Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

Rarely does a band's name perfectly sum up what it does. But Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's music is exactly as it sounds: songs about loneliness and heartbreak performed on Casiotone keyboards by Owen Ashworth, possibly the saddest man in the world. But these songs--with words such as "And the...

By Shannon Sutlief

July 15, 2004

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Rarely does a band's name perfectly sum up what it does. But Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's music is exactly as it sounds: songs about loneliness and heartbreak performed on Casiotone keyboards by Owen Ashworth, possibly the saddest man in the world. But these songs--with words such as "And the only things keeping me alive are your picture in my pocket and $1.45" ("Cold Shoulder")--aren't biographical. They're concise, rhyming pictures of universal loss, like postcards of moments, be they missed chances, breakups or maudlin remembrances, all played on battery-operated old-school Casios.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Dallas Observer has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.