There was already some strong evidence that Casiotone for the Painfully Alone was throwing in the towel, and now in an interview with Exclaim!, the band's only member, Owen Ashworth, has confirmed that soon his long-running CFTPA will be no more.
"It's been on my mind for six or seven years now, to be honest, but it just never felt like the right time," Ashworth says of his decision to retire the Casiotone name. "Twinkle Echo [2003] really felt like the last proper Casiotone album to me, but I kept getting talked out of changing the name by much wiser people than myself."
He continues, "I'm getting older and my tastes are changing and I want to recognize those changes and be honest about what kind of person I'm becoming. I started Casiotone when I was 20, and I'm a different guy now... I'm not obsessed with the same sounds that I used to be obsessed with."
Although this means the end of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Ashworth has no plans to stop releasing music. "The last few Casiotone albums were kind of transitional for me, and I think the new music I'll make will probably continue along the same path I've been following for the last few years," he reveals.
Ashworth has already adopted the name Advance Base for his production work, and has been making beats for Chicago rapper Serengeti. Expect the results to be released this fall via Anticon. He also hopes to record with his brother Gordon, who has his own solo project called Concern.
"I'm sure I'll keep writing songs on my own, too," says Ashworth. "I bought a Rhodes for the last Casiotone tour, and I've been recording some little unaccompanied electric piano things on my four-track. I'd like to make a really quiet, gentle little album one of these days."
See the dates for Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's final North American outing below, including six Canadian shows. He will be touring with Australia's Otouto, with whom he plans to collaborate on some full-band arrangements. A European tour will follow. The final show under his longtime moniker will be on December 5 - the 13th anniversary of his first show.
For more of Ashworth's thoughts on the end of CFTPA, see his statement here on his website.
Tour dates:
9/8 Chicago, IL - Subterranean *
9/9 Iowa City - PS1 *
9/10 Lincoln, NE - The Bourbon Theatre *
9/11 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive *
9/12 Salt Lake City, UT - Subterranean/Slowtrain Records *
9/13 Boise, ID - Visual Arts Collective *
9/14 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern *
9/15 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret *
9/16 Victoria, BC - The Legendary Castle Troyler *
9/17 Victoria, BC - Logan's *
9/18 Portland, OR - Artistery *
9/19 Portland, OR - The Wail *
9/21 Oakland, CA - 21 Grand *
9/22 Santa Cruz, CA - The Crepe Place *
9/23 San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Art Center *
9/24 Los Angeles, CA - The Smell *
9/25 Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space *
9/27 Austin, TX - Emo's *
9/28 Houston, TX - Khon's Rooftop *
9/29 Denton, TX - Dan's Silverleaf *
9/30 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone *
10/1 Nashville, TN - The End (Next Big Nashville Festival) *
10/2 Louisville, KY- Zanzabar *
10/7 Kalamazoo, MI - WIDR Barking Tuna Festival *
10/8 Toronto, ON - The Piston *
10/9 Ottawa, ON - Raw Sugar *
10/10 Montreal, QC - Casa Del Popolo *
10/12 Biddeford, ME - The Oak & The Ax (formerly Hog Farm Studios Annex) *
10/13 Cambridge, MA - TT The Bear's *
10/14 Manhattan, NY - Mercury Lounge *
10/15 Brooklyn, NY - Monster Island Basement *
10/16 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
10/17 Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Arts
"It's been on my mind for six or seven years now, to be honest, but it just never felt like the right time," Ashworth says of his decision to retire the Casiotone name. "Twinkle Echo [2003] really felt like the last proper Casiotone album to me, but I kept getting talked out of changing the name by much wiser people than myself."
He continues, "I'm getting older and my tastes are changing and I want to recognize those changes and be honest about what kind of person I'm becoming. I started Casiotone when I was 20, and I'm a different guy now... I'm not obsessed with the same sounds that I used to be obsessed with."
Although this means the end of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Ashworth has no plans to stop releasing music. "The last few Casiotone albums were kind of transitional for me, and I think the new music I'll make will probably continue along the same path I've been following for the last few years," he reveals.
Ashworth has already adopted the name Advance Base for his production work, and has been making beats for Chicago rapper Serengeti. Expect the results to be released this fall via Anticon. He also hopes to record with his brother Gordon, who has his own solo project called Concern.
"I'm sure I'll keep writing songs on my own, too," says Ashworth. "I bought a Rhodes for the last Casiotone tour, and I've been recording some little unaccompanied electric piano things on my four-track. I'd like to make a really quiet, gentle little album one of these days."
See the dates for Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's final North American outing below, including six Canadian shows. He will be touring with Australia's Otouto, with whom he plans to collaborate on some full-band arrangements. A European tour will follow. The final show under his longtime moniker will be on December 5 - the 13th anniversary of his first show.
For more of Ashworth's thoughts on the end of CFTPA, see his statement here on his website.
Tour dates:
9/8 Chicago, IL - Subterranean *
9/9 Iowa City - PS1 *
9/10 Lincoln, NE - The Bourbon Theatre *
9/11 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive *
9/12 Salt Lake City, UT - Subterranean/Slowtrain Records *
9/13 Boise, ID - Visual Arts Collective *
9/14 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern *
9/15 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret *
9/16 Victoria, BC - The Legendary Castle Troyler *
9/17 Victoria, BC - Logan's *
9/18 Portland, OR - Artistery *
9/19 Portland, OR - The Wail *
9/21 Oakland, CA - 21 Grand *
9/22 Santa Cruz, CA - The Crepe Place *
9/23 San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Art Center *
9/24 Los Angeles, CA - The Smell *
9/25 Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space *
9/27 Austin, TX - Emo's *
9/28 Houston, TX - Khon's Rooftop *
9/29 Denton, TX - Dan's Silverleaf *
9/30 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone *
10/1 Nashville, TN - The End (Next Big Nashville Festival) *
10/2 Louisville, KY- Zanzabar *
10/7 Kalamazoo, MI - WIDR Barking Tuna Festival *
10/8 Toronto, ON - The Piston *
10/9 Ottawa, ON - Raw Sugar *
10/10 Montreal, QC - Casa Del Popolo *
10/12 Biddeford, ME - The Oak & The Ax (formerly Hog Farm Studios Annex) *
10/13 Cambridge, MA - TT The Bear's *
10/14 Manhattan, NY - Mercury Lounge *
10/15 Brooklyn, NY - Monster Island Basement *
10/16 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
10/17 Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Arts
