Best posts made by Johnny Love

Setlist, Attendance, and Recordings for: 2019-02-08 - Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA

Your trip starts with a drive down the interminally long-feeling Turnpike with sunset in the direction of Philly toward which you cruise under high cirrostratus canvases splashed with quiet flames of exquisite light that must be either magical or chemical in nature. It is a homecoming of sorts to a place of vivid remembered experiences rather than a residence of past inhabitance. Long ago nights cruising into the lights and shadows of the colonial capital in chiaroscuro to visit friend (RIP) and ex-girlfriend (LIP), your side-panel speakers shaking with the hot hot music the hot music.

The bar around the corner according to @dontjudgedave is a proximal, commendable dive. You sit there and drink with Todd who sythesizes music as Great Fox - check out Roll Up A Tract for some funky apostasy. The fine folks from Trestle Inn flip egg whites in their sours, line whiskies along their mirrors, and dim lights for happy hours.

Roll out down dark block. Enter the chamber and Transfer into Union with other nerds for Out of the Beardspace. Seven pieces of awesome. Big prog-fusion sounds. Two drums, one percussion, two six-strings, bass, eighty-eight keys and then some. Check them out and their South Jersey Beardfest. Along the rail line up Cam side slam side with the NE Crew, NY crew to exchange tales of recent days and nights of flame from Spafford. Get warm to Headhunters as anticipation rides the crest of energy awakening in bodies. Here come four illustrious shapes onto the stage and a change in house music. Yesssss!

Spaff shall
Proceed
And continue
To rock the mic
…

My only show of winter tour, I was hoping for things I hadn’t heard and hard jams. Philly did not disappoint from the get-go.

My first live Memphis In the Meantime was a 20-minute slow cook. Jordan owns the Tennessee vocals. It was a strong even jam backed by Cam. Brian does some shredding, of course, but Jordan leads on bass most of the way allowing Brian and Red to play around him. 8-9 minutes on becomes one of the highlight sequences of the show with the boys digging into a deep groove. Cam wins MVP when he drops the tempo and then switches on the “SLOW UNNNNNNTZ” as @crappygeorge announces with his face all twisted up like he just smelled some filthy doodoo. Red starts to lick People (so to speak) with some six minutes to go before the fadeout is complete and it’s

People time! Red drops the vocals and everyone is dancing and looking around at their friends and feeling freaky good. I receive a wave of Nerd love from @603Brett then Red takes an early solo. When the band steps back in the Ben Factor is in full infrared effect as Brian hits the first peak before Spafford brings the song to its romping terminus.

With scarcely a second to catch your breath, the boys launch into Virtual Bean… oh, wait a minute, that’s not what actually happened. Up next is Fuel. While there is a precipitous drop in the room’s physical energy with the opening notes, Brian is greeted with enthusiastic cheers of love and appreciation from the crowd as he hits the first chorus of a clean, crisp, uplifting, three-minute palette cleanser. (Folks, you’re going to need to save some energy for later. Trust the Spafford.)

Photo Credit: Ron Adelberg

The opening keys of thieves begin to jingle. The room responds to Red in kind and gets ready to rock. The band brings a tight In the Eyes of Thieves jam, as usual, and Jordan and Cam (more cowbell!) really start to pick it up about 7 minutes in. Brian responds the only way he knows how by slowly steadily building tensions upon tensions on his fret board like the world is about to end. Then the boys settle back into the song for a bit and follow Jordan into another jam before a sweet little untz-lite ending.

I am thrilled to hear the opening notes of the third-ever Settled In. I love this Radiohead-esque song that blossoms from a breathtakingly beautiful love poem into a nasty hellfire jam with a guitar peak that would make David Gilmour weep. If this song was a tattoo I would get it on my face in an impulse move right now. Big ups to Chris Imburgia for taping this show and capturing the berserk hornmad crowd at the end.

Pretty awesome first set. Perfect time for a little break.

With masterful set-list wizardry, Spafford opens set deux with The Reprise, completing the legendary second-set-opening America from the last time they were in Philly some 18 moons ago. This long-awaited fin delivers mightily. I occasionally look over my shoulder from Cam side slam side to watch the entire hall of nerds go crazy. Let me put on my Captain Obvious pants for just a moment here and say that all these tapes and soundboards are amazing, but there is just no comparison to the boys turned up to 11. Brian is wearing a Dead Skull shirt and the first 20 minutes of this jam have that kind of a feel to me. Red wins MVP for the last eight minutes or so as he colors over Cam riding the high-hat hard. Then the jam slows and fades into...

Photo Credit: Ron Adelberg

Hard Way. Debuted just a few days prior, this song has easy-swaying reggae and lyrical verses punctuated by heavy latin-flecked instrumental breaks. I liked it more in person than I did listening to the debut recording. Everybody sounded good on it. Feels, perhaps, a bit unfinished at this point but plenty of potential.

Spafford is King of the Cover, IMHO, and I was thrilled to catch the second-ever Dirty Laundry. When they take a break from jamming (as earlier with Fuel) to play a song cleanly, I am struck by their poise and virtuosity. This song kicks ass and even when he fumbled the lyrics for a measure, Red unified the party with his brilliant vocals on this one.

