As 2019 comes to a close Spafford are excited to share some never before heard explorative music that has been held near and dear to the band’s heart for nearly two years without seeing the light of day – until now.
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The 47- minute extended jam is dubbed “Chapel Jam”. Fans can tune into the band’s Facebook page to listen to Chapel Jam on Thursday, Dec 5 at 5pm Pacific time. Chapel Jam will be available on DSPs Friday, Dec 6.
Spafford are known for their astonishing improvisational ability and off-the-cuff extended jams, Spafford paints a picture in real-time each night with a musical palette known only to each other. It’s a private language comprised of both their talent as musicians as well as their formidable catalog of influences, spanning 90’s alt-rock radio hits to Steely Dan and The Crystal Method. Each and every Spafford show is a sonic pilgrimage, the journey of a team of musicians so in tune with each other that a single note communicates intent and purpose. Spafford is amongst the most creative and hard-traveling bands on the contemporary jam scene, performing countless sold-out headline dates along with high profile festival sets at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Firefly Music Festival, and many others.
About Chapel Jam:
January 2017 found the band touring the east coast for the first time, supporting Umphrey’s McGee for a big chunk of those dates. These were the biggest shows we’d played up to that point and we were grateful. Despite all the ‘what the hell is happening?-ness’
In the Spafford camp, we were mostly just excited. After a canceled gig in Rochester, we ended up staying at an old Mission-turned-Air BnB in Conesus, NY. Not totally sure what to do with a night off, we wandered around the property and explored what felt like an abandoned insane asylum before eventually deciding to walk our gear through the snow to the house so we could jam.
We set up in an old Chapel room downstairs. Nick was elevated on the altar, the rest of the band staged below. The music just kind of started playing itself and luckily Jordan made sure the recording was running. The music traveled. No real destination, no crowd.
Just some friends playing music in a bizarre old chapel, in the snow, in the middle of nowhere.
Sashi and Michael found a space on the nearby couch and Chuck was in the kitchen writing the words to what would become ‘Mind’s Unchained’. We realized afterward that the van was stuck in the snow where we had parked to unload and Micheal had lost his wallet. We called a tow truck and found Micheal’s wallet a few weeks later in a road case.
We have come to call this experience Chapel Jam. It’s something special we had been keeping for ourselves just for a little while. These days things are so instantaneous it felt alright to hold on to something secret.
But we’ll always share our secrets. EVENTUALLY.
SPAFFORD
WINTER TOUR 2019/20
DECEMBER 2019
27 – West Hollywood, CA – The Roxy Theatre
28 – West Hollywood, CA – The Roxy Theatre
30 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
31 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
JANUARY 2020
15 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs)
16 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub
17 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub
18 – Dallas, TX – Trees
19 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues New Orleans
22 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall
23 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum
24 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
25 – Jacksonville, FL – 1904 Music Hall
28 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn
29 – Oxford, MS – Proud Larry’s
30 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
31 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
FEBRUARY 2020
1 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
3 – Greensboro, NC – The Blind Tiger
5 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
6 – Boston, MA – Royale
7 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
8 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
9 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl *
28 – Winter Park, CO – Ullrs Tavern
29 – Winter Park, CO – Ullrs Tavern
MARCH 2020
1 – Winter Park, CO – Ullrs Tavern
4 – Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theater
6 – Frisco, CO – 10 Mile Music Hall
7 – Frisco, CO – 10 Mile Music Hall
10 – Steamboat Springs, CO – Schmiggity’s Live Music Dance Bar
11 – Steamboat Springs, CO – Schmiggity’s Live Music Dance Bar
13 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen
14 – Telluride, CO – Sheridan Opera House
17 – Park City, UT – Park City Live
19 – Victor, ID – Knotty Pine
20 – Bozeman, MT – Rialto
21 – Missoula, MT – Top Hat Lounge
22 – Sandpoint, ID – The Hive
24 – Bellingham, WA – The Shakedown
26 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
27 – Bend, OR – Volcanic Theatre Pub
28 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
APRIL 2020
1 – Arcata, CA – Humboldt Brews
4 – Las Vegas, NV – The Bunkhouse Saloon
- An Evening with Spafford – Acoustic Only Show
