u/spaffnerd

On July 12, 2026 Spafford played “Pursuit of Madness” with a twist of Grass, Bluegrass that is. For clarification purposes, this song is always “Pursuit of Madness” however there are variations, like Trance and now, Grass.

I love the concept of having vibe variations attached to the song and have a few suggestions. The lyrical part of the song should remain the same, fast or slow start without a hint of where it’s going. The variations should come AFTER the final “Everything wakes up, everything walks out the dark”.  A few concepts come to mind like Pursuit of Funk/Jazz/DISCO!

I hear a Disco version more dominant in my head. Imagine hearing the “Disco Inferno” (The Trammps) drop after the lyrics or “Ring My Bell” by Anita Ward. Spafford wouldn’t have to specifically play either song but they could use these iconic drops to jump into a Disco version of Pursuit.

The Pursuit of Grass fell a little short for me because there weren’t any bluegrass elements to truly enhance the concept but I dug the effort. They should have done a slow or fast lyrical part and THEN blue grassed the after. Keep us in the dark until that final here comes the jam moment. Please revisit Pursuit of Grass with Mike Savino from Tall Tall Trees on banjo and don’t forget to invite me.

Spafford can take this song into any genre while keeping us nerds baffled on which version is on deck! What are your thoughts on Pursuit of what’s next?

It’s been a while since I’ve taken a little time to talk about Spafford here. I listen to the boys every day and I’m going to tell you what I’m listening to. My current playlist.

From their most recent run, I find myself listening to 4/16/26 Bowstring often. Single set show with several highlights, including 2 well placed teasers. “Soggy Froggy” has “Enter Sandman” by Metallica AND “When The Saints” within. The jam drop after Sandman was perfection. Then, 8 minutes into “Double Time”, strap in! This is the Nick Tkachyk I love on drums. Nothing against the a RD-9 but it ain’t this. Meaning, it’s loose, raw. It’s not AI, has life! Outstanding Nick. Cory Schechtmans work on the piano over that sick beat, fantastic. Cory’s combination of synth and piano are unmatched. I love those descending scales as Moss gets ready to open up and drive this beast home. Brian Moss is at the top of his game and still climbing. Don’t sleep on this “DT”. It’s fire! I don’t give much attention to Eyes and Tainted in this set. The “Frog Gossip” set closer on the other hand is wonderful. Lock in on sounds, follow Brian or Shon. Each member collectively, independently, locked in. This is Spafford. It’s what they do.

The 29 minute “Back In LA” on 3/15/26 is played daily. This is a 4 minute song and has only been jammed out twice prior.
-2/18/26 for 23 minutes.
-11/6/25 for 27 minutes.
This is undefined jam space, loose, weird, experimental. I don’t hate the RD-9 here one bit. The balance and incorporation into the music are beautifully coupled together.

Bravo on the “Fuel” opener on 4/17/26. This is a good song to move to a frequent list. LTP was on 10/22/25. “Fuel” compliments Moss vocally. It doesn’t need to be jammed. It’s a perfect hit and run, 4 minute song that would fit anywhere in a set.

Set 2 on 4/16/26 is my morning jam, my drive to work. There are three ways I enjoy starting each day.
-Ginger Stardust.
-Gold Glittered Hat.
-Dream Jam.
It sets my mood upbeat, happy, and rallies awesomeness. The 11/5/25 Soggy Froggy still holds a top spot for happiness.

6/24/25 - This was night 2 of 3 at The Press Room in Portsmouth, NH. All my favorites are in this show. MVSetlist award here. I love listening to the show.

6/22/25 Nashua is also a vibe I visit often. The venue was empty that night. Like, no encore empty and is probably my most played show.

There you have it. My current rotation of Spafford. What’s on your list?