Already 45 minutes into the set, I had no idea there was another 45 minutes ahead before the boys’ first bow.

Leave The Light On was up next. While this was a song I had burned out on a little bit, Jordan has brought some incredible new energy to it and his early bass solos the last two performances have been insane. Out of that solo Red brings a big Feeling into the room and the first jam soars to great heights. Jam #2 after the happy doot-doots follows its normal wavelengths and caps off in a blistering Brian solo and final chorus with the entire crowd leaping 10 feet in the air and singing along.

Photo Credit: Ron Adelberg

I love when I hear that opening train beat and know I’m heading to Hollywood. This song is another prime example of Spafford’s uncanny ability to write catchy, deeply moving songs, hitch an audience up, and take everyone to unknown jammy places. Probably my jam of the night, this one flowers euphorically for a while before lacing across the sky like electrical current and whipping up a frenzied storm as Brian and Cam egg each other on. At some point I’m pretty sure I caught Brian mouth to Cam “faster” and Cam rages the jam right into the segue of the night >

Ain’t That Wrong. Cam explodes us into the song, which is fitting because I remember thinking during his first few months in the line-up that this was his go-to song. Between the 4-5min mark Brian starts playing with an effect that I’ve been hearing more of during this run… another time I recall is during Buffalo Tots (around the 11min mark.) I wish he had explored the theme a little longer here because it is a cool-ass sound, but no complaints as Cam and Jordan speed it up and turn the place into a full-on dance party to ride the rest of the set out.

The crowd is all growls and applause and the attempt to articulate the preceding 90minutes to one’s show neighbors is nigh impossible.

OOOOoooooooeeeeeeEEEEEE! For encore, I witness my first-ever Spafford debut with a 6-minute Comfortable. This feel-good song is the opposite of Numb with Red warmly delivering the keys and vocals as the boys lay rim shots and rhythm guitar and a gripping bass hook to keep it moving along the whole time.

Many of us were waiting and calling for more debuts and more varied setlists... we must have been good little Nerds in 2018 cuz we've hit pay dirt so far in 2019. Thank you Spafford. Thank you Nerds. See you soon.

Photo Credit: Ron Adelberg

9/30/2017 Attendance and Recordings

First off, hats off to the venue. Everything about Brooklyn Bowl works and flows, the staff are uber friendly, and the room can be packed without feeling crowded. I only caught the tail end of Space Bacon, but what I heard sounded good. I will check them out for sure. Maybe someone who caught their full act can say more.

Set 1:

The boys came out and started us off with Shake You Loose. Man, I have to say one of the things I really love about Spafford that I think sets them apart is how well they blues. Jordan delivered the vocals beautifully and the whole song was smooth as smoke- great opener to get people moving and grooving.

Ain’t That Wrong kept it bluesy but sped it up several notches into the funk space, as it does so well. The song charged ahead with all of us chasing before breaking out into the first of many heady jams for the night. Whoaaa. The second or so movement of the jam is utterly joyful. The dancing took off and never looked back.

ON FIRE! I’ll say it, and I’ll mean it, until I somewhat contradict myself later, this is Spafford’s numero uno cover. I’ve never heard the original but this song is so blistering, funky, red-hot, and crushing. Red’s keys ripped through the air, Cam’s drumming was snappy and crisp, and Brian and Jordan drove the funk home with a sledgehammer. I don’t mean this in any derivative way, but during the first half of the ensuing jam I felt like I was lost in a funky alternate universe somewhere between “Shakedown Street” and “Shine on You Crazy Diamond.”

The transition back to ATW was smooth and organic and emerged from the jam with a great climbing energy. The crowd went wild with recognition like a dog jumping in circles when their family pulls in the driveway.

The ever beautiful and uplifting Slip and Squander came next and was clearly greeted as a crowd favorite. Where heads were banging for ATW-ON FIRE, SnS summoned different body movements from the crowd, hearts were opening, heart strings were bending, kindness was emanating. I swear you could feel a collective relaxation and disinhibition taking hold. (Side note: When they opened Music Hall of Williamsburg on 2017-04-13 with SnS, I felt it had the same magical, liberating effect on the crowd setting off a feel-good, dance-fest kind of show. This song is special.)

It looked like the band was getting ready to break for the set, but Jordan quickly spoke with Brian and Red then the opening notes of Leave The Light On got the crowd stoked. Everyone swayed to the reggae rhythms before the happy little “doota doot-doots” lit the fuse on a groovy, low-end jam. I can say this for the whole show, but let me highlight here how incredible the lights were at creating a visual space to compliment the vibes. By the end when the song was going full supernova on the crowd with the final cries of “Leave the light on for me, lady / so in the darkness I can find my way home”, I thought to myself: my god, she left the light on but does she have any idea what kind of intensity is about to come crashing through her door??

Set 2-

The crowd resumes its position, with some new faces and bodies moving closer to stage, and the boys start it off with People. I can’t say enough how much I LOVE THIS SONG. The magic in the words (“So love’s the common binding of PEOPLE LIKE ME AND YOU”) comes through in the music and I felt this song picked up and finished off the liberating project that SnS began in Set 1. Looking around me, more and more people were moving with increased freedom, bopping in unison while experimenting with their own unique gestures to embody the music.

