Former Spafford Bassist/Vocalist Jordan Fairless’ Big Deep Unveils New Music Video Ahead Of Bearsville Debut & Fall Tour
Jordan Fairless and Luke Schwartz talk “All At Once” single, Woodstock roots and what’s ahead for the burgeoning Catskills-based band.
By Team JamBase Sep 1, 2026 • 8:22 am PDT
Big Deep is preparing to make its official live debut this fall, the next step for a band that grew out of a chance meeting in Woodstock, New York. Formed by former Spafford bassist Jordan Fairless and guitarist Luke Schwartz, the project spent the past year taking shape in the studio before turning its attention to the stage.
The band premiered the single “All At Once,” paired with a performance-driven music video filmed by director Bahram Foroughi at the Tinker Street Cinema in Woodstock, in the same room where Jimi Hendrix purportedly once rehearsed ahead of Woodstock ’69. Watch “All At Once”:
Big Deep will play its first official show at the Bearsville Theater on September 5, a venue with its own ties to the Woodstock music community. The band recorded its debut material across the parking lot at Utopia Studios, and the Bearsville show will kick off a fall tour with stops in Plains (Pennsylvania), Buffalo, Boston and New Hope (Pennsylvania).
Drummer PJ Holaday has joined the band’s live lineup, taking over behind the kit for the upcoming shows after Brendan Dillon played drums on the recorded material.
The music will arrive in two parts. The first volume is set to arrive on October 9, with part two following later this year.
JamBase caught up with Fairless and Schwartz ahead of the release and tour kickoff to talk about the new music, the band’s Woodstock roots and what to expect from Big Deep’s live shows.
Tour Dates + Tickets: bigdeep.band
The last time JamBase spoke with Big Deep, the album was still on the horizon. What does it feel like to finally be on the other side of that?
Jordan: It’s been invigorating to step out of the studio mindframe and start gearing up for live shows. We spent the winter locked up working on the album and all the creative elements to take Big Deep to the stage, so it’s very rewarding to start to have all our plans coming to life in front of us and to be getting a positive reaction as word about the project starts to spread.
You’ve spoken about the collaborative dynamic between Jordan and Luke. How has that partnership evolved? Were all of the songs written specifically for this project?
Luke: From the start, we’ve championed each other’s creative vision, we are eager to see our individual contributions flow together into the larger body of Big Deep. Even as the band and team have grown, that original collaborative spirit hasn’t changed. Regarding the songs, we dumped a collection of “spare parts” onto the workbench and built complete pieces with them together. Some songs were written from scratch, while others merged old ideas that we shaped into finished pieces. Every single track was built specifically for this project.
How are you approaching setlist development and improvisation? Will any of Jordan’s Spafford songs crossover to Big Deep?
Jordan: We did the recent pop-up on the fly, so we aren’t really sure yet on exactly how the setlist process will go and what it will look like each night. We know we want to keep it interesting from show to show, and we have built up a pretty good base layer of material to draw from. Most of my songs from Spafford were primarily written by me, so they will be coming with me – through a slightly different lens via Big Deep. Our improv has a few different gears, and we built the songs in a way that we felt would give us a good canvas and palette each night accompanied by some choice cover selections. We’ve spent a lot of time in the studio mind-frame, so we are ready to cut loose live!
“All At Once” was chosen as the lead single. Walk us through how that song came together and why it felt like the right introduction.
Jordan: When we first started shopping ideas, we weren’t really sure where the vibe was headed. We went through a process of stripping away parts of where we had been to figure out where we had arrived. The first two finished ideas were brand new tunes, one from each of us, and started to take us there. With “All At Once,” which was the third tune we sort of “completed,” it started as one of Luke’s old ideas he had sent me in more of an upbeat punk fashion. I took the stems of the guitar and slowed them down a little and layered it over a beat I programmed that was inspired by my love of old breakbeats, then thought of trying my C4 synth pedal for tracking bass.
It settled in and came alive, then I took a shot at the vocal melody and sent it back to Luke and from there we found our approach to harmonies, which had sort of been teed up by using a more open approach to the underlying chords in what we had written to that point. Once we added in the piano and synth hooks, we had the feeling that we had hit our stride and thought we should make that the first release whenever it came time.
The video for “All At Once” was shot at the Tinker Cinema. How intentional was that choice, and what did it mean to film there?
Luke: Tinker Street Cinema was high on our list of potential shoot locations, and choosing it felt natural. Beyond the cinema’s incredible atmosphere, it sits in the heart of Woodstock, just down the road from where we had our very first meeting, imagining this band before it existed. Plus, one of my favorite pieces of local lore is that Jimi Hendrix rehearsed there for Woodstock ’69. Knowing we were making our art in that exact same space connected us directly to the magic of the room.
The video has a strong performance-centric feel. What was the creative vision behind that approach?
Jordan: When we were discussing the first music video with Bahram we weren’t sure exactly where to start. Most of us in the band had never made a music video before, so we swam with ideas and watched tons of other music videos from different eras to get inspired. We landed on just capturing the band performing the song while trying to impart some of our favorite elements from all our personal favorite inspirations to give a little bit of a glimpse to the live energy of this thing.
Big Deep's Jordan Fairless (left) & Luke Schwartz (right)
Woodstock keeps coming up as more than just a location. How has that place shaped this band and this record?
Luke: Woodstock is where we live, where we met, and the birthplace of Big Deep. Beyond our own story, the town carries deep roots as an artist colony, evolving from farming and quarrying into a hub for counterculture in the early 1900s. In the 1960s, the influx of iconic musicians, names including Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix, cemented its reputation as a sanctuary for music and art. That energy of course laid the groundwork for the legendary 1969 Woodstock Festival, which happened in Bethel, not here. Decades later, those creative ripples are still expanding. Big Deep grows directly out of that tradition. It is in that spirit that we carry this music into the future.
What is it about that community specifically that feeds the kind of music Big Deep is making?
Jordan: I think the focus on art, whether its music, sculpture, film, any kind of art, that is in the air here and that makes up the genetic fabric of the history here, lends itself to what Big Deep is making, which is art. We don’t know what the next record will sound like, just as most painters probably couldn’t tell you exactly what their next painting will be. Woodstock lends you the magic of the mountain and quiet nights with the stars to find the inspiration that will be the canvas and palette for your next masterpiece, or the next addition to the scrap bin. There is an embracing community here to share it with.
What has that grassroots support meant to the band, and how has it fueled the energy going into this release?
Luke: It has been everything. We have such tremendous gratitude to be seen by our community, and to feel the excitement, support, and collaborative energy of every person involved, from the visual artists and studio engineers creating with us, all the way to our neighbors telling their friends about the band. Every single person connected to this project is responsible for bringing this music into existence.
The Bearsville Theater will host Big Deep’s official live debut. What’s the feeling in the band heading into that first night?
Luke: The feeling is pure ecstasy. Keeping with the spirit of being supported by Woodstock’s creative ancestors, there is no better venue for our launch than the Bearsville Theater. Having recorded our debut album right across the parking lot at Utopia, this space feels like home. It carries the living history of the legends who’ve graced its stage and tracking rooms, from Bob Dylan, The Band, and Todd Rundgren to Patti Smith, Phish, R.E.M., and The Rolling Stones. Stepping into that rich, eclectic lineage feels like the right place to introduce Big Deep.
Get Big Deep Tickets
The fall tour takes you to Buffalo, Boston, and New Hope. How did you think about selecting those to play first?
Jordan: Buffalo and Pembroke have always brought amazing energy to shows, so it felt like a no-brainer when looking at where we wanted to start first outside of our homebase. I can’t wait to get back to Soundcheck! Dharma Bums came highly recommended along with River St, and we love the shows they have been putting on recently, we are honored to have all of these venues working with us early to put these on. We are 100% DIY, so we are doing all the booking, everything. It means a lot to have early venue partners who believe in us.
PJ Holaday will be on drums for the shows after Brendan Dillon was featured on the recordings. What does Holaday bring to the mix?
Luke: We were incredibly fortunate to connect with PJ just as we began developing our live show. He brought immediate musical bravery to the band, jumping in headfirst to master our original material. Behind the kit, his unique power and drive push the songs into distinct, deep directions. Every member shapes our collective sound, and seeing PJ’s energy mold that shared clay has taken the music to a whole new level.
What can someone expect from attending their first Big Deep live show?
Jordan: People can expect to find a familiar feeling in a new place, and hopefully a bit of joy. There is something for everyone and a place to get lost in the groove.
Looking at where Big Deep started, and where you are now, what does this moment feel like for the band?
Luke: I think we all feel immensely proud of believing in Big Deep, and taking the time to build it the right way, with authenticity and genuine love for what we’re creating. Going from imagining an idea, to putting in the hard work to realize it, to finally presenting it on stage is a deeply empowering experience and a powerful exercise in manifestation. Everyone in the room with us on September 5th will share in this energy. Big Deep is a reminder that creative power lives within every one of us, and that the shared effort of bringing something into the world is what truly bridges us to each other.
You mentioned the full EP. When can we expect the release of the entire EP?
Jordan: Big Deep Pt. 1 will drop on October 9 as part of a split release, with Pt. 2 arriving around the holidays. Together, they’ll form the complete EP, Big Deep Pt. 1 & Pt. 2.
We decided to divide the release after realizing just how much material we had. Breaking it into two parts gives listeners more time to really sit with the music. In a world where attention spans keep shrinking, we wanted to create something that lasts: something people can hold onto beyond the usual record-release-tour cycle.
Is there anything else you’d like fans to know about the album, the tour, or what’s coming next for Big Deep?
Jordan: This is the beginning for Big Deep, we want people to connect with us and take this journey with us from the very start. We care about music, and we want to share the joy that we have found in making it with the world. These dates and the album are just the start.
Tour Dates + Tickets: bigdeep.band
[Sponsored article: Big Deep is a JamBase Partner.]
