Photo via @SpaffordMusic on FB
On Jan. 28, Southwestern jam quartet Spafford crash-landed at Saturn in Birmingham, Ala. for a stellar, seven-song show, including a 54-plus minute version of their "Bee Jam."
Recalls guitarist Brian Moss, "We had a nice day off before the show staying at the apartment above the Saturn. It’s a real amazing place to stay if you ever get the chance. Lots of visually stimulating decor, great hang spaces and just about everything a band on the road needs to feel at home. We watched the movie Inception that night, and as a band we shared some of our first meals together since being on the road so we just felt connected and well rested. So after a great morning, we decided we would just let the music guide us to wherever it wanted to go that night. No audibles, no fall back plans, just play and enjoy the ride."
Despite it being a Tuesday night, the band almost-immediately proved it was an improv-heavy outing, with a brief "All My Friends" seguing into the hefty "Bee Jam."
Spafford then closed their first half with "Settled In."
Set two waded into similar, spacey waters, with a 39-minute "It's A Bunch" giving way for a lengthy cover of Bob Marley's "Exodus."
The set-closing "Windmill" clocked in a 21 minutes, and Spafford encored their stop in Birmingham with Johnny Russell's "Catfish John."
Read Jambands.com's recent interview with Spafford keyboardist Red Johnson here.
Listen to set one via Mixlr here.
Listen to set two via Mixlr here.
Check out the full setlist below:
Spafford
Jan. 28, 2020
Saturn, Birmingham, Ala.
Set I: All My Friends> Bee Jam*> Settled In
Set II: It's A Bunch> Exodus> Windmill
Enc: Catfish John
Notes:
* approx. 54:29 long
