Ashworth has published a book of drawings, made beats for Chicago rapper Serengeti, recorded the debut single by psych-folk troubadour Julie Byrne, paid tribute to gospel and outsider music legend Washington Phillips (on The World Is In A Bad Fix Everywhere EP released in 2013), contributed electric piano and co-writing credits to Sun Kil Moon’s critically acclaimed 2014 album, Beni, and he’s produced more than a dozen other releases for his own label, Orindal Records. Ashworth’s focus back on his own music with Nephew in the Wild, the second official album by Advance Base.
His music has been called an elegant blend of bedroom-pop with singer/songwriter fundamentals and Nephew in the Wild has been described as a nostalgic, melancholic & occasionally harrowing collection of lo-fi indie rock & electronic pop.
Electric pianos, drum kits, drum machines, autoharps, Omnichords, Optigans, Mellotrons & the occasional guitar lay the foundation for sweetly sad stories about lonely Midwesterners trying to make sense of their troubled pasts. In the world of Nephew in the Wild, the Internet hasn’t been invented yet and a change of address is the only thing people need to exit their old lives completely.
Disappearance, displacement, hell-raising, child-raising, Christmas, Michigan, arson, aging and animals are recurring themes throughout the album.
Nephew in the Wild was recorded by Ashworth in his basement in Oak Park, Illinois, with additional instrumentation by Nicholas Krgovich (No Kids, P:ano, Gigi), Mike Adams (Mike Adams at His Honest Weight, husband&wife), Howard Draper (Tre Orsi, Okkervil River, Shearwater) and Mat Sweet (Boduf Songs), among others.
Ashworth’s baritone vocals & frank, conversational lyrics sit at the front of the mix throughout nine of Nephew in the Wild’s 10 songs, while guest vocalist Jody Weinmann takes the lead on the album’s only co-write, “My Love for You is Like a Puppy Underfoot.”
Find out more about Advance Base at the band’s website: www.advancebasemusic.com
Get tickets to the Nov. 6 show at The Drunken Unicorn, with Nathan K + Shampoo.
