Gordon Ashworth

Gordon Ashworth is an American musician and visual artist whose primary field is experimental composition for string instruments, field recordings and magnetic tape. He has been heavily involved in the experimental music underground since 2002, and has released dozens of drone, noise, folk and musique concrete recordings under the names Concern, Oscillating Innards, CAEN, Riverbed Mausoleum, and his given name. He is also a guitarist and vocalist in the extreme metal band Knelt Rote.

Ashworth has performed in 30 countries, often during extensive and self-organized tours. His tour of Europe in late 2015 included 47 solo performances, with the majority of travel by public transportation. His live performances focus on live tape manipulation of electro-acoustic drones, string instruments and field recordings, creating rich textures from contrasting elements of intimate musical sounds and social environments. His debut full-length “S.T.L.A.” (Orindal Records) is a deep exploration of the fundamental elements of American folk music, musique concrete, modern classical and abstract noise.

He is the head of the archival record label Olvido, and has presented the work of Greek guitarist Kostas Bezos (A. Kostis) in Athens and Thessaloniki. He has also run the cassette label Iatrogenesis since 2003, with over 70 releases focusing on underground noise and drone artists. He is a former host of “Africa O Ye” on KBOO community radio, and is the brother of musician Owen Ashworth.

Gordon Ashworth lives and works in Chicago, USA.