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