Well, if the room wasn’t hyped already, the opening chords of Electric Taco Stand saw everyone get down and dirty. So fast, so good. Everybody on stage shined and gave the crowd a lot of funk for the figuring. Around seven minutes in the band drops the tempo and starts building toward the indescribably beautiful gem of a sonic experience known as Alternate Ending. This song has been played 16 times, with 5 of those happening in 2017 and it’s only October. I hope this trend continues. Beautiful slide back into a raucous ETS conclusion—pure party music, people.

And speaking of parties… whereas ETS announced itself instantly, the next song snaked slowly into the room all smoky and mysterious. My mind was racing with possibilities and as soon as I heard IT I knew we were in for a treat. Earlier I said ON FIRE is Spaff’s blistering numero uno cover, and I meant it, but Down Under is ON FIRE’s wild art school friend who makes every party crazier. This song was beyond fun to dance. I think its return to the lineup is a sign of very good things. The jam here is incredible. I swore I heard an Alternate Ending tease from Brian at the show but can’t find it on relisten.

Encore (I think Brian goosed Cam on the walk back to his kit.. this felt important to share)

Beautiful Day, as always, touched the crowd and the room sang its heart out when invited by Red. You can feel the song resonating with everyone in the room and how could it not. In the midst of an incredible concert, with Red singing his heart out and everyone feeling on top of the world, we can look back on our day—the good the bad the ugly and amazing parts—and recognize it for what it is and nothing more-- a beautiful, fleeting miracle. I’m 5-for-5 with this song… will the streak continue at Hamden??

I had a feeling the show would end on a more rocking note and they couldn’t have chosen better than All In. This was one of my first favorite Spafford tunes. Red lights drenched the stage during the heavier sections and the sheer amount of head banging, fist pumping, arm waving, and jumping around was the perfect send off to a solid show.

Thank you Spafford, thank you crew, thank you Nerds. That was good soul food.

Post-scripts:
I’m sorry this is so long already but I have a couple more things I need to get off my chest:

• How much longer will we live in this magical world where any night you can get as close to the stage as you want and connect with these amazing musicians???

• My detailed notes on each individual band member’s performance:
  > Jordan: killed it
  > Red: killed it
  > Brian: killed it
  > Cam: killed it

Big thanks to @moricle and @zman for providing Aud recordings that we can enjoy. Tapers RULE!

Setlist, Attendance, and Recordings for: 2018-07-21 - The Peach Music Festival - Scranton, PA

It was After Midnight, and from left to right Red, Jordan, Brian, and Cam were set back 15 feet from the front of the stage in an attempt to keep them and their equipment out of the vertical downpour of rain that had been raging since 6 or 7pm. Far back as they were, there was no defense against the sideways rain and the boys and their crew grimaced their way through a challenging soundcheck. Things were in a rough state on Montage Mountain. I suck at estimating crowd size, so please give me some help in the comments, but I’d say there were about 500-700 rain-drenched and poncho-draped nerds in front of Mushroom Stage at this point.

I stationed dead center up front in the vicinity of @Cody, @Kyle-Burbank, @jaredsusername, Colin (where you @ homie), Mike, Jessica, @RobAF, @mcbwahh, @mdjabber, Bobby Jae (where you @ homie), and a bunch of other fine nerds. Earlier in the day I had the pleasure of meeting @Phokus and @AZCoug in the flesh and they were every bit as cool and embracing as I imagined. I also had the joy of spending lots of time with @diana-quirin. I wish I had caught up with them again for the set but everyone looks remarkably the same in a poncho. Energy was high, anticipation was peaked, and the elements were swirling in rage all around us.

As the set started, the crowd began to sway and bop to a smooth mellow jam that unfolded in surrreal juxtaposition to the fierce weather and conditions that the band and crowd were facing. I imagine when Spafford conceived this setlist and the opening Bossa Nova Jam, they were picturing a warm summer evening with mojito-sipping nerds dipping their feet in the wading pool alongside Mushroom Stage. But with patented patience, Spafford let the jam slowly and smoothly evolve, adding color and flourishes and layers as they went. I failed to take notes as in reviews past, so please litter the comments with your remembrances, but I recall a couple highlight moments of Red working the synth and Brian taking solos. It was a beautiful groove to start the night and it lasted for a half-hour or an eternity, I’m really not so sure.

When the opening notes of Funkadelic broke out, the crowd which had been bopping and swaying with plastered grins erupted in shouts and cheers. The dance party started to get funkier and while the storm was still raging it was clear that the energy the band and crowd had whipped up was a superior force and would win the evening. Again, I’m short on detailed description, but as a highlight I recall an abrupt drop in tempo at one point and Jordan taking a nice solo.

When Electric Taco Stand took off, you don’t need me to tell you the crowd went apeshit, jumping and singing right along as an hour (or eternity) into the show the first Spafford vocals rang out. Brian extended the scat section a little bit although not quite as much as he did at Bonnaroo. I love hearing the way they continue to experiment and take chances and keep things fresh in this way. As the funk gears shifted into the ballistics of Dis Go in 5?, the world was reminded that Spaffnerd crew ain’t nuthin’ to fuck with. The band was playing with as much intensity as I’ve ever seen and if you looked out at the crowd you would have thought you were at a ‘93 Rage Against the Machine show. I think Brian could’ve given Zach de la Rocha a lesson or two in rage face and Jordan was stepping into his bass like he was warming up for a UFC bout. I’m not sure what was going on under the Pavilion at this point but I’m pretty sure it didn’t look or sound like this. Spafford maneuvered back into ETS for the completion of the jam sammich.

