I recently interviewed Owen Ashworth, the man behind the sounds known as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. He offered some really great answers, and was really nice throughout the whole ordeal. The interview went as follows:
You've been on tour for the last couple days, how's that going?
I've been on tour for a little less than a month now. It's been great. Really hectic but fun. I played with an awesome band called The High Places in Brooklyn last night. I was really glad I got to see them.
Besides the tour, what have you been up to since the release of Etiquette?
There have been a couple of tours, and some new recordings, and I've been cooking a lot. It's been both busy and relaxing.
Were there any other factors that went into the decision to start making music besides the cost ?
I was interested in sound, and I wanted to travel. It just seemed like an interesting way to tell stories. It's been a fun challenge. I really like it most days.
I have to ask, could you tell me a few of your favorite films?
The Mirror by Andrei Tarkovsky is probably my favorite movie. All of his are great. After him, I really like a lot of 1970's American movies like Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, and Badlands.
Over time, your sound has definitely changed, could you explain how that decision was made?
I've been making music for over ten years. My interests have changed, and I think it's only natural to want to try different things. It would be a bummer to make the same sounds forever. I would hope that the music I will be making a few years from now would sound much different from what I'm doing now. I can't wait to hear it.
On a normal day in the recording studio, what are you doing? Do many people help you? Is it usually a solitary environment?
I don't spend much time in recording studios. I record on my own using a sampler and a 4 track and then I usually ask a friend with nicer equipment to help me mix down to a CD. It's good to have another person around to let me know if the vocals need to be louder or whatever. Recording is usually me and a friend of mine hunkered over some kind of recording device talking really seriously about reverb.
Your lyrics are certainly both witty and a bit dreary at the same time, is that a conscience effort, or just your writing style?
That's just how I write, man. Mostly I just try to keep things as concise as possible.
Are any of the characters in your songs based on real people?
Sure, lots of them are. They are usually based on a bunch of different people all at once. What's nice about fiction is you get use as much truth as you want. It's very convenient.
Thanks again to Mr. Ashworth for the interview, very fun first interview.
