#ShowYourselfTour Shows Available Now for Patreons!

Dear loved ones,

In Spring 2021 I asked a group of my favorite musicians & artists to join me for the eight-show #ShowYourselfTour. I’m happy to share that all eight shows have been mixed, edited & are NOW AVAILABLE to watch anytime for all Patreon subscribers!

Creating these shows & collaborations lit a spark in me that got me through that last dark stretch of quarantine, and together w the beautiful audience community that grew around these shows, we raised over 5k for Hate Is A Virus, Stop AAPI Hate, AAPI Women Lead, Compassion in Oakland, and the Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit via The Quiet Voice Fund.

Here’s a recap of all the brilliant artists who performed on the tour:

SHOW #1 - TOM PRASADA-RAO, CHRIS PIERCE, ALEX WONG, DEWEY BUEHLER (BALLET DANCER)

SHOW #2 - MELISSA FERRICK, MARY BRAGG, ALEX WONG, ANNE OF ALL TRADES (WOODWORKER)

SHOW #3 - ELIZABETH & THE CATAPULT, SURRIJA, ALEX WONG, EME EME (CAPOEIRISTA)

SHOW #4 - AMULETS, ALICIA ENSTROM, ALEX WONG, ANASTASIA SAMOYLOVA (PHOTOGRAPHER)

SHOW #5 - BLEU, GARRISON STARR, ALEX WONG, BRIAN DETTMER (SCULPTOR)

SHOW #6 - RUBY IBARRA, BEN SOLLEE, ALEX WONG, CIONA ROUSE (POET)

SHOW #7 - ROTANA, HULA HI-FI, ERIC PAN, ALEX WONG, CELIA CHIRINE (PHOTOGRAPHER)

SHOW #8 - MILCK, RUTHIE COLLINS, ALEX WONG, KENNY HARRIS (PAINTER)

Amidst all the pivoting we all had to endure over the last year, curating and performing these virtual tours for all of you was definitely a bright spot for me.  I was so grateful to connect with all of you in a way I had really been missing since live shows disappeared, and it has inspired me to find ways to bring some of the unique, authentic connections in the virtual space back to in-person shows. Click here to watch the shows!

As always, I’m so grateful you’re here.

#WhereverYouAreTour Shows available on Patreon!

Happy Year of the Ox, my friends!

Wishing you excitement for all your plans, inspiration for all your projects, and some much needed peace of mind as we power ahead into 2021 together.  

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you again to everyone who joined us on last fall’s Wherever You Are Benefit Tour.  Together we raised over $4200 to donate to Hate Is A Virus, Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective and Sunrise Movement! 

I also want to let you know that the complete mixed and edited video recordings of all the concerts are now available on my Patreon page.  All members at any level get access to watch all the shows at any time.

Here is a recap of all the amazing performers we were blessed to have in the lineup:

SHOW ONE, 11-13-20 Featuring Glen Phillips, Eric Holljes (Delta Rae), Alex Wong and visual artist Brian Dettmer

SHOW TWO, 11-15-20 Featuring Vienna Teng, Tom Prasada-Rao, Alex Wong

SHOW FOUR, 11-22-20 Featuring Will Knox, Mark Caplice, Alex Wong and oil painter Kenny Harris

SHOW FIVE, 12-4-20 Featuring Barnaby Bright, Kyshona, Alex Wong and photographer Anastasia Samoylova

SHOW SIX, 12-6-20 Featuring Milck, Ari Hest, Alex Wong and director Ameenah Kaplan

Amidst all the pivoting we all had to endure last year, curating and performing these shows for all of you was definitely a bright spot for me.  I was so grateful to connect with all of you in a way I had really been missing since live touring disappeared.  It also opened up some new opportunities for collaboration that never would have been able to happen IRL.  Thank you so much for filling all the shows with your enthusiastic and welcoming energy.  The response to this tour inspired me to create something even bigger for 2021… which I will be sharing with you very soon!

As always, I’m so grateful you’re here.

Shows with Vienna Teng, NewSong Finalist, New Videos

Played the Troubadour with Megan Slankard! Photo by Karen Shih

Happy December, friends!

Wow, what a blur the last few months have been… I got back to Nashville on Thanksgiving day after being gone for almost two months… starting with the High Coast Songwriting Camp in Sweden and then jumping into 7 weeks of touring with Megan Slankard (and Charlotte)… through the Midwest, Canada, East and West Coasts. I had an amazing time... it was also amazing to collapse face first onto my own bed at the end of tour.  

