A Perfect Evening with Spafford & Ajeva: St. Petersburg 01.18.25

A Perfect Evening with Spafford & Ajeva: St. Petersburg 01.18.25

[Thanks to Dan Dernandez @djfworkstation for photos. Ajeva photos will be added as soon as they are available.]

Was there amazing music Saturday, January 18, at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg? Absolutely! Astonishing, really, but everything about the event was so very spot on, we want to talk about that, then gush about the music.

Jannus Live is not the most ideal concert venue, but on Saturday it was! Everything was magical. The larger-than-anticipated crowd had a great time, the sound engineers had the music dialed in to near perfection (vocals could have been a bit louder), the vibe was perfect, and whoever was responsible for the music before Ajeva and the ensuing breaks totally crushed (“Handcuffs” and “Only So Much Oil in the Ground” stand out). Security and crew and vendors all seemed to match the vibe as well.

And, yes, there was music. This was the fourth of five Florida shows on the Spafford tour and the second having Ajeva open.

Hometown heroes Ajeva have been a going concern for more than a decade, but the past two years or so everything seems to have jelled for this quintet. Their extensive touring throughout Florida and the Southeast have raised their profile, highlighted by a huge set on The Hallows at Suwannee Hulaween in October.

You know it’s going to be a great night when BOTH bands start early. In Ajeva’s case, they had to be off at 8:40, so they blew into “Try to Release” at 7:58. Taylor Gilchrist’s nasty bass intro gave us an indication of what was to come — one of the most badass funk tunes you’ll ever hear. Tucker Sody made very effective use of the clap drum in his timekeeping here. Lyndon Thacker starred with massive keyboard chops, pumping out electric piano and synths in equal measure. 

The group downshifted for “People We Love” with vocalist Reed Hills (who also plays guitar) in command. Five minutes into the groove, they speed-shifted up for some powerful rock.

Successful bands in most any genre build upon their rhythm sections, even more true for jambands. Gilchrist and Sody are so perfectly in lockstep as they propel the band’s groove, never more evident than on “You Can Too.” They were on fire, with Thacker washing synths atop everything and guitar beast Mike Nevins continuing to do what does best. The song roared to a massive crescendo, blazed all-out rock, and totally funkified at the end.

The band thanked the crowd for the warm reception before throwing down ridiculous heavy metal prog with “Seven.” UNREAL! These gents need to be on the national stage.

Ajeva are: Reed Hills, vocals; Taylor Gilchrist, bass; Mike Nivens, guitar; Lyndon Thacker, keyboards; and Tucker Sody, drums.

[AJEVA: Try to Release, People We Love, You Can Too, Seven]

The “jamband” classification is extremely wide, encompassing all manner of styles. At its heart is — of course — the jam. So, when you see the Spafford Facebook page, their self-description is:

WE JAM

Truth in advertising right there. Case in point: opening song “Gotta Save Fred.” The quartet were on stage early, but they waited to begin at 9:00 on the dot, because they had announced that show would be livestreamed at, yes, 9:00.

They also took time out before the show to meet with some of the students from Chris Sgammato’s Music School. THIS IS THE WAY.

After appreciating that the sound was again pristine, we all got to watch the four masters at work. Jordan Fairless’ bassline was instantly out front, paired perfectly with Nick Tkackyk’s work on drum kit. It took them all of five minutes to fall into the jam. Drummer Michael Garrie describes them as the most patient jamband; they are in no hurry and will take all the time necessary to get where they want to be (which eventually took us to one minute before curfew!).

Brian Moss trotted out a wide variety of guitar effects, including a very effective echo, to pile on top of his superb playing, and Cory Schechtman was similarly evoking a world of tones from his phalanx of keyboards. About 20 minutes in, “Gotta Save Fred” morphed into “Virtual Bean Dip” as they jam bobbed and weaved through the jam.

After a brief pause, the quartet rolled straight into “Ginger Stardust” featuring some superb electric piano with effects and organ. It turned into a jamtronic funkiest before rocking into a slinky “The Postman,” with Fairless crushing the bass. 69 minutes into the set, Moss told us they would be back for another set shortly.

True to their word, Spafford stepped back on stage, and Moss suggested “Let’s get funky!” And they did, serving up “Electric Taco Stand.” A dozen minutes into the jam, they swerved into a brilliant cover of Demi Lovato’s “Anyone” (“Nobody’s listening to me”). What a vibe they created as they gently steered back into that “Electric Taco Stand”! The jams continued with “America > The Reprise,” which turned slow and bluesy, again highlighting another facet of this band. 

It appeared, at 11:35, they were finished, but they were most assuredly NOT. Moss called up Mike Nivens from Ajeva to join them on “Weasel.” Right before they began, Moss suggested that Nivens instead play Moss’ second guitar. Nivens explains:

What ensued was a massive jamtronic metal guitar rave up, with Moss and Nivens eventually at the very front of the stage, guitars blazing, sometimes in that perfect twin mode. Stunning. (Video credit to Josh Floyd!)

Moss (OK, I think it was he) offered the sentiment we’ve heard a lot recently (and agree with): we’re not leaving the stage; here’s the encore. He was noting especially, at 11:51, the fast-approaching midnight curfew. With that, Spafford romped through the country parody “Motel 6,” screeching to a halt at 11:59. THIS IS THE WAY.

Spafford are: Brian Moss, guitars, vocals; Cory Schechtman, keyboards, vocals; Jordan Fairless, bass, vocals; and Nick Tkackyk, drums.

[SPAFFORD 1: Gotta Save Fred > Virtual Bean Dip, Ginger Stardust > The Postman; 2: Electric Taco Stand > Anyone* > Electric Taco Stand, America > The Reprise, Weasel**, Motel 6]