Casiotone for the Painfully Alone at Mercury Lounge
Owen Ashworth or Casiotone for the Painfully Alone is a burly man who stands alone on stage mashing keys, tweaking knobs, and crooning in monotone into a dry mic. His songs tell stories about sobering regrets, missed connections, and sometimes the beginning of a rebound but the lyrics ride over booming funky beats. Sometimes you don’t know whether to stare off into distance or start dancing. People did their own thing at his show at Mercury Lounge last Thursday. Toward the end of the show, The Donkeys joined him on stage as a backup band and suddenly we are watching an enlivened Owen perform as the front man for a morbid bar band a la Hold Steady minus the party. This was a cool thing to do for show if you know his albums but for his solitary music, I think we all prefer painfully alone auteur.
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Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Young Shields (MP3)
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Malone Moves Home (MP3)
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Daytrotter Session with The Donkeys