I think there was a break in the playing at this point although I could be very wrong, I won’t pretend to have the clear recollection I would like to. I will admit that I dashed off to the Porta-me for some quick relief as the opening bass notes of All In were played. Don’t judge me, I was back in a jiffy. At this point I decided to wander the crowd for other vantages and vibes. Alongside the wading pool to the right of the stage gave me some nice room to move which All In pretty much necessitates. At some point during the jam, Brian experienced technical difficulties with his pedals and was joined by one super-powered mustachioed member of the crew as they knelt down to try to remedy it. At first, the frustration was evident in their body language. But Red, Jordan, and Cam absolutely CRUSHED their trio performance. I can’t wait to relisten to it. Red was raging the synth, Cam was going nuts with his cymbals, and Jordan was an apocalyptic beast of biblical proportions. The crowd was loving every second of it and I think this gave Brian and Superman some relief because their body language shifted to laughter and calm. After some time, the problem was either fixed or abandoned, I’m not sure which, but Brian popped up and jumped back into the jam like the machine-gunner he is. The crowd roared.

At this point, I started to experience some technical difficulties with my body so I took a seat on a low wall at the back of the crowd and watched the rest of the show. I love Scissor Sister’s debut album so I was mightily pleased when Take Your Mama came up next. It was a perfect fit for the set too and the lyrics embodied the muddy messy after hours party going on at the Mushroom Stage.

It was twenty minutes or so till hard curfew and the boys had a long chat before they started the next and final song. Which, as everyone who has seen @PowPhan802 's photo of the originally planned set list now knows, this is because this wild set had gone off the rails into the mystic and there was no longer anytime for the Weasel>Palisades>Weasel, Lovesick Melody>Soil that was written on a piece of paper turned to mush in the rain. The opening notes of The Postman rang out instead and it was a solid choice to fill up the remaining time.

(Thanks @PowPhan802 for sharing this photo!)

The boys took their bows and vanished into the night as nerds embraced and tried to articulate the magnitude of what we had just taken part in before heading back to their wherevers. This particular nerd was extremely lucky to be able to tag along with @Cody, @Kyle-Burbank , and @jaredsusername back to their rental with Colin. I was content and prepared to curl up on the floor but the man, the myth, the legend @Cody had other Plans and blew me up an air mattress and gave me a blanket and pillow that were made out of unicorn wool and angel feathers. My mind slid into sleep with subtle scents and Spafford sounds as @jaredsusername and @Kyle-Burbank played Postman and ETS on acoustic guitar.

This was an incredible night of music and a performance of EPIC proportions from Spafford. The conditions could not have been more difficult and they came out and delivered a monster show. I had the privilege to take shelter in their green room for a little while before the show, courtesy of the good graces of some Spaffamily. Seeing the love and energy that the band and crew and their friends and family bring to this hustle is amazing. Combine that with the love and devotion of fans who raged through a storm to watch this show and it explains why we are on this magical ride through this magical terrain together. Love to everyone who was there and who helped bring this about. Thank you, Spafford!!!

I was putting my kids in their car seats yesterday. guy pulls into the spot next to us, gets out and heads into the store. his long curly hair filled my 37 year old heart with nostalgia for when my head sprouted long lush hair not just a few lonely follicles. His window was rolled down so i tossed an IKIS on his front seat.. for his follicle awesomeness and the off-chance that one day his hair will be dancing at a Spaff show as a result. Never leave home without your IKIS. you never know when you may need one

If possible to describe, What does your process for coming up with the idea for a poster look like?
from cooking up the idea to final delivery, approx how many hours of love and labor go into each poster run?

Thanks for all the amazing artwork!

@SpaffPrise you're a nerd after my own ear, these are among my favorite songs! (along with all the other ones - lol) I don't think Walls sees the > 15min jam plateau too often (i could be wrong on that, i've probably only listened to 15-20 versions of it and it's been played 72 times). however a healthy 13min version of Walls, one of my favorites and one of the raging-est i've listened to, is from 2012-04-20 at The Birdcage. this is one of the band's earliest shows, probably the 2nd or 3rd time they performed Walls. Just be careful about operating heavy machinery when listening to this version... at least for me it has been known to cause spontaneous body convulsions and headbangs of an extreme nature. This same show has an America-Reprise (and a Dark Star cover) so you're in luck!! Not my favorite rendition of either, but they're great and fascinating as the 2nd or 3rd times these songs were ever "performed", although based on their tightness you wouldn't be surprised if it was their 100th time being performed. While you're at it, the next night-- 2012-04-21 at The Birdcage-- is a fantastic show and closes with a 17min Walls. There's also a Franklin's Tower > Fire on the Mountain cover that will steal your face right off your head. also the first version of Dream Jam that I ever heard and a beauty. peace!!

