incident and going on tour right now feels like a bit too much. He needs some time to work through everything and we fully support his decision to take the time he needs to heal and return to us stronger.”
For this Pacific Northwest tour, bassist Jordan Fairless decided to step back from the road. On social media, Fairless said he’s still dealing with the aftermath of the car crash, “Since the accident in March, I’ve been working to come to terms with a lot of things. At this time, I feel that it’s best that I take some time off from the road. I’ll be sitting out the beginning of Fall Tour with Spafford. I appreciate your understanding, and thank you, everyone for all your support.” Shon Gordon (from Elephantproof, Skunk Jesus) began handling bass responsibilities starting in October and is slated to continue through at least mid-November.
Watch Spafford perform “Windmill” live on YouTube:
Despite not being exactly the same band I experienced and reviewed for Parklife DC four years ago, the two new(ish) band additions (Cory and Shon) more than upheld Spafford’s reputation for musical exploration and excellence at Wild Buffalo House of Music on Nov. 9.
And that excellence was on full display Saturday night at the Wild Buffalo. Yak Attack opened the show with a 40-minute “real instruments continuous DJ-style dance party set.” The trio consists of Dave Dernovsek (keys), Rowan Cobb (bass), and Nick Werth (drums) wove a synth-driven mix of electro-pop, funk, and house music that had the sequin adorned audience dancing from the opening chords.
After a short break to set the stage, Spafford opened with “Windmill.” From the outset, we were clearly in for an evening of fiery musicianship as “Windmill” segued into a JJ Grey & Mofro cover, “On Fire” into “Can’t Find My Vape,” and back into “On Fire.” With Schechtman’s keys providing a musical underpinning, Tkachyk and Gordon delivering a percussive bottom end punch, Moss’s fretwork rippled over the music, the long improvised sections rising and falling in volume, tempo, and intensity. The first set ended with Night After Night with Yak Attack’s Dernovsek sitting in.
After the intermission that included a short poetry reading from the stage, a hard rocking “Neutrino” opened the second set. Long and intricate sonic explorations are a hallmark of any Spafford show. The second set, with “Neutrino” twisting and tumbling into “Fake the Fate,” “Palisades,” “Plush” (the Stone Temple Pilots tune), and concluding with “Made for Wesley,” a gypsy jazz standard by Jimmy Rosenberg, made for a thrilling and diverse musical journey. The encore, “Gold Glittered Hat” included a snippet of “Galisteo” in a nod to the previous night’s performance in Portland when, apparently, a drunk fan took a header into the sound equipment, prematurely ending the show.
Spafford setlist:
Set 1: Windmill > On Fire > Can’t Find My Vape > On Fire, Night After Night (w/Dave from Yak Attack)
Poetry Break: Building a Story
Set 2: Neutrino > Fake the Fate > Palisades > Plush > Made for Wesley
E: Gold Glittered Hat > Galisteo ending from prior night
Spafford livestreamed the show, which you can watch on YouTube.
As the Spafford band members and family continue to recover, music remains a great healer. In a recent Instagram post, Spafford thanked its supporters writing, “The music of Spafford is one that brings a community together, and we feel that every night when we are on stage. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for jamming with us on this musical journey!”
If you or anyone you know of might be suffering from PTSD, resources for dealing with it may be found here.
For more music, video, and tour information, please visit Spafford’s website.
Here are some more photos of Spafford at the Wild Buffalo on Nov. 9, 2024. All photos courtesy of and copyright Mark Caicedo (except where noted).
