Spafford has announced that guitarist Brian Moss will miss the remainder of the band’s summer tour as he continues to recover from injuries sustained in a car accident in late March. Mike Gantzer, the guitarist and vocalist best known for his work in Aqueous—which has been on indefinite hiatus since 2023—will replace him for these shows. The news comes less than a week after the Arizona-native jam quartet canceled its first four June 2024 tour dates after Moss came down with an unspecified illness.
As Spafford wrote in a note posted on social media on Monday, “We want to keep you updated on Brian and how he is doing, along with the rest of the band and our plans for Summer Tour. Back in March, the band was in a severe car accident. As some of you may know, accidents of that intensity can take time to truly process mentally and physically. Recently, Brian shared with us that he is not fully healed yet from the incident and going on tour right now feels like a bit too much. He needs some time to work through everything and we fully support his decision to take the time he needs to heal and return to us stronger.”
The note continues, “The band with Brian’s support has decided to move forward with the upcoming shows to ensure that Brian can finish healing free of the rigors of the road. Since Brian will not be with us, our dear friend Mike Gantzer will step in for the remaining 10 shows from June 12-23. Mike, known for his work with Aqueous and many other projects, has formed a close friendship with Brian over the years. It was a natural choice to have him join us during this period and we warmly welcome him to the stage.”
“We’re confident that Mike will help us keep the jams coming while Brian is out, and we have full faith that the community we’ve built over the last 15 years will have our backs during this temporary shift. We also look forward to welcoming Brian back as soon as he is ready to rock again.”
Related: Getting To Know Spafford’s New Keyboardist Cory Schechtman [Interview]
“We appreciate your support through this time and your respect for Brian and his family’s privacy as we all work through this together. Spafford is more than the sum of its parts, and the show will continue on. We look forward to having all of our parts back together soon. … Summer tour is upon us, let’s jam!” The note is signed by bassist Jordan Fairless, drummer Nick Tkachyk, keyboardist Cory Schechtman, and band namesake/longtime employee Chuck “Spafford” Johnson.
Mike Gantzer spoke about stepping in for Brian Moss in Spafford this summer in a post of his own. Read Gantzer’s note below:
I was honored to get the call to fill in with Spafford while Brian recovers from a brutal accident the band was in recently; Brian and I have been friends quietly for many years (plus he’s literally far and away one of the best musicians in our scene, sheesh 
) and while I’m SO grateful and stoked to help the band make the very best of a tough situation, I’m just also really f—ing proud of him for prioritizing his health so he can bounce back and rock for many years to come- that takes so much courage and I’ve been there myself, many times and it’s a beautiful form of self love that we can all take note from 
Regarding making some LEMOÑADE with the spaff BOYS, I’ve FULLY immersed myself in this music in the short time I’ve had and am SO stoked to put every ounce of my passion and spirit into delivering beautiful shows with such a killer band and set these rooms on fire 
Spaffnerds, I can’t wait to connect with you all, let’s have some fun and rage hard enough to send that energy all the way back to Brian- that’s the place I’ll be playing from every night. Also HUGE s/o to the spaff band & crew for being so welcoming and awesome to work with in the few days we’ve had to work it out!
Tour starts Wednesday in Rochester- come see something really special and support the band as they navigate a tough time! aight I gotta work on these tunes, let’s go 
Mike Gantzer is due to join Spafford on tour beginning on Wednesday, June 12th in Rochester, NY and continue with the band to Northlands Music & Arts Festival in Swanzey, NH on Friday, June 14th. The June tour will continue from there with shows in Woodstock, NY (6/15), Millersville, PA (6/16), Amagansett, NY (6/17), Baltimore, MD (6/19), Virginia Beach, VA (6/20), Wilmington, MC (6/21), Black Mountain, NC (6/22), and Winston-Salem, NC (6/23). Following the June dates, the band is scheduled for three weeks off ahead of a three-show Colorado run, a gig in Columbus, OH, and a set at 4848 Festival in Snowshoe, VA in July. For a full list of upcoming Spafford tour dates, head here.
Below, view the posts from Spafford and Mike Gantzer about the band’s next ten summer tour dates as well as the band’s initial post about the accident back in March. Wishing all the best and a speedy recovery to Brian Moss and the whole Spafford family from the Live For Live Music team.
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