I wanted to say a special THANK YOU to everyone who signed up on the mailing list at a show over the last couple months, as well as to everyone who has been with us for a while.  Your support here is what makes it possible for us to travel around and share our music with all of you.  Somewhere along the way, Megan and I started performing a cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "America." It was comforting to sing lyrics that so brilliantly articulate the mixture of hope and confusion we were feeling as we experienced our home country in 2018.  We recorded a little performance video in Megan’s apartment in SF as a little thank you gift to all of you subscribers. 

I am always grateful for the chance to travel around this beautiful and complicated country and to be surprised, humbled, and inspired by people we meet and places we explore. These days especially, it's been healing to see first hand how much common humanity still thrives around the country, despite so much noise to the contrary.  I created a little photo diary of our tour and posted it on my Patreon page. 

OK… lots of news to share with you, so here goes…

2018 NEWSONG COMPETITION FINALIST

A couple weeks ago I found out that I was selected as one of 8 finalists in the NewSong Performing Songwriter competition!  This is one of the best-known songwriting competitions in the country and I’m honestly quite shocked and humbled to have been selected as a finalist.  I will be traveling to Asheville NC to play for the judges on 12/15 at Isis Music Hall.  If anyone is in the area and would like to attend the concert, you can purchase tickets here.  The other finalists are amazing and definitely worth checking out. Being selected for this is especially meaningful because the only song I submitted was The Quiet Voice video, created entirely by my amazing Patreon supporters.  Speaking of which…

THE QUIET VOICE - 40K+ VIEWS, 700 SHARES

I released my first single in 6 years last month, called “The Quiet Voice,” along with a video created entirely by my Patreon subscribers.  My intention for the video was to let people define true power for themselves rather than accept our culture’s broken definition… and to help empower people to the polls for the midterm elections on 11/6.  Since its release on 11/2 the video has been viewed over 40K times and shared over 700 times on FB/Youtube!  I believe a huge reason why it connected with people is the authentic and honest way in which you all showed up in the video, allowing yourselves to be truly seen.  Thank you so much for being a part of this with me, I’ll never forget creating this with you all.  

Click here to watch the video for "The Quiet Voice."

If you’d like to be involved in future collaborations like this video, and dive deeper into my creative process, please consider joining my Patreon page.  It is hands-down the best way to support my ability to create the art that I believe in without compromise.

DUO SHOWS WITH VIENNA TENG

I’m excited to announce I’ll be playing two bay area shows opening for the always brilliant Vienna Teng, Jan 3 and 4 at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley CA.  I adore playing with Vienna - we have played music together for so many years and have such a musical shorthand that it’s easy for spontaneous, unexpected things to happen during our live shows.  We will play both sets as a duo… Vienna will accompany me on my songs and then I will play/sing with her for her set.  These shows will likely sell out so be sure to get your tickets in advance if you are able to join us!  

UPCOMING PROJECTS

For the next few months, I will be preparing for the release of my album (which you  helped create) and will be taking you inside this next phase of an album’s life cycle on my Patreon page. I will be sharing my experiences, hopes and fears as I navigate the “business” side of the music business and lay out a plan for the release and support of the new record.  I will also be producing several albums for other artists as well, starting with a double album for one of my very favorite bands, Delta Rae, and followed by albums for two other very special artists, Megan Slankard and Paul Freeman!  

I am excited to open a window into the studio from a record producer’s standpoint (hint: more cowbell is just the beginning). It’s a mysterious job to many (including myself sometimes) so I look forward to taking you behind the scenes and sharing how I make records these days!  If you’re interested in learning more about my record-making process, please consider becoming a patron. 

OK, that’s it for now.  Thanks again for listening and reading all the way to the bottom.  Wishing all of you a beautiful, compassionate, relaxing and/or and adventurous holiday season, whatever brings you joy.  

Much love,

Alex Wong 

Happy 2016! New Song/Video, Tour Dates

Happy New Year, Friends!

I hope 2016 has been good to you so far.  I’ve been feeling especially grateful lately, and before I get into the “me me me” portion of this update, I just want to give a heartfelt thanks to all of you for continuing to go on this journey with me.  It’s not lost on me what a privilege it is to make music for a living and to have people on the other end of these letters who continue to follow along and support what I do.  Thanks y’all!

Okay good talk.  Back to me.

