Arizona jam band Spafford to perform at Belly Up

After a difficult year and a half without many opportunities to perform, jam band Spafford will play at the Belly Up in Solana Beach on Oct. 2 as part of a west coast leg of its current tour.

“I think that we had a lot of pent up aggression and pent up music that we wanted to express through our instruments and together,” said Brian Moss, the band’s guitarist. “It’s our therapy really, and we weren’t necessarily able to do that in front of people for close to 18 months.”

The four band members have been using their pandemic-induced hiatus to redesign their practice space, record, practice and explore new possibilities for making music.

“Now there are even still more tricks up our sleeve we’re ready to unveil,” said Moss, a New Jersey native who started his first band at age 12.

The COVID-19 pandemic was the latest in a series of obstacles the Arizona-based band has had to overcome since forming about 10 years ago. Through gear malfunctions, tour bus breakdowns and near-bankruptcy in the early days, Spafford has developed an eclectic musical style that has attracted fans around the country.

“We’re coming on the other side of this pandemic with a little bit more maturity than we’ve ever had before, a little bit more gratitude than we’ve ever had before, a little more sense of camaraderie and brotherhood we haven’t had in a while, and it’s really fueling the music,” Moss said.

Spafford has been playing summer festivals leading up to the upcoming stretch of tour dates that will take the band through Los Angeles and Solana Beach before heading through the Midwest and east coast over the next month and a half.

Moss said the band played drive-in shows when the pandemic started, before the summer heat in Arizona put an end to them. He and his bandmates have been enjoying the return to live shows in front of fans.

“To see these faces for the first time in 18 months really was one of the most beautiful experiences to have,” Moss said. “We’re just reconnecting again and able to share our love for each other.”

He added, “We all missed each other. As musicians, we need this music and we understand our fans need our music as well.”

Belly Up is located at 143 S. Cedros Ave. in Solana Beach. For more information and tickets, visit bellyup.com.