Just shy of a year ago, fans were hit with the news that Spafford's former drummer, Nick Tkachyk, and the band were parting ways and that the new drummer, Cameron Laforest, would be joining the band on stage at Summercamp. None of us knew what to expect. And 355 days later...

What. A. Year. It's. Been.

In anticipation of Cam's one-year anniversary with the band on 2018-05-25, I thought it would be fun if everyone could share a favorite story, favorite photo, etc. of the man named Cam banging on the plates and cans.
I'll go first..

This picture is of Cam destroying the world during a raging All In second encore at Brooklyn Bowl during Fall Tour. This was the third show I had seen with Cam in the band (after Bayley Beach and B.B. Kings). I had been listening to Fall Tour's first few stops up the East Coast (notably, Philly America the night before) and knew the band was taking off into new territory.. but Brooklyn Bowl was the moment in time for me when I stood there, drenched in dance sweat and rage glory, and thought HOLY CRAP, this kid is THE MF FUTURE!

Following the show, I tracked Cameron down outside the tour bus to introduce myself and thank him for the amazing show. He was incredibly humble, gracious, and humorous. He complimented my Spafford shirt, then joked that no one had given him one yet. More on that later...

That is my Cam photo. That is my Cam story. I'd love to hear yours.

With much anticipation, Spafford released For Amusement Only on May 4th-- their second studio album and first since the band has taken the country by storm. (Their first, self-titled studio album came out in 2012 when the band was a beloved local phenomenon in the Arizona mountains.) Over the last several weeks, that excitement has been stoked by three single releases: Leave The Light On, Hollywood, and Ain’t That Wrong.

If I had to describe the album in two words it would be damn good. This album is damn good. Luckily for me, I am not limited to two words so I can proceed to gush in much greater detail over this damn good recording.

The first track on the album is Leave The Light On. Of course it is. At 141 live performances, LTLO is second only to Electric Taco Stand in the number of times the band has taken it for a ride. It’s the song that is playing literally every time my wife walks into a room and I’m listening to Spafford, which is pretty much every time she walks into a room. With its seductive reggae rhythms and crazy glue lyrics, it’s a great pick to start the album. Clocking in at just over 4 minutes, it is stripped of the explorations and experimentations that its two jam sections typically produce on stage. But it’s a beautiful version of the song to place in a time capsule.

Next up is another Spafford giant (and one of my favorites) Ain’t That Wrong. At 124 live performances, ATW occupies a seat of honor in the pantheon next to ETS, LTLO, and Weasel. From the very get-go, Spafford has cemented a reputation for improvisation and the studio cut of ATW is just one more shining example why. Although brief, the jam section on this recording manages to convey the electric energy of its live siblings through a brilliant and totally unexpected saxophone part. As revealed in a Relix article, the sax was totally unplanned. Brian met the saxophonist, Jason, and his dog Dewey, while taking a smoke break outside the studio. Naturally, Brian invited Jason into the studio, introduced him to the band and engineer, and three takes later we had this incredible four-and-a-half minute ATW for the rest of time.

Next up is It’s A Bunch, which debuted little more than a year ago in Detroit and has become a versatile weapon in the Spafford arsenal ever since. Sometimes it’s a straight-forward but high-energy instrumental interlude. Sometimes it’s Crystal Bay. Other times it’s highly-elastic, jam-tastic connective tissue in a never-ending parody. For the album, they went with the straight-forward, high-energy instrumental variety and I’m not complaining one bit as I dance around my living room listening to it.

The next track is the only one on the album that no one had ever heard before: Fuel. I don’t know if this song figured into the titling of the album at all, but it features some circus imagery that goes well with the cover art and album title. With a catchy riff and feel-good lyrics, I can picture this song as a fun breather between jam vehicles on the road. Then again, Spafford jams so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Fuel turned out to be just that.

Next up is another song that debuted in 2017 – Mind’s Unchained, with lyrics written by poet and former lighting director, Chuck Johnson. Of all the tracks on the album, I think this one most closely resembles the live version of itself. I love this song for its mellifluous jams. There are some nice peaks courtesy of the Raven at the end of the jam, although they are not quite as frenzied as what the band has produced onstage so the landing back in the final verse/chorus is graceful, though not quite as stunning as usual.

Once more from the file of 2017 debuts comes our next track, Simon & Lily. I love the way this song gives us Red, Brian, and Jordan’s voices in all their unique glory and beautiful harmony. With gorgeous guitar picking and dazzling lyrical imagery, I am always excited when this song is played and I love the studio treatment they gave it.

All In, which debuted in 2015, is one of Spafford’s most progressive tracks, morphing from southern rock to drum n bass to heavy metal and back again. It is one of Spafford’s most dynamic vehicles onstage and one of the songs that first hooked me. There are some nice flourishes from Red and Brian throughout this version that help to give it some of that patented fire and rage it produces on stage.

Next up is Hollywood, which if ever there was a Spafford song made for an album it is this one. That’s not to say that there haven’t been many, memorable jammed-out versions. But this is a song’s song, complete with heartbreak, train beat, and whistling. The two-part whistling section on this cut is sooooo damn good. If you listen to the Nerd chatter lately, this song is quickly becoming a favorite.

