Dear loved ones,
I hope you are all doing well and feeling hopeful these days. I’ve got a lot of news I’m really excited to share with you so I’m gonna dispense with the chit chat and get to it. Buckle up…
I’M MAKING A NEW ALBUM!
Can’t believe I am actually typing this… but as I write, I am at the airport on my way to Texas to record my next solo album!!
First, here’s a bit of background about why I am making this album. As a kid I never saw examples of Asian Americans telling their own stories in music, movies and TV, and grew up thinking that a career as an artist just wasn’t a path open to me. My story was one that existed in between two more dominant stories… the “immigrant” and the “American.” I was always trying to shoehorn my experience into one of these and it never quite fit. I never saw the stories of American people who looked like me reflected back in music, movies and TV growing up and believed it wasn’t a story worth telling. I felt compelled to assimilate to American culture to survive yet lived with a constant low level shame for not being “Chinese” enough. When I started exploring this experience in songs and playing them live I realized there were people feeling seen for the first time in this music. I want others to know that their experience is worthy of being reflected back to them in the American songbook and in American culture where they belong.
Straight up, I believe this is one of the most ambitious projects I’ve ever attempted and I need your help to bring it to life the best way I know how. If you want to support me and this new album, the most direct way to do this is to BECOME A PATRON. I spent a lot of time creating what I think are meaningful rewards, including a chance to record background vocals on the album itself! Check them out below.
There are a few things that are going to be very different (and honestly a bit terrifying) about how I’m making this album as opposed to any I’ve made in the past.
First, I won’t be self-producing this one. I’ve brought in producer Josh Kaler (Jump Little Children, Frances Cone) to co-produce with me (we also toured the country together on the Elle King/Lola Kirke tour earlier this year) He is one of the most talented and kind people I know and I couldn’t imagine a better collaborator for this journey.
My primary mission for this album, which is sort of a continuation of the last one, is to get rid of any more of my tendencies to hide in my music. This time I’m referring to a tendency to hide SONICALLY. Real talk, in the past I’d never felt confident in my singing enough to truly let my voice be up front and center without supporting/obscuring it with lots of sounds, parts and arrangements, so I’m bringing Josh in to curb any excesses in production and bring out the best in my performances.
Second, I won’t be recording this album at my own studio. I will be traveling to Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, TX, an absolutely magical studio on the southern border (the US/Mexico border literally runs onto the property). There is no cell service there and nothing to distract you for miles and miles. I’ve produced a few projects there including Delta Rae’s latest album and it’s always been my dream to someday record one of my own albums there. I can’t believe it’s finally going to happen and I GET TO BRING ALL OF YOU WITH ME!! More on this below…
Third, the concept of this album extends beyond just music. It is being created in parallel with a tasting menu from my childhood, just like I did with The Elephant and the Seahorse (which sadly got cut short by that pesky pandemic). But this time I am giving myself PERMISSION to dream bigger… my dream is to set up shop in four cities around the US for a week at a time and do several pop up listening tasting dinners, where I share the album and the stories behind each song and their emotional connection to the dishes. ICYMI here is a video and an interview from the last listening tasting experience.
TOUR DATES IN THE UK, EU, US
Right after Texas, I leave for the UK and Europe for two separate tours… First I’ll be playing drums with the truly brilliant Lola Kirke opening for First Aid Kit around the UK, then I will be playing some solo acoustic shows in Europe in some of my favorite cities. I’d love to hang, EU friends! It’s been way too long!!
ALEX WONG SOLO ACOUSTIC (EU/US)
THU 12/15/22 - AGNESKLAUSE, KØLN DE (INFO)
FRI 12/16/22 - PILLOWSONG SERIES, STANS CH (TICKETS)
SAT 12/17/22 - HOUSE CONCERT, KARLSRUHE DE (EMAIL TO RSVP)
SUN 12/18/22 - RHO TONEEL THEATER*, NUMANSDORP NE (TICKETS)
MON 12/19/22 - CONCERT ON A BOAT, ROTTERDAM NE (TICKETS)
WED 12/28/22 - FREIGHT AND SALVAGE (SUPPORTING VIENNA TENG), BERKELEY CA (TICKETS)
THU 12/29/22 - FREIGHT AND SALVAGE (SUPPORTING VIENNA TENG), BERKELEY CA (TICKETS)
FRI 1/6/23 - “FROM STORY TO SONG”, NEW YORK NY (CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN)
*w string quartet
Thank you so much for sticking with me to the end. I’m grateful you’re here.
Much love,
A