Casiotone's lo-fi pop translates well on stage
The musician entertained a crowd at Mojo's and promoted his latest LP.
Published Sept. 11, 2009
Owen Ashworth, more commonly known by his recording moniker, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, took the stage at Mojo's on Sept. 5, and played a solo set of lo-fi, keyboard-driven pop tunes about lost love and longing.
After a summer-long tour in support of his latest LP released in the spring, entitled Vs. Children, Ashworth decided to take the road this fall for a few Midwest dates.
"I wanted to fit some spots in I couldn't make it to on the summer tour," he said. "I like this town. This is my first time back in about five years."
Coming to Columbia this time proved successful for Ashworth. Mojo's was very lively for a Saturday night and people were bopping along to his depressing songs as much as possible.
Starting the first part of the set with cuts from Vs. Children made plenty of sense, as it was the most recent album released. "Natural Light," my favorite song from his most recent effort, translated really well on stage.
Although his newer songs worked really well on stage, I preferred the older tracks much more, and even Ashworth seemed to be more into this part of his set. "Young Shields," his most popular song, was especially powerful toward the end of the set. The hard-hitting beat shook the roof and I could literally feel my ribcage shaking beneath my recently purchased Casiotone for the Painfully Alone shirt.
Columbia laws prevented him from playing much past 1 a.m., but it was clear Ashworth wanted to play much longer.
"My set list length depends on the crowd. If they're into it, I'll keep playing," he said before the show.
After this mini-tour, Ashworth will make his way to Europe for a few dates and eventually will bury himself back in his Chicago apartment for the fall.
"I plan on recording all fall during my downtime," he said.
If this isolation is like any of the others, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone fans are in for a treat when his new full-length is completed.