Next up is The Postman. The way this song builds, plateaus, builds, peaks, plateaus, builds, plateaus, is just incredible. I am so impressed by the way this version captures all the intensity, fluidity, and tension that The Postman delivers. Of all the tracks on the album, the playing on this one sounds the most relaxed to me like the walls of the studio disappeared with the opening notes.

When It Falls was officially debuted as an acoustic version during the in-studio performance at Relix on 4-5-2018. The studio cut marks the second known version of the song, which is pure Jordan genius with its lyrics full of natural imagery tracing a journey of struggle and redemption and a sound that harnesses the best of the 90s and fuses it with flecks and flavors of prog and reggae and metal. Will this song evolve along the lines of Eternity as a satisfying set closer or encore slot, or will it follow in the footsteps of Plans as a launchpad for some of the biggest jams Spafford has to offer. Time will tell…

Slip and Squander gets played fairly often. And for good reason. With powerful lyrics by Chuck Johnson soulfully served up by Red Johnson and a soaring guitar solo from Brian that goes up up up up up, peaking in all the right places, this song has a way of waking the soul from its slumber. Great choice for the album.

If LTLO was a good number to open with, Todd’s Tots is the perfect closer. Tightly composed, Tots is a stick of dynamite with a slow-burning fuse. As the song progresses and the fuse shortens, we witness some of the greatest expressions of musical tension and release. With every instrument clear and balanced, this studio version serves up a steaming plate of hot tot fire to send us on our way.

Well, there you have it. After consistently blowing audiences away from coast to coast, Spafford has shown us another side of their artistry with For Amusement Only-- a record of a moment in time when songs new and old collided with power and precision in a dazzling display of musical and lyrical magic.

those threads are great especially as a cross section over the years, but just trying to keep up with this Fall Tour as it happens isn't a bad "intro" to the band... they're bloody KILLING IT!

@SpaffPrise what's (one of) your favorite songs right now? maybe we can get a list of people's favorite performances of that song

Setlist, Attendance, and Recordings for: 2019-07-11 - Stone Pony - Asbury Park, NJ

When Summer Tour dates dropped and my eyes beheld the glory of a homestate show I shit precisely three gold bricks and snagged a ticket lickety split. Especially in light of the fact I missed 2018-01-24 for a family emergency, which was all good in the end but thanks for asking. When 7/11 heaven finally arrived I struggled to stay focused at work and watched the hours melt away with ever increasing glee.

Summer storm clouds opened up that afternoon, dumping wave after wave of desalinated ocean onto sprawling Mall-topia. I didn't even blink. Nor give two seconds pause when my phone started blowing up with flash flood emergency warnings every two minutes. Nah, no problem, I thought. Driving in the rain is like driving in the sun, just slower with more ping-pang-plip-plup sounds on the roof and hood and the thikk thukk thikk thukk metrinome of the wipers summoning Chuck Jonson-level lyrics and Vanilla Ice-worthy verses. *

These confident thoughts played out just fine for the first half-hour or so of driving. But at some point The Garden State Parkway turned into raging class IV rapids of virtually non-existent visibility and completely reckless and intellectually questionable NJ drivers slamming into each other left and right. I swear I must have passed 6-7 accidents in 60 miles. Lightning shook a sky evil as the eyes of Vigo the Carpathian. Blinding waterfalls exploded over the median from north-bound passings and cascaded down my windshield like I was sinking underwater. Confident thoughts quickly became less confident then bowed their heads in shame at the thought that I could miss yet another Asbury show, this time because I died driving in weather that even Noah would have said, "Shit, bro, park the Ark, we ain't goin' nowhere tonight boiiii!"

But who the fuck gives a shit about my rainy drive. Seriously, John, get to the motherfuckin' point. I rolled into The Stone Pony around 8:30 and drank a cold Heineken with all the joy of a man who just cheated wet death his slippery dues. I hung by the bar on the right hand side of the stage and let the music wash over me. I quickly recognize the vibes coming at me as Double Time and sure enough Brian jumps in with "DAY BREAKS!!!!!! ON THE OTHER SIDE!!!!!" I'm thinking for sure this is a second set opener but the homeboy at the bar next to me reassures me there were only 1 or 2 songs he can't remember before this. The verses are delivered with average energy then as the jam began to row away I let my mind be swept off by a slightly menacing undertow they put in this one. My soul claps its cloven feet in delight at catching my first Double Time.

Let's step back a sec. This review sucks because it's longer than a CVS receipt and just as useless and I wasn't even there to describe the first two fucking songs. So fucking sue me, you miserable pieces of... Anyway, what were we talking about? Oh, yes. Some Spafford shit. So I missed an opening Windmill, which I would have liked to hear because it's really a spectacular song from the Prescott canon and I've never seen it before. But, oh well, and this one turns out to be just average so I'm not too pissed and just glad I didn't die on the Parkway with the other idiots.

