Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, David Bazan

Hopefully the subtle humor involved in someone calling himself Casiotone for the Painfully Alone playing a happy-hour gig with a full backing band, as Owen Ashworth did with the Donkeys last time through Houston, isn't lost on the mopey, introverted keyboard plinker's fans. This time he stays truer to form, or at least to his name. Supporting like-minded former Pedro the Lion songsmith David Bazan, Ashworth returns to the intimate immediacy that has garnered him a rabid following since the release of 1999's Answering Machine Music. Since then, his style has evolved considerably, culminating in 2006's lushly orchestrated Etiquette; expect a pared-down reworking of that record's relative sonic bombast. For an extra special treat, maybe Ashworth could indulge the audience with a whispery, lo-fi rendition of Elvis Costello's "My Aim Is True."