NEW LIVE MUSIC VIDEO: “Maybe When You’re Older”

Songs for the new record have been slowly but surely starting to emerge from their hiding places, and I wanted to share one of them with you. Here’s an acoustic version of a brand new song called “Maybe When You’re Older” co-written with my buddy (and amazing artist) Elise Hayes, and recorded live in one take at Angelhouse South studios (camera work by Patryk Larney).  There’s been a lot of baby-having among my friends recently, and getting to observe this beautiful and strange phenomenon has caused me to wonder, “where do babies come from?” (yeah but, like, where do they reeeeeaaaallly come from?)  This song is an attempt to ask a baby directly, in the form of a lullaby.

FOLK ALLIANCE FESTIVAL 2016

I was invited to be an official showcasing artist at this year’s Folk Alliance International Festival in Kansas City, MO!  Some of my absolute favorite musicians will be performing in the festival and I’m excited to play alongside them/get my mind blown by their sets.  If you’re planning to attend, please check the tour dates for updates over the next several weeks.

This festival will also mark the beginning of a month-long tour with the talented Megan Slankard and Korby Lenker, better known as…

THE DOERS AND DREAMERS TOUR

The DOERS AND DREAMERS TOUR is meant to embody the spirit of modern independent creativity.  As artists who have each carved out individual paths to sustainability, we want to give audiences a perspective from the front lines, and enable them to tap into their own creative spirit.  We want to challengethe traditional notion of experiencing live music and giving audiences a more immersive, interactive, and enjoyable experience. What does all that mean even?? You’ll have to come to a show to find out.

Here are the confirmed dates so far**:

FEB 17, KANSAS CITY MO - FOLK ALLIANCE FESTIVAL

FEB 18, KANSAS CITY MO - FOLK ALLIANCE FESTIVAL

FEB 18, KANSAS CITY MO – TEDx KANSAS CITY (ALEX WONG SOLO, WITH AMBER RUBARTH)

FEB 19, KANSAS CITY MO - FOLK ALLIANCE FESTIVAL

FEB 20, KANSAS CITY MO - FOLK ALLIANCE FESTIVAL

FEB 21, DES MOINES IA - GRAVEL ROAD CONCERT SERIES

FEB 23, CHICAGO IL - THE SPACE

FEB 24, SPRING LAKE MI - SEVEN STEPS UP

FEB 26, FALLS CHURCH VA - STONE ROOM CONCERTS

FEB 27, PHILADELPHIA PA - WORLD CAFE LIVE

FEB 29, NEW YORK NY - ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL STAGE 3

MAR 2, BOSTON MA - CLUB PASSIM

MAR 5, GREENSBORO NC – HOUSE CONCERT

MAR 6, ATLANTA GA - RED LIGHT CAFE

MAR 9, NASHVILLE TN – TBA

** If you’re interested in hosting a house concert and live within driving distance of any of the above cities, let us know!  We have some open days on our tour schedule which we would love to fill with more music and lovely people.  Drop us a line and we’ll do our best to make it happen!

ALEX WONG and JESSE TERRY DUO EP

I’m also working on a duo album with one of my favorite artists and a source of boundless musical energy, Jesse Terry.  We got together last Fall to do some casual writing, and somehow it ballooned into a full-on concept album!  Without giving away too much, I will say it was one of the most intense and rewarding creative experiences of my year.  I’m really proud of the songs and I’m excited for you all to hear them.  More on this soon!

As always, I’d love to be in touch with you.  Feel free to email me here or find me on the social media places.

Enjoy the new beginnings, and thank you for listening.

Much love,

Alex Wong

The Latest in 2015: New projects, new releases

Alex has been working with Paper Raincoat collaborator Amber Rubarth and former Animators bandmate Devon Copley on The Paper Raincoat musical, the theatrical realization of the original story that inspired the eponymous 2009 album. They presented narrative excerpts and songs to a sold-out showcase audience at Stage Werx Theatre in San Francisco on May 3.

Bay Area singer-songwriter Megan Slankard‘s new album, Running on Machinery, which was produced and arranged by Alex, was released on May 19. The album is available on iTunes and CD Baby.

Alex and singer-songwriter Sierra Noble were asked to write a song for the Children’s Justice Campaign. “I’ll Sing For You” will be available on iTunes soon. In the meantime, the song can be streamed on Sierra’s website player.

Alex has started a side project with new friend Korby Lenker.  The music is equal parts B-52s, Violent Femmes, and Eminem.  Listen to “I Wanna Drive” and  stay tuned for the debut EP coming later this year. “This particular song features (previously) classy singer-songwriter Sierra Noble spitting rhymes and shrieking like a boss.”

For the months of May and June 2015, all proceeds from Alex’s Bandcamp page will go toward relief efforts in Nepal.