The boys leave behind the effortlessly revolving turbines of Holland for the sweltering concrete jungles of Kingston. So, time-out again, if you didn't already hate me for writing a long-ass review about nothing and not even seeing the songs I was supposed to review, hold my beer. You're really about to hate my ass . I don't like the Exodus cover. Not just this one either. I mean, musically they can be alright, but it's asking a fucking lot. Let me splain myself to you, Lucy with a head full of lucy. First off, Red is a phenomenal singer and his voice has ranges, but singing the words of the Prophet is a tall order and it just don't come out right for me. Secondly, I'm no rassclot SJW no bumbaclot Babylon PC police man. But it's fucking Exodus. I mean, sure, the song could be any psycho-spiritual journey from darkness to light, but really this song is a historically grounded movement of enslaved human beings from chains to slums to awakening. It's hard for me to embrace the feeling of "We the generation tread through great tribulation" in the midst of, well... us. Sorry, not sorry. That said, listening to it on Nugs, this jams got some sweet spots and I'm sorry I missed it. I'm just an asshole who a) can't get to the show on time; and b) can't get to the point.

Lonely was up next. Another first grab for me. Damn, this Heineken tastes like Freyja juice. It wasn't as blistering as the best of the Cam.0 era but it's a long steady groove and some serious dancing cut loose in the Stone Pony. Not me. I'm still drinking Freyja juice in shock that I'm not dead. Gimme a minute, aight?

While the band tinkers and tunes in the gap after Lonely, Brian mentions that his Mom is in the house and she waves and jumps up and down from the back as Spaffnerds gazes in wonder at the woman who made little Bri-Bri who is about to play a fantastic cover of Take Your Mama dedicated to his mom. I like the way they've slowed down the opening lyrics. Nothing much to note here other than it was sweet and fun and Momma Moss got lots of high-fives as Nerds stumbled into set break.

Wandering around and saying hello to strange familiar faces. Is your hair real hair? How come nobody remembers what they opened with? You're peeing way too long, buddy- lay off the White Claw.

I sally up toward Red Side Bread Side for Set II. Lovesick Melody is the opener. I love how some Spafford songs hook you in the opening seconds. This song is one of many reasons why Jordan songs are the shit. When we get to the "Woah-oh-ohs" I'm reminded how Jordan's mouth unhinges like a boa constrictor when he sings. But that pales in comparison to when he gets to "TWOPLANETSWILLCOLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!" The drop into Soil, always smooth and sweet, is played extra softly by Brian. Back into the groove Brian hits some nice solos with great tones. Red and Nick get most of the credit for taking the rest of the jam to outerspace. Around 9 min Nick starts to work the kick and e drums and Red slowly builds into a nasty synth phrase that hits the peaks around 11. Standing Red side he is calmly in control but feeling the fire. Jordan quietly bangs away in time.

In The Eyes of Thieves comes next and they give the intro a nice little stretch. Then the Stone Pony becomes spun Soul Train in an instant as the funk takes off. Red and Nick continue to have so much fun playing off each other this becomes the Get A Room, Guys Jam. Nick lays some gentle syncopation in and Red picks it up and and the two go back and forth for minutes. Brian plays with his underwater tones and layers the melody up into a peak. They return to the song structure to seemingly bring it to a close but Red has different ideas around 14 minutes and goes for it. Brian drops back for a moment and lets Red, Jordan, and Nick serve up a soulful rhythm and blues. Red is really feeling second set; he's taking chances and not looking back. Seeing this chemistry igniting in Red is reason to believe in the glorious future. They groove for a while, peak once more, and wrap it up.

The opening bass and beat of My Road (My Road) lifts me higher for another first grab! I won't say that Spafford texted me what I wanted to hear and I texted MRMR wouldn't be bad and that's why they played it but I know it's what you're thinking and that's just fine. Red's voice sounds a little weaker than usual but maybe it's because his brain is still climbing down from the nonverbal frenzy he'd been cooking up for the last 40 minutes. The groove is excellent, everyone plays tight and with gusto. After the singing is left behind Jordan finds a perfect tone and steps up in the pocket. Seeing this chemistry igniting in Jordan is reason to believe in the glory glorious future.

Encore time. What other first grab could I possibly want to make my death-defying night any more behemoth? Dirtbath -- what a good idea, Spafford! Talk about songs that sell you in seconds. This song opens better than most songs ever progress to be, and it's 27 minute journey is just beginning. I don't have the stamina or vocabulary to describe it all in any real detail. So let's just play a game called, O, Dirtbath, O Dirtbath, what shall we call thee?

• Section 1: Running to the Bathroom Urgently/Ode to Joy (00:00)
• Section 2: The Spaffnational Anthem (05:20)
• Section 3: The Dirty Pink Panther Peeks through Tiny Keyholes/Viking Face Fucker (08:39)
• Section 4: Travolta's Raviolis (very different from Todd' Tots) (11:39)
• Section 5: Pink Floyd's Underwear ... Falling Away (22:46)
• Section 6: Return to the Bathroom Urgently/Mud Tub Outro (23:35)

Travolta's Raviolis went for a ride tonight, extending DB an extra few minutes beyond its normal length. Everybody's keyed in, but I just remember staring at Nick thinking that is as much dancing as a sitting person can do. He was putting his whole body into his craft and completely lost in the moment. There might as well have been no one in The Stone Pony but four friends, pouring it out there for the sheer fucking thrill of it.

Brian doesn't want to end Mud Tub Outro and keeps going and going and going like he thinks he's Tcachyk's high hat and we wish the boys could play forever the jam could jam forever but every storm ends.

