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

Nominated for Latin Grammy!

Last year, I produced vocals on a duet between Ximena Sariñana and Spanish artist Miguel Bosé, appearing on Bose’s Papitwo album. I recently found out that the album was nominated for Album Of The Year, and that I was nominated for a Latin Grammy as a mixing engineer! The ceremony is on November 21, keep your fingers crossed and I’ll keep you posted! Check the Grammy page HERE.

Album recording and Fall Tour supporting Vienna Teng

AUGUST - I’ve set up my studio at a super-secret location in the Bay Area to begin work on my next solo album.  I’m approaching the entire recording process of this album in a completely different way from any of my past efforts and I’m super excited to get into the lab with some new ideas, geek out and see what happens!  Stay tuned for more info on the new album and how I plan to share the process with all of you!

SEPTEMBER to DECEMBER - Fingers crossed, I will have some limited edition copies of new music with me when I hit the road again this Fall with Vienna Teng for her album release tour, both as a supporting act and as the musical director of her trio (along with the wonderfully badass Jordan Hamlin)!  We will be touring all over the US as well as in Europe, so please check the dates below and come hang out with us when we visit you…

Here are all of our tour dates through the end of the year.  Visit the Shows page for show details and ticket purchase links for my solo shows. Visit Vienna’s Shows page for details on all other tour dates.

18 AUG: SAN DIEGO CA – Grand Del Mar, o/f Vienna Teng

30 AUG: SAN FRANCISCO – The Lost Church, co-billed with John Elliott  

25 SEP: EVANSTON, IL – SPACE
26 SEP: ANN ARBOR, MI – THE ARK
27 SEP: ANN ARBOR, MI – THE ARK o/f Vienna Teng
28 SEP: KENT, OH – THE KENT STAGE
30 SEP: NORTHAMPTON, MA – IRON HORSE MUSIC HALL o/f Vienna Teng

1 OCT: BOSTON, MA – ROYALE o/f Vienna Teng
2 OCT: NORFOLK, CT – INFINITY HALL o/f Vienna Teng
3 OCT: UNCASVILLE, CT – MOHEGAN SUN WOLF DEN o/f Vienna Teng
4 OCT: NEW YORK, NY – HIGHLINE BALLROOM o/f Vienna Teng
5 OCT: BLAIRSTOWN, NJ – BLAIRSTOWN HISTORIC THEATER o/f Vienna Teng
6 OCT: ANNAPOLIS, MD – RAMS HEAD ON STAGE o/f Vienna Teng
8 OCT: PHILADELPHIA, PA – WORLD CAFE LIVE o/f Vienna Teng
9 OCT: BETHLEHEM, PA – MUSIKFEST CAFE o/f Vienna Teng
10 OCT: WASHINGTON, DC – THE HAMILTON o/f Vienna Teng
11 OCT: ASHEVILLE, NC – ALTAMONT THEATER o/f Vienna Teng
12 OCT: DURHAM, NC – THE CAROLINA THEATER
13 OCT: ATLANTA, GA – EDDIE’S ATTIC o/f Vienna Teng

15 OCT: KOBLENZ DE – CAFE HAHN
16 OCT: KARLSRUHE DE – TOLLHAUS
17 OCT: KAISERSLAUTERN DE – KAMMGARN
18 OCT: FREIBURG DE – JAZZHAUS
19 OCT: STUTTGART DE – THEATERHAUS
20 OCT: NURNBERG DE – MARITIM
22 OCT: HELMNBRECHTS DE – BURGERHAUS
23 OCT: DRESDEN DE – LUKAKIRCHE
24 OCT: LEIPZIG DE – PETERSKIRCHE
25 OCT: KASSEL DE – STAATSTHEATER
26 OCT: WORPSWEDE DE – MUSIC HALL
27 OCT: BERNAU DE – OFEN BAR
28 OCT: HAMBURG DE – FABRIK
29 OCT: HANNOVER DE – KULTURSOMMER SCHLOSS LANDESTROST
30 OCT: MAINZ DE – FRANKFURTER HOF

1 NOV: LONDON UK – BUSH HALL

7 NOV: AUSTIN, TX – ONE WORLD THEATRE
8 NOV: HOUSTON, TX – DOSEY DOE
9 NOV: DALLAS, TX – KESSLER THEATRE
11 NOV: PHOENIX, AZ – MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM o/f Vienna Teng 
13 NOV: LOS ANGELES, CA – LARGO o/f Vienna Teng
14 NOV: LIVERMORE, CA – LIVERMORE VALLEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
16 NOV: SAN FRANCISCO, CA – THE INDEPENDENT (2 SHOWS)

19 NOV: PORTLAND, OR – MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS
20 NOV: SEATTLE, WA – NEPTUNE o/f Vienna Teng
22 NOV: SACRAMENTO, CA – ASSEMBLY
23 NOV: SARATOGA, CA – VILLA MONTALVO CARRIAGE HOUSE

4 DEC: NASHVILLE, TN – THE BASEMENT
5 DEC: ST. LOUIS, MO – OLD ROCK HOUSE
6 DEC: LAWRENCE, KS – LAWRENCE ART CENTER
7 DEC: TULSA, OK – THE VANGUARD
8 DEC: CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – LEGION ARTS CENTER
10 DEC: MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DAKOTA JAZZ LOUNGE
11 DEC: DENVER, CO – SOILED DOVE o/f Vienna Teng
13 DEC: ALBEQUERQUE, NM – OUTPOST
14 DEC: SALT LAKE CITY, UT – THE STATE ROOM o/f Vienna Teng

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PRODUCTION NEWS

“Your Heart Will Be Broken Again,” one of my favorite songs from the record I produced for Martin Rivas, has won the Vox Populi Independent Music Award for Best Adult Contemporary Song.

My current stint in LA was short, but I feel lucky to have met and produced EPs for some great West Coast artists during my time here, including Morgan Karr, Tyler Lyle, Ariana Hall, and Jay Chu.  Please check them out when you can. They are all wonderful artists and human beings.

 The BELLOWS record (my rock/electronic collaboration with Paul Freeman) is now available on my BandCamp page and 100% of proceeds still go directly to relevant natural disaster relief efforts.