New Dual Single “MONSTER” & Release Show July 2

Happy Summer, loved ones -

I hope you’ve been able to refill your bodies and hearts with plenty of love and vitamin D.

I have some exciting news to share, just in time for your summer playlists… I am releasing “Monster,” my first ever ‘dual single’ with Carrie Welling on July 2! 

We wrote this song together a while back and it’s always been one of my faves, but it never seemed to fit in any of our solo projects.  A few months ago we were talking about what the song means to us. We’ve both had experience in hiding the parts of ourselves that we hated, only to have them grow more powerful and affect us in negative ways because we never learned to deal with them. The song was inspired by our journeys to embrace the shadow parts of ourselves and treat those parts with love and compassion, not just with judgement and shame. We got inspired to release a “dual single”… two very different versions of the same song to represent those different parts in all of us.

One version is called NIGHT and it is sexy, menacing, and will rip your head off! The other version is called DAY and features a lush, cinematic orchestral arrangement. We wanted to bring out different colors in the lyrics with two very different emotional backdrops. The artwork was created by the brilliant painter Kenny Harris. Check out more of his incredible work here.

Stream both versions of the single on the platform of your choosing!

The singles will be released together on FRIDAY JULY 2, with an online and in-person release show, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit RETHINK MENTAL ILLNESS, an amazing organization that focuses on mental health issues that affect minority groups.  The great Nashville artist Thunder lily will open the night.  

Here are the details:
FRIDAY, JULY 2 9:30PM CT
MONSTER DUAL SINGLE RELEASE CELEBRATION
OPENING SET BY THUNDER LILY
$10 Zoom Ticket: Ticket & Recording of the Show
$35 Zoom Ticket: Signed Artist Prints of the album artwork, Ticket & Recording of the Show ($20 will be donated to ReThink Mental Illness)

FOR PATRONS ONLY: All patrons will receive a zoom link to a special "Cooking Records with Alex Wong and Carrie Welling" virtual event for THURSDAY JULY 1 7PM CT. Carrie and I will discuss the making of the song, break down the actual recording sessions, and you'll get to hear the singles before everyone else!  Click here to become a patron.

UPDATE: The in-person show is sold out and tickets are going fast for the online show, so don’t wait to grab yours if you want to join us!

I’m so excited to see you later this week!

Fall 2019 Shows, New Singles

Hey team,

Hope you’re all having a great… October?!?!  Where does the time go??  Oh yeah, it goes right by the studio window on the other side of those blackout curtains I installed so I wouldn’t notice time passing.

It’s actually been a great month of studio activity… I finished recording the first of two LPs with Delta Rae, straight off of their incredible Kickstarter run (they are now the 5th most funded music Kickstarter OF ALL TIME).  Our first single “Take Me There,” comes out everywhere next month and it’s a JAM!  So excited for y’all to hear it.  This month I have also been producing Megan Slankard’s next album.  We’ve gotten to do some really fun stuff on this record including arranging for harp for the first time (that's the wonderful Liana Alpino playing)!

All this studio creation has been really fun but sometimes in work mode its easy to forget about the Outside World. Luckily Charlotte the dog does not forget, and has no problem reminding me to go the f**k outside. Here is a pic of her mid-scolding.

FALL EAST COAST SHOWS

Speaking of the Outside World, I’m really excited to tell you about some cool shows I have coming up this Fall with some of my favorite humans, including Megan Slankard, Delta Rae and Jesse Terry.  I’ll be up and down the East Coast so please come say hi if you’re in the area!  Details below…

OCT 18 8PM - STEEL CITY COFFEE, PHOENIXVILLE PA (W/ MEGAN SLANKARD) (TICKETS)

OCT 21 9PM (MEGAN SLANKARD AT 8PM!) - ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK NY

OCT 29/30 - NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CITIZENSHIP, WASHINGTON DC (TICKETS)

DEC 14 - RALEIGH NC, LINCOLN THEATER (O/F DELTA RAE) (TICKETS)

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CITIZENSHIP - OCT 29 & 30

I am honored to be asked to play and speak at this year’s NCoC, a nonpartisan gathering of civic leaders (held annually since 1946!) working on the front lines of democracy.  This year’s theme is Bright Spots: Local Leaders inspiring hope in America.  I will be performing some of my solo material as well as songs from my duo album Kivalina (inspired by stories of climate change) with my collaborator Jesse Terry.  Jay Nash, Chris Pierce, Terra Naomi, and Yosimar Reyes are among the other artists performing.  Register here.

LINCOLN THEATER SUPPORTING DELTA RAE - DEC 14

I will be opening for Delta Rae at their hometown show in Raleigh NC on Dec 14!  I will play a set of my solo material then join them to play some drums in their set!  The wonderful Carrie Welling will kick off the night.

This will be a special show for me as they will play the first album I produced for them, Carry The Fire, front to back for the first time ever, complete with my string and brass arrangements performed live!  If you’re in the area I can’t recommend coming to this show highly enough!

NEW RELEASES AVAILABLE NOW!

The first two singles from my upcoming album are officially released! Show Yourself and In The Creases are now available on all platforms. The next single, “Just Enough (Feat. Elizabeth and the Catapult)” will be released on Oct 25. FOLLOW ME on Spotify to be notified as soon as it drops!

The Kivalina EP (duo album with Jesse Terry inspired by stories of Climate Change) is now available everywhere as well.  The album follows a young couple in Kivalina AK struggling with the effects of climate change on their everyday lives.

I’ll be honest with you, the biggest challenge releasing music these days is getting heard above the noise.  We’re all so inundated with content from every angle that it’s easy to get lost in the constant stream of stuff… so I don’t take it lightly when you take the time to listen to my music.  Thank you.  If you like the music I make and want to help it get out into the world, the best thing you can do is to SHARE the music with your friends, and FOLLOW ME if you’re a Spotify user.   I’m working hard toward the release of my full album on Feb 21 2020 and spreading the word before then will help so much!  I put my heart and soul into this album and I would love to give this music its best chance to be heard.

FIND ME ON PATREON

For those who didn’t know, I am a PATREON creator!  I share all of my music with my patrons before any of it is released, including songs not available to the public, behind-the-scenes videos, and insights into my songwriting and producing process.  If you’re interested in learning more about my creative process while supporting my ability to make art on my own terms, please consider becoming a patron. 

That’s it for now.  Thank you as always for being here.  It means the world to me.

Much love,

A

New Single Premiere on The Bluegrass Situation

Hey Team,

Woke up to some exciting news today… The Bluegrass Situation has premiered “Landfall,” written along with Sierra Noble, the first single from KIVALINA, my upcoming duo album with Jesse Terry! Listen HERE.

The album was inspired by stories of the people of Kivalina, AK, who have the unfortunate distinction of being some of North America’s first climate refugees; the village will completely disappear in less than ten years due to rising sea levels.

I’ve been feeling a bit helpless lately about our climate situation... it’s such an urgent issue and we just can’t seem to move the ball forward because of, basically, greed and tribalism. Sometimes I feel useless because I’m not an expert on the science or the policy surrounding the issue. Writing this album with Jesse was a way to process some of that pent up frustration. I hope this album can at least help move the conversation forward in some way.

Much love,
Alex