Posts Tagged ‘Alex Wong’

NEWSONG ARTIST ROUNDUP: Alexa Rose, Parker Ainsworth & more

Tuesday, August 13th, 2019

There are so many talented artists who are part of the NewSong family — it can sometimes be difficult to keep up! That’s why each week, we compile a list of new releases, shows, and videos from past NewSong artists who we think deserve your attention.

Parker Ainsworth— “Running for So Long (House A Home)” ft. in indie film The Peanut Butter Falcon

2018 LEAF winner, Parker Ainsworth, performs the lead single from the motion picture The Peanut Butter Falcon, starring Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson and Zack Gottsagen. In theaters this August.

From producer Butch Walker: ““When my good friend Tyler Nilson told me about The Peanut Butter Falcon, and played me the song his friend Parker Ainsworth co-wrote for the film, ‘Running For So Long (House a Home)’, I was very excited and couldn’t wait to start recording. I suggested to bring Paris Jackson on board for some accompaniment – she has been a family friend for many years and she had just recently done some backing vocals on a record of my own. Everyone involved thought that she was perfect for the song and her vocals gave it a very special note, just like I feel the movie is.”

Wilder Adkins— “Forever Yours” from new album, In This Pilgrim Way

Wilder Adkins, 2016 NewSong Grand Prize Winner, recently released a lovely new album titled, In This Pilgrim Way. We love the video, and we hope you give the album a listen on your preferred music platform. Vinyl records are available via the artist’s bandcamp page.

From Adkins: “I actually started working on this album after losing my job right before getting married. I was feeling pretty down and frustrated, made all the worse by being in a time of transition and stress. I began making plans to record some of these old three-quarter hymns of comfort as a way of ministering to myself, but also sharing it with other who might need comforting. I’m already looking ahead to so many projects, but I’m glad to finally be able to put this album out into the world. Hopefully it will be a comfort to those who need it.”

Alexa Rose— Title track for album Medicine for Living out now

From Alexa Rose via Wide Open Country: “This song is about a love that is failing and that moment when something is about to come to an end. That moment should still be appreciated and enjoyed because it’s still part of love,” Rose says in a press release. “I was trying to reason with myself about something that I had no control over. Medicine for Living is about realizing that all we can do is be loving and reach for love and that in itself can be healing.”

The artist has a show with fellow NewSong LEAF alum My One & Only at Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC Sunday Aug. 18.

Alex Wong— forthcoming solo album to be released on Tone Tree music label

Alex Wong, a 2018 NewSong Competition finalist, recently announced plans to release his next solo album with the Nashville-based label, Tone Tree. The first single from the album, “Show Yourself,” comes out this Friday, August 16. Find it on your favorite music platform and follow Alex Wong on Instagram (@alexwongsounds) for updates.

Submissions for 2019 NewSong Singer Songwriting Competition are open!

This year’s grand prize winner will receive an all-expense paid six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Asheville, NC’s Echo Mountain Recording Studios and released on the NewSong Recordings label.

The grand prize winner will also receive a performance showcase at the esteemed 2019 ASCAP Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival (January 23 – February 3, 2020) in Park City, Utah, and a be booked for a paid, featured main stage performance at this summer’s Arts Brookfield Summer Plaza Series in New York City.

Submit your music here.

Tags: Alex Wong, Alexa Rose, In This Pilgrim Way, Medicing for Living, newsong, Parker Ainsworth, Peanut Butter Falcon, Tone Tree, Wilder Adkins
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NewSong Artist Roundup: Crys Matthews, Alex Wong, & more

Thursday, June 13th, 2019

Crys Matthews — Singing OUT Tour 2019

2017 Grand Prize Winner, Crys Matthews, may be coming to a city near you this month for the The Singing OUT Tour 2.0 — a social justice-centered LGBTQ-supergroup composed of me, Heather Mae, Joe Stevens (formerly of Coyote Grace) and JJ Jones (formerly of Girlyman).

Mae, a powerhouse performer and earthshaking vocalist, has turned her personal struggle with mental health and body image into an empowering message of self-love, a universal light force that shines for every audience member. Matthews is a powerful lyricist whose songs of compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls “the poster-child for intersectionality.” This group of immensely talented artists is on the road to celebrate Pride month, so show them some love!

Alex Wong — “Landfall” premieres on The Bluegrass Situation

We got to know Alex Wong as a finalist in the 2018 NewSong competition, and we are thrilled to see his work recognized on The Bluegrass Situation this week.

In The Artist’s Words: “When we set out to tell this story, we wanted people who listened to the album from beginning to end to feel like they were watching a movie… and we wanted ‘Landfall’ to feel like our establishing shot… As a song, it’s a birds eye view of our own introduction to the story of the village of Kivalina and how climate change was affecting so many in their situation. The chorus came out of our own ignorance of the scope of the issue… who would believe such a crazy thing could be happening right now?” — Alex Wong

Anais Mitchell — Hadestown takes home eight Tony Awards

You may already know about the record-breaking Broadway musical Hadestown taking home eight Tonys, including Best Musical. But did you know that the show’s playwright, Anais Mitchell, was one of the earliest performers in the NewSong competition? So exciting to see this artist get the attention and feedback she deserves. If you can’t make it to Broadway, we suggest checking out the Hadestown playlist on Spotify. Read more about Hadestown and how its eight Tonys represented unprecedented victories for woman via Slate.

Rose Cousins — Indian River Festival 6/28

We’re big Rose Cousins fans, and we think you should be too. Rose will perform June 28 at the Indian River Festival on Prince Edward Island. For those who haven’t yet heard of Rose and her powerful music, we suggest giving her 2017 album, Natural Conclusion, a listen. Learn more about the artist on her website.

Submissions now open for the 2019 NewSong Competition

Submit your music here.

Tags: Alex Wong, Anais Mitchell, Bluegrass Situation, crys matthews, Hadestown, newsong, Rose Cousins
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Weekly Roundup: NewSong Artist News 12/10-12/16

Monday, December 10th, 2018

We love to keep up with our past NewSong Music Contest finalists and winners, and, over the years, we have amassed a busy and hardworking group of musicians we admire.

NewSong songwriters live and perform across the continent and beyond, their work spans multiple genres, and these artists are always putting out new material. To keep track of all their news and upcoming shows, we will be highlighting NewSong artists in our weekly roundup.

We’ve put together a list of five shows, publications and recordings we think you should be paying attention to this week.

The NewSong Music Songwriting & Performance Competition will be held at Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC on Dec. 15. Purchase tickets here. RSVP for the Facebook Live webcast of the finals.

1. Meet our 2018 NEwSong competition Finalists (and judges!) on the blog

We hope you have enjoyed meeting our 2018 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition finalists on our blog this week. We’ve been sharing videos, artist links and interviews with all of the artists who will compete at Isis Music Hall on Dec. 15.

Visit the blog to read our interviews with Alex Wong; Alice Howe; Carly Taich; Kaiti Jones; Liz Frame, Mel Bryant and Suzie Brown, as well as an interview with our guest performer and 2016 grand prize winner, Wilder Adkins.

Stay tuned this week for interviews with our judges.

2. Crys Matthews — New tour dates announced

Crys Matthews, grand prize winner of the 2017 NewSong Music Competition, is back on the road, this time playing shows mostly in the Northeast, along songwriter Chris Pureka. Her first show is Thursday Dec. 13 at Club Passim in Cambridge, MA.

Vist Crys’s website for full list of tour dates.

3. No depression Year-end readers poll — deadline is 12/14

No Depression’s annual year-end readers poll is now open for voting, and this year’s list includes a handful of albums from some of our favorite NewSong artists, past and present, with two releases from our own NewSong Recordings label: “Rough and Ready Heart” from Blue Yonder (NewSong Recordings, 2018); “Don’t Apologize” from Beth Snapp (NewSong Recordings, 2018); “Idaho” from 2017 NewSong finalist David Robert King; and “White Tiger” from NewSong 2007 finalist Ana Egge.

Click here for album links and instructions on how to vote.

4. Wilder Adkins — guest performance at 2018 NewSong Music competition & Listen: ‘Christmas and chill’ spotify playlist

Birmingham, Alabama-based songwriter Wilder Adkins will travel to Asheville on Dec. 15 to be our guest performer at the 2018 NewSong Music Competition at Isis Music Hall.

Adkins received the grand prize in 2016 and has this to say about his NewSong win: “I really have gotten a lot of opportunities to play in some neat venues, and all that really pads the resumé. … Getting to record at Echo Mountain is cool – it’s a world class recording studio.”

Read the full interview with Adkins here, and be sure to check out his new Spotify playlist, “Christmas and Chill,” which features Adkins’s rendition of the traditional hymn “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.”

5. NewSong founder Gar Ragland featured in “Capital at play” magazine

Curious about the history of NewSong Music? An article titled “Production Line” in Capital at Play Magazine, gives an in-depth view of the story behind the competition and record label, which has grown considerably since its beginnings as Mountain Stage NewSong Festival in 2001.

“Over the past 10 years or so it has become an increasingly well-respected for emerging artists,” says Ragland in the article. “Last year we had more than 5,000 artists enter the competition. I’m continually surprised by the caliber of artists we attract.”

Read the full article here.

Tags: Alex Wong, Alice Howe, Capital at Play, Carly Taich, crys matthews, Gar Ragland, Kaiti Jones, Liz Frame, Mel Bryant, newsong, NewSong Music, No Depression, No Depression year-end readers poll, Suzie Brown, Wilder Adkins
Posted in NewSong Music | 3 Comments »

Meet 2018 NewSong Competition finalist: Alex Wong

Friday, December 7th, 2018

From the artist’s bio: Alex Wong’s curiosity has a varied appetite, and he’s always fed it well. A steady diet of projects as artist, producer, composer, and fittingly, as chef, has taught him that the connections between seemingly separate disciplines can be a source of inspiration rather than distraction. Perhaps this understanding stems from his synesthesia, a rare neurological condition where the brain perceives relationships between unrelated senses. Alex sees sounds and hears colors. What a doctor might deem peculiar, his creative mind appreciates as a gift: this multi-sensory approach allows him to find magic in unexpected connections.

Following those connections has rarely led Alex in a straight line, but it has led him to a Latin GRAMMY-nomination (Miguel Bose), song placements in film, television (One Tree Hill, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Last Song) and major ad campaigns (Google, Aquafina), as well as production credits with Delta Rae (Big Machine), Vienna Teng (Universal), Elizabeth and the Catapult (Compass) and Ari Hest (Columbia), among others. It has led him around the globe, to perform at festivals like Coachella and Outside Lands, arenas in Mexico City and theaters in Europe and Japan. Read full bio on Alex’s website.

We asked Alex some questions about his songwriting process and what it means to be a NewSong finalist. To purchase tickets for the Dec. 15 event at Isis Music Hall, visit our ticketing page.

What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience?

Being selected as a NewSong finalist is especially meaningful to me because it’s the first time I’ve put music out under my own name. I’ve been really lucky to have had a career making music as a collaborator, band member and as a writer/producer in support of other artists, but fear always held me back from releasing music under my own name. Even when I put a solo album out over 6 years ago, I used a moniker (A City On A Lake) because I wasn’t comfortable using my name.

I realized I’d grown up learning to hide … as a minority kid growing up in suburban U.S., we were taught to fit in to white culture and downplay our cultural identities. As a drummer, I learned my place was in the back of the band and that writing songs and being out front was a job for someone else. It’s been a long path to try and re-write that narrative, to stand in my own space as an artist and to let myself truly be seen in the world without the protective layer of a band or collaborator. The Quiet Voice was the first song I’ve ever released under my own name so it means the world to me that it was recognized by NewSong.

What is your songwriting process like, and where do you find inspiration?

For me, songwriting has always been a way to ask questions. I’m not really moved to write until I feel there is a question I’ve been wrestling with and can’t figure out. Sometimes I feel I’m most interested in trying to write (what I pretentiously call) “secular spirituals” because even though I’m not religious, the questions that are most interesting and that pop up in my writing the most are metaphysical in nature and often have to do with the relationship between life on Earth and the before/after life, if there is such a thing.

I am fascinated with why we are here, what lessons we are here to learn and whether we’ve been here before, and I think that seeps into my writing all the time. As far as inspirations, I used to have a big sign in my studio that said “WWTPD” (what would Tom Petty do?) and anytime I was stuck in the writing process I would just try to channel him. I always admired his ability to cut out all extraneous crap and his brilliant economy with lyric and melody. I also tend to worship Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Paul Simon, Radiohead, Quincy, Pharrell, Stravinsky and Chopin, to name a few.

What important news about your music do you have coming up?

I just finished my second solo album, called The Elephant and the Seahorse, which I plan to release in April 2019. I will also be releasing a duo concept album with Jesse Terry in 2019, about a town in Alaska struggling with climate change. I’m currently writing a musical called The Paper Raincoat with former NewSong winