I played my final show of 2025 this weekend in Ellenville, New York; small house show with a major lineup.
First up was Spreaders (whose house was where we played), who continues to be a knockout live performer. His mastery of all things tape (cassette, 8-track, etc.) is truly second to none, and is something you have to see to believe. Of course, not everyone does have the luxury to just come to a house show in upstate New York, which really makes me crave some more new Spreaders recordings to come out sooner rather than later!
As previously stated, I performed this night as Dead Door Unit. It seemed to be pretty well received, even when I made one of the PA speakers rumble off the kitchen counter and fall directly onto my table. I was pretty surprised none of my gear broke/turned off from that.
Pain Appendix delivered a pretty nuanced and structured third set. The flow was pretty on point, and it was fun to pick out the little nuances of each section as they passed. Probably the longest set of the night, but offered up enough to keep the crowd hooked into place. Also enjoyed the restraint Pete showed, as there was really no point at which he just said "fuck it, let me just turn all the pedals on"
Robert Fuchs continues to deliver electrifying sets every time I see him play. All electronics failing and sputtering to total bliss. At the end of the set, Dean cut the volume a little and continued ripping like it was nothing. I think the intentional volume drop provides another layer to the project's sound. Call it some domestic ambiance. No notes. Excellent.
Matt Luczak closed the gig with tons of tape guts and mixer sputter. Matt told me after the gig that he usually lets his reel-to-reel players warm up for about 20 minutes before playing, but decided to throw caution to the wind tonight. Worked well in his favor. A completely shattered ending to this very fun show.
