My first gig as BUYFI.

I'm playing my first solo gig in 15 years.

3 Nov 2025 — 4 min read

I'm playing a gig.

BUYFI SELECTS_008 (11/03/25).

Dear friends and known associates,

Today I arrive in your inbox with a very special announcement- on January 18th, 2026, I'll be playing my first gig as Buying Fireworks in Indiana. In other words, I'll be playing my first solo set in almost 15 years. If you're in or around Chicago it would mean the world if you came through- it's going to be wild, that I can promise (see this week's selections below for proof), and you can grab tickets right here.

BUYFI SELECTS arrives every Monday for premium subs.

Thanks for stepping outside your algo. Anyway,

BUYFI SELECTS_008

NOVEMBER 03 2025 SELECTIONS

1.

I've been trying to wrap my head around how "BUYFI live" would work for a long time. My goal is to bring music, as it exists in my head, into the world, in real time. This has been an interesting challenge, because to me, music is a collage of inextricably linked elements- originality alongside influence, performance alongside curation, nostalgia alongside futurism. Please forgive me for that last sentence, because although it may in fact be the most pretentious thing I've written, it is also deeply true in my bones.

What I've come up with, after years spent learning various techniques and disciplines, while building out an intentional collection of hyper-specific gear, is this-

not pictured: overwhelmed man with 80's MIJ fender stratocaster

From this table, I can perform and deconstruct my own music element by element, I can stack live loops of guitar and vocals, I can blend it all together into ambient tapeloops and soundscapes, I can remix my own music in and around other music I love, all at once, all on the fly. I can record, I can DJ, and, most crucially, I can do it all without a computer or the help of a sound engineer.

If you are thinking to yourself "what the hell is he talking about and what the hell am I looking at?" I don't fault you in the slightest. Full transparency- I'm still working out the kinks, which brings me to this weeks first recommendation:

If what I'm trying to accomplish here has piqued your interest, hop over to youtube and smash that subscribe button, because that's where all the real work is happening. Follow along these next few months as I figure out exactly what all these knobs do in attempt to better articulate all the noise in my head. Here's what that looks like:

2.

A few months back, my friend Brok sent me a text that said something to the effect of "you need to come to this album release gig." He was right.

The band was White Lucy, the album was "The Paradise", and the gig was beautiful. I have a particular fondness for music that feels both familiar and groundbreaking (need I nod back to my earlier mention of nostalgic futurism?), and these guys write songs that hit the spot dead on. When the band asked if I'd be up for supporting them in January it was an absolute no-brainer, and I'll forever be grateful to them for inspiring me to kick it into gear, as it were.

What is all the more impressive is their ability to bring their recordings to life, live, and to that end, we arrive at my actual 2nd selection:

WATCH WHITE LUCY AND SEN MORIMOTO PERFORM "MAKE IT ALRIGHT" AT THE ACTUAL GIG I ATTENDED.

The gig was a real ass packed gig, but it was also a live recording session engineered by Brok Mende, the very same Brok who sent the text that ultimately resulted in the entire email / blog post you are currently reading.

Brok also mixed "Between the Jaws and the Open Collar," as well as my second single, WHICH PREMIUM SUBSCRIBERS TO BUYFI SELECTS WILL HEAR VERY SOON, BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE. Upgrade today and get 2 weeks free, heck yeah broski.

WHITE LUCY - "Make It All Alright (feat. Sen Morimoto)"

WATCH THIS VIDEO I'M SERIOUS / BUYFI SELECTS

I'm infinitely grateful for all the support this project has already received, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to share the music I make and the music I love, all at the same damn time. Premium supporters make this project possible in a very literal way, so thanks for your consideration, and I'll see you this time next week.

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Premium supporters- I'll see you next week.

LOVE Y'ALL.

-will