Advance Base is the melancholic soft rock recording project of Chicago, IL singer/songwriter Owen
Ashworth (formerly of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone). Using a two-handed arsenal of electric piano,
Omnichord, samplers, effect pedals & drum machines, Ashworth builds minimalist, heavy-hearted, &
nostalgia-obsessed ballads around his conversational baritone. The warm, electronic sound of Advance
Base has been described as “lo-fi,” “depressed” & “weirdly uplifting.”
Animal Companionship, the third & most recent “studio” album by Advance Base, was released September
21, 2018 by Run For Cover Records / Orindal Records. GoldFlakePaint & Various Small Flames both listed
Animal Companionship among their favorite albums of 2018. Since then, Advance Base has released Wall
of Tears & Other-Songs I Didn’t Write, a home-recorded collection of (mostly) country/Americana covers
arranged for electronic instruments & Live at Home, a collection of mid-quarantine livestream concert
performances & the closest representation of an Advance Base live set commercially available. A new
single titled ”Little Sable Point Lighthouse” was released on March 31, 2022.
“It’s with no exaggeration we describe Owen Ashworth as one of the most consistent and important
songwriters in contemporary indie music. From the earliest Casiotone For the Painfully Alone demos to
most recent Advance Base single ‘Little Sable Point Lighthouse‘, Owen has crafted a catalogue of
characters and circumstances with few rivals in the modern era. His is an ever evolving body of work which
stands out in its deftness and humility and empathy and care, bringing to life individuals from across the
spectrum of human experience while remaining unerringly attuned to the tender, fallible heart at the centre
of each.” – Various Small Flames
“A Raymond Carver short story collection set to music by a Joan of Arc-era OMD” – MOJO Magazine
“You could not pay Jacob Slade to leave the Midwest” says Madeline Schultz in her review of the Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter’s 2023 album Soft Spoken. The essence of life in the midwest pervades not only Slade’s music and lyricism, but also his work ethic. Over three million streams and placements on Spotify’s Juniper, Morning Acoustic, and Fresh Finds editorial playlists is something few independent artists can claim. Further, Slade has shared the stage with nationally touring acts such as The Hails, Hotel Fiction, and David Wax Museum. While Slade’s music has drawn comparisons to contemporary indie-folk artists such as Noah Kahan, Richy Mitch & The Coal Miner’s, and Mt. Joy, he continues to explore a sound that is uniquely his.
When singer-songwriter Max Janairo (they/them) performs by themself, they go by their full first name: Maximiano. For the last year and a half, Max has been writing and releasing music as part of the local band Crawlspace, during which time many songs that didn’t fit that group’s aesthetic were stored away. Since the band’s break-up, these songs have found new life and new meaning. Riding waves of indie folk orchestration, Maximiano’s plaintive voice conveys the heartbreak, love, and growth that continue to define the artist’s musical experiences. In live solo performances, Maximiano offers an intimate experience, one that lets the communal love of music overtake and renew the emotion of these songs.