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. 

Alejandro Escovedo, Independent Music Award nomination!

Dear Friends,

I’m currently writing to you from the Bay Area, while all my worldly possessions travel across the country in the bed of a semi truck… on their way to Nashville! I made the decision to move somewhere between Chicago and Germany on tour last Fall, found a great house early this year, and will be moving next week. So excited to have a real kitchen again after a year and a half of floating… Come on over and I’ll cook for y’all. That’s right, I said y’all… I’m sure people won’t even notice that I’m not from there; I’m pretty sure “Wong” is a respected Southern name.

Got lots of news to share so here we go…

OPENING FOR ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO IN SAN FRANCISCO

I was just asked to open for the legendary Alejandro Escovedo as part of KC Turner’s Concert Series!  I believe this show is nearly sold out already, so if you’d like to come, get your tickets ASAP… Details are below. Can’t wait to play for you again SF!

FRIDAY MAY 16, 8 PM
KC TURNER HOUSE CONCERT SERIES
RSVP: rsvp@kcturnerpresents.com

LIVE VISUAL ALBUM UPDATE

Last January, I arranged my songs for a special ensemble of Violin, Cello, and Cimbalom and performed two online concerts to benefit one of my favorite charities, City Harvest. We recorded those performances and are creating a live visual album to give to all who bought tickets to the show.

Here is a trailer for the upcoming visual album, edited by the lovely Karen Shih.

Thanks to you generous and beautiful souls, we generated over $1100 in ticket sales that day! Special thanks to David Peters for lending us his space, and to the ensemble of Kiara Ana Perico, April Guthrie, John Astaire, and Morgan Karr for lending their beautiful talents and energy.

TO ALL WHO ATTENDED THE ONLINE CONCERTS: It’s taken me a bit longer than I had anticipated to edit (read: frantically teach myself Final Cut) and mix the tracks, but rest assured, your visual album is coming. Thank you so much for your patience!

If you missed the concert, you can still donate here and receive a copy of the album when it is released. 100% of proceeds go to City Harvest.

HELP MORGAN KARR’S “FALL BLIND” WIN AT THE 2014 INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS!

Last year, I produced an album for LA-based pop artist Morgan Karr, and one of its songs “Fall Blind” was just nominated for Best Pop Song in the 2014 Independent Music Awards!  Click here to listen to the track and click here to vote for us to win the Vox Populi Award. (Only takes a few seconds to register).

While it would be a great honor to win on a musical level, my REAL motivation for winning is: my good friend Vienna Tenghas also been nominated in the same category, and we miiiiight have a little side bet going for a fancy dinner… So as you can see, your participation has never been more important, people! Get out there and ROCK THE VOTE.

ROTANA TARABZOUNI DEBUT EP

I am currently working with Saudi Arabian artist Rotana Tabrouzani on her debut EP! Not only is she a talented singer/writer and a blast to work with (here’s a clip from one of our recording sessions), but this girl has got some serious guts for following her dreams. Becoming an artist can be a challenging path for any Saudi to take, but for a female artist it can be dangerous. I have so much respect for her desire to push the envelope and expand what’s possible for Saudi women in the world. Check out this article that delves further into her story… and look for more updates on this exciting project soon.

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That’s it for now. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your unwavering support. I am so grateful. See y’all in Nashville!

Much Love,

Alex Wong

Angelhouse South opens, New solo album in progress

I spent the last few months designing and building a new studio space, along with a few people who actually knew what the hell they were doing, and I’m very happy to report that it’s finally done! If you’re ever in the Nashville area, come visit and draw on the chalkboard walls.

I also spent the last few months producing a new full-length album for San Francisco artist Megan Slankard. I don’t hesitate to say that she is one of the most talented artists I’ve had the pleasure of working with and I had a great time making music with her and her band. The record took us on quite a journey this Summer… We started by recording to tape at Tiny Telephone Studios in SF, then went back to Nashville to continue working at Angelhouse South, then returned to SF for vocals at Women’s Audio Mission, and finally found ourselves in a hidden fortress deep in Beverly Hills to mix the record with my brother Eddie Jackson. Megan is revealing the new album with a headlining show at the Great American Music Hall THIS SATURDAY, October 18 and I will be joining them on stage for a few songs. If you’re in the Bay Area, please come out and celebrate with us!  Tickets are selling fast here.

Megan also released a FREE DOWNLOAD of the first single. Get it HERE!

For the rest of the year, I will be producing a full-length album for talented LA artist (and finalist on The Voice) Sonia Rao and finishing my second solo album… Remember when I said I was going to release a new solo album earlier this year? Well, I kinda moved to Nashville and built a studio instead, so progress on the new record has been pushed back a bit. However things happen for a reason, because I wrote a few songs since that I couldn’t imagine leaving off the new record. Here’s a preview of one of them called “There Are No Shadows In LA,” written with my good friend Tyler Lyle. This one is about a breakup, a Japanese maple tree, and the sleepy mid-afternoon sun that seems to last all day long. Special thanks to Alex Berger for his truly impressive iPhone cinematography skills. Please enjoy.

December and January benefit merchandise and shows

From now until December 31, all proceeds from the Shop will be donated to City Harvest. The page now includes music from Alex Wong’s artist discography as well as related memorabilia from each project. Check it out!

UPCOMING SHOWS

Jan 4, 7 PM – Altadena, CA: Song Sessions Concert Series. SPACE IS LIMITED. RSVP alex@highceilingsmusic.com

Jan 5, 3 PM and 6 PM – Online:  Alex will be performing and recording live in the studio for two shows broadcasting on StageIt.   Tickets are 100 Notes or $10 each, with all proceeds after studio expenses going to City Harvest. Both concerts will be recorded for a live album to be released for FREE to everyone who buys a ticket. The shows will feature new arrangements, new instruments, and AWESOME special guests.  Early show  at 3PM EST (9PM in Germany) here, late show at 7PM EST here.

Jan 18, 7 PM – San Francisco CA: Benefit House Concert for Haight Ashbury Community Nursery School. Tickets are $30, with 100% of proceeds going to the cause.  SPACE IS VERY LIMITED.  RSVP alex@highceilingsmusic.com