@damian i want what you had for breakfast

I did google research and found some good convenient options and have a friend (one Mr. Jonny Kakes) who is searching his mental database for select recommendations... stay tuned... and please chime in with ideasfor location, occasion, persuasion, anticipation, creation, elation, etc.

@dontjudgedave

So Spafford dropped the latest single off of For Amusement Only today-- Ain't That Wrong. It's linked up through an article on Relix. It's so difficult, and perhaps meaningless, to pick a favorite Spafford tune but gun to head (as @603Brett likes to say) ATW is my boo. So needless to say my expectations were high for this studio treatment. And needless to say I'm a Spafford LIVE fan first, Spafford RECORD fan second. But, wow, they really really really did a nice job with this one. The sax section fits perfectly and gives it enough flair for 4:30 minutes to channel some of that upbeat energy that the 10-20 minute live versions supercharge the crowd with. Read the Relix article to find out how the sax section came about and then ask yourself, "Do I believe in Canine Angels?" I DO.

Nerds! We are so excited to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Cameron Laforest joining the band that we are giving away a copy of the "For Amusement Only" CD with one of the limited-edition miniature Jon Rose prints.

How does it work? We created a little quiz to test your knowledge of Cam- from his favorite flavor ice cream to how many song debuts he's played and more. The link to take the quiz is at the bottom of the thread. Here are the "rules":

• Each Nerd can only submit one set of answers. In the event that you submit more than one quiz copy, only the most recent submission will be scored and considered.

• The hard deadline for submissions is 11:59pm EST, Thursday, May 24th.

• In the event of a tie, we will assign each of the contending Nerds with a number and use a Random Number Generator to determine the winner

• The winner will be announced the morning of Friday, May 25th and answers to the quiz will be posted on the forum

Good luck, Nerds! We hope you enjoy the quiz and we wish you have a very merry Camiversary!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Thanks for the reviews, Ryan! I haven't listened to VA yet but MD sounded great! I was at BB Kings too and I fully agree that they sound way more comfortable and in synch now. And it's no surprise ... it takes time to build that chemistry. It's only been 5 months or so.. a blip. Imagine where they are going?? The future is so bright I have to put my shades on to look at it

The most amazing totally on-the-wall thing I've seen at a Spafford show: @RadiantDarkness dancing in a wall-mounted cage at American Beauty on 12/30/16. Yes, you heard me correctly. a cage mounted on the wall in which dancing was RadiantDarkness. Does anyone have pics of that glorious late night?

As usual in late to the party and the contest is closed, but how can I not add my story to this amazing thread?

I started listening to Spafford thanks to @damian in the Fall of 2016 - gave Live Volume 1 and 2 a couple spins. I was impressed, I enjoyed, but I wouldn't say I was a convert. Fast forward to 12/30/16 and I am ready ticket in hand for my first Spafford show. Traveled to NYC with @damian and company for what was my first Phish show in way too many years and a mind-blowing experience. Danced my ass off at MSG to that spectacular performance and then followed mustards squeaky ball to American Beauty getting lost several times along the way with Diana. I'm sad to admit that my physical mental spiritual energies, which had been peaking for several hours, drained out my toes by the time Spafford hit the stage for https://spaffnerds.com/shows/2016-12-30. I enjoyed the show, I enjoyed the company, esp NYCs finest cage dancer @RadiantDarkness, but again I wasn't converted. My body was depleted and my mind was preoccupied with having to wake up somehow in less than a few hours to be Dad. Following the show I started listening to as many of the 2017 shows as I could find on YouTube and I felt my conversion begin. The early gems that caught my ear were All In, LTLO, America... fast forward to https://Spaffnerds.com/shows/2017-04-13. I met up with @damian, lindsay, rob, et al at Music Hall following a supercharging karate class at www.honmadojo.com. From the opening notes of https://spaffnerds.com/songs/slip-and-squander to the undying notes of https://spaffnerds.com/songs/the-reprise, we were up on the rail for one of the absolute best musical performances of my life. Not dancing was not an option, and thanks to my sweaty armpits there was a nice little circle of space around me in which to groove. I definitely already liked the band, but now I was officially converted. And the more I listen, the more I like. I've checked myself numerous times along the way to make sure I am not just drinking the kool aid and jumping on a bandwagon. But the truth is this band is rare and amazing and most of the time I'm listening to them is late at night, in my backyard, alone under the moon, and without a single other nerd in sight. And I still dance my ass off because not dancing to Spafford is not an option for me and I can't help but dance and rage and marvel at this moving music.

Beautiful review @Kyle-Burbank! I love the language with which you describe their music ... I felt like I could hear the jams in my head. Sounds like an amazing show.. can't wait to listen

Spent it at Urgent Care with my two-year old, whose virus became full-blown pneumonia. Came home with antibiotics and chest xrays, ate sushi, binged Wonderful World of Mrs. Maisel (show is fucking hilarious, Nerds, get on it!), and fell asleep with headphones on halfway through some PHX drug band's cover of Whipping Post. Antibiotics worked their charm, two year got a clean bill of health today, back to work, life is beautiful. Happy New Year you very lovely Nerds! See you out there in 2019! PS I'm already Nugged, I just like talking to you peeps