Spafford Shares Statement Regarding Jordan Fairless’ Departure

Spafford posted a message addressing the departure of bassist Jordan Fairless. The co-founding member of the band last performed with the group in 2024.

Fairless, who co-founded Spafford with guitarist Brian Moss in 2009, initially announced a “break from the road” in August 2024, with Spafford tapping bassist Shon Gordon to fill in for Fairless. In November 2024, Fairless posted a since-deleted update on social media in which he spoke about Spafford.

“Internal divisions have left me with no current plans to return to the stage with the band,” Fairless said in November 2024. “Brian and I started Spafford together almost 16 years ago and my hope is that we can resolve our differences and respect the legacy we built together. I know that is my intention and I would hope it would be Brian’s as well. While I have attempted to remain transparent throughout the difficult situation that was Summer Tour, I have not spoken to anyone from Spafford, besides our current band manager briefly, since our last band video call in July.”

Fairless cited the serious car accident Spafford survived in March 2024 as impacting his decision to place a pause on touring. Moss also took a break from touring with Spafford in 2024 in the wake of the car accident. Guitarist Mike Gantzer stepped-in to perform with the band. (Fairless wrote about the accident in recent blog post).

Spafford’s statement regarding Fairless’ departure directly addressed the November 2024 social media post the bassist shared. After revealing Fairless confirmed a desire to leave Spafford in the summer of 2024, the band wrote that Fairless’ November video left them “feeling shocked and confused.”

Spafford’s current lineup is composed of Moss, Gordon, drummer Nick Tkachyk and keyboardist Cory Schechtman. Their next concert is scheduled for Thursday, April 3 at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke, Massachusetts.

Read the statement posted by Spafford regarding Jordan Fairless’ departure below:

To our incredible fans:

We typically don’t share our business affairs publicly, which is why we haven’t addressed this matter. That being said, in the summer of 2024, Jordan notified us that he wished to conclude his time with Spafford both verbally and in writing. Communication regarding this matter was challenged due to involvement of legal counsel, and out of respect to all involved, we chose to not speak publicly about it.

Understanding where to go after the news of a 15 year founding band member leaving was very challenging, in the end we decided to fill the vacant role and push forward.

In November of 2024, Jordan addressed the Spafford community via social media and shared perspectives in a video post that left us feeling shocked and confused given the conditions at that time.

We remain incredibly grateful for Jordan’s years of dedication and the music we created together. We truly wish him all the best in the future and continued healing on his personal journey.

We know this time period has been confusing for many, it’s been the same for us too, however we still remain true to focusing on the future and are dedicated to bringing our music to the masses in 2025 with the current lineup in place. We have plans to record new music, release more Live Wax Volumes and announce multiple tours. Details on all will be coming soon.

Your support means the world to us – we couldn’t do this without you.

With love and gratitude, Spafford