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!

New song, Shows with Vienna Teng!

Happy Spring, Music Family!

I hope you all had a rejuvenating Winter.  I’ve been very grateful for these last couple of months of down time… I was able to focus on recording my album, get to know all my root vegetables as a newbie vegetarian, and binge-watch Ugly Delicious (essentially torture for newbie vegetarians but what can I say I’m a David Chang fanboy).  Basically Sh*t got pretty crazy up in here.

This week Spring has been gently nudging the creatures of Nashville out from the shadows, myself included, and I’m getting ready to join the outside world again.  I’ve got a couple of fun events coming up next month that I am excited to share with you…

ONLINE CONCERT FEATURING VIENNA TENG AND OTHER SPECIAL GUESTS - APRIL 4

When I started my Patreon page, I honestly had no idea if anyone would sign up.  I created the milestone goals in the hopes that as we grew as a community, I could do something to thank you for your support.  I’m thrilled to announce that we have crossed the second milestone, which means I can afford to stream an online, Patron-only, all-request concert featuring Vienna Teng and other special guests!

The concert will stream live on WEDNESDAY 4/4/18 at 2 pm CDT and is FREE to ALL Patrons.  I will post a poll on the Patreon page and anyone who is an active patron by 3/31 can submit requests for the set list.  The songs with the most votes will make the set.

I’m so excited to get to reunite with Vienna.   She has always been one of my favorite musical collaborators and it’s been over 4 years since we’ve gotten to make music together.  I’m so grateful she'll able to join me for this special concert.  We will be creating unique arrangements of all the songs for this performance… Since we don’t have to face a particular audience, we will essentially play the whole set in a circle, surrounded by various instruments, and hopefully avoid bumping into each other as we move around the stage.

And if you can’t watch the broadcast, don’t worry… selected songs from the show will be filmed and edited and available to all Patrons after the concert!

DUO CONCERT WITH VIENNA TENG FOR CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY, BOULDER CO - APRIL 7

The following weekend, we are supporting Citizens Climate Lobby with a benefit show in Boulder CO.  The concert will raise money for CCL to help send CCL members to Washington to spread awareness about and discuss solutions to the multitude of issues caused by climate change.

SATURDAY APRIL 7, 7PM
UNITY OF BOULDER SPIRITUAL CENTER
2855 FOLSOM, BOULDER CO
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

Vienna and I will play a duo show consisting of both of our material, and I will also debut some songs from an upcoming duo album with Jesse Terry inspired by the village of Kivalina AK, one of the first American towns to be lost to rising sea levels within 10 years.  The album will be released in Fall 2018, but you can hear our first single, “Landfall,” on my Patreon page now…

NEW SONG FROM SOLO ALBUM RELEASED ON PATREON

Last month I released the second song from my upcoming album, “Me, Forever,” on my Patreon page.  

Here's a sneak peek…

This song was written with my good friend and collaborator Amber Rubarth.  As I’ve mentioned before, all the songs on the new album are a way for me to explore my relationship with my own memory.  I've had my tarot cards read by two different psychics, several years apart, who both told me that I've lived several lives in Paris... one suggested that I travel there, walk around the city, and try to find my old house.  Last Fall I had an opportunity to be in Paris, and I did just that.  This song follows the path I took wandering through the city that day.  

If you missed the first song, “Show Yourself,” you can check it out, along with a video of the recording process, for free right now.  I am releasing all songs from my upcoming album exclusively on my Patreon page, the BEST way to support my ongoing ability to create art.  If you like what you hear and see, please consider becoming a patron!

The third song, “If It’s A Crash,” will be released to Patreon later this week.  Inspired by a recurring dream of a car crash, it became a song about my struggle to learn how to embrace the unknown.  Become a patron and follow along as I record my album!

OK, that’s it for now.  Thanks again for reading, and for being with me here.  I am so incredibly grateful for your support.  Hope to see you online or at a show soon!

Much love,

Alex Wong