Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, a.k.a. Owen Ashworth, tells his stories to us with electronic beats, leading us into both dance and deep thought . His latest album Vs. Children is another progression in his sound, adding further instrumentation. Ashworth is wrapping up a weeklong tour of Florida dates and took some time to answer questions about his listening choices on the road, his future projects and international tour adventures for us via e-mail.

REAX: Name some albums you’ve been listening to while on the road. Can you recommend any new music to REAX readers? Are there any past albums you can’t live without?
CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE: I listen to a lot of podcasts when I'm on tour, especially if I'm traveling by myself. Yesterday, I listened to a few episodes of “The Sound of Young America,” a few episodes of “Stuff You Missed In History Class,” and an episode of the “Savage Love” podcast. I also listened to Disposable Arts by Masta Ace? and Mm.. Food by M.F. Doom?. I have tickets to see DOOM and Mos Def when I get back Chicago, so I've been listening back to his old albums a lot lately. It's been a long time since I've bought advance tickets for a show and I'm pretty excited.

I recently heard some new EPs by No Kids? and Parenthetical Girls? and they were both pretty great. They should both be coming out in a couple of months. I can also recommend the most recent albums by Mount Eerie, David Bazan, and Owen Pallett. I'm looking forward to the new Magnetic Fields? album, but I haven't heard it yet.

Some of my all-time favorite albums are Fresh by Sly & The Family Stone?, World of Echo by Arthur Russell?, the first Elizabeth Cotton album, John Prine Live by John Prine?, and Irma Thomas Sings by Irma Thomas?. There are lots more that I could list, but those were the first ones that came to mind.

REAX: Since the release of Vs. Children you’ve been doing a lot of touring worldwide (although you have already done a lot of touring in the past.) Were you able to play in a place you’ve never played in before? Do you have any interesting/funny stories you’d like to share?
CFTPA: I played in Istanbul last month, and that was pretty great. I met some amazing people and ate some delicious food. I really liked walking around that place. I hope I get to go back some day.

Last spring, I played in Slovakia for the first time. It wasn't a show so much as a wedding in an abandoned train station, but they didn't tell me that until I was on my way there. I guess they were afraid that I'd say no. It was kind of amazing and then somebody spilled wine on my keyboard. Boooo.

REAX: You often play at people’s houses or dorm rooms, etc. Do you prefer that to larger venues? Why?
CFTPA: I don't think I've ever played in a dorm room, but I have played in lots of houses. It's not like I'm turning down offer to play enormous amphitheaters or anything. Sometimes a house show is the only kind of show I can find in a town. Most of my favorite venues would be considered small-ish, I guess. My music sounds better in smaller spaces, and I generally prefer the intimacy of a smaller venue. I like being on the same level as the audience. Eye contact is important.

REAX: What sort of things do you find inspiration from when writing music?
CFTPA: It's equal parts mundane details and overwhelming dread, generally.

REAX: Where do the characters in your songs come from? Are they based upon people you know, or are they entirely fictional?
CFTPA: A few of the characters have been directly inspired by real people, but most of them are composites of friends, strangers, historical or fictional characters, etc. etc. etc. A lot of the details are invented, but everything is meant to feel real and relatable, and hopefully points to some universal-ish experiences or feelings. Tom Justice is a real guy, though. That song is pretty much a true story.

REAX: Your first albums were more about relationships and your latest, Vs. Children, progressed to a more adult theme about the idea of having children. What do you think you will be writing about in the future? What do you want to write about, or is there anything you hope to write about?
CFTPA: My songs tend to be about the kinds of things that I worry about, or at least things that I've noticed people around me worrying about. I've been writing songs for a good 12 or 13 years now, and the characters in my songs have grown up along with me. Who knows what's next? I usually don't even know what the songs are really about until I'm half way through writing them.

REAX: Are there any new instruments/sounds that you want to incorporate into your music in the future?
CFTPA: I think there will be some horns on the new record. That is kind of new territory for me.

REAX: Are you working on any new songs now? If so, can you give us any details about them?
CFTPA: Lately I've been writing about people's relationships with their pets. Maybe the next album will be animal-themed. I need to write some more songs so I can start throwing out the bad ones, and then I'll figure out what kinds of themes I'm left with.

REAX: If you weren’t a musician/artist, what would you be doing?
CFTPA: For a while I thought I was going to be a barber, but I think I'm over that. Lately I've been fantasizing about going to culinary school. I make a mean sandwich.