Oooh, synthesizers! Do you like them? I sure hope so, ’cause on Sunday (along with some predicted precipitation), Iowa City will be awash in ‘em.
In fact, it’s a very specific species of synths: Midwestern. The Mill will be hosting a symposium highlighting three very distinct Midwestern breeds: Chicago’s Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, along with two Iowa City collectives; Datagun and The Western Front.
The Western Front know something about corn, Iowa, and what it is to not have anything better to do than steal your dad’s beer and sneak off into a clearing to get wasted. The Western Front play good small-town Iowa rock, full of small town Iowa angst, and flank it with big city synths. Check out their name-dropping new track “George’s,” presumably about Iowa City townie-haunt on Market St.
What happens when a stray gets together with two former indie-pop-folkers? Datagun. Datagun is a mutt, pure and simple. The heartbroken remains of Heathers have embraced the more digital side of life and tuned-in, turned-on and jacked-up. Oh, yeah, they’re also three of the more important movers and shakers in the Mission Creek world.
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone is the moniker for Owen Ashworth who currently calls Chicago his home. CFTPA has made a career out of sparse arrangements obviously built around various Casio Keys and his dry vocal delivery, either regaling you with the absurd or the horribly depressed (think Stephin Merritt but a baritone). Check out some of his more playful and sparse arrangements on myspace or peep the hell out of this dense, grim track from 2006’s Etiquette below. Oh, yeah, and we also have this tasty little nugget we posted here a few weeks back. Apparently we’ve got a little thang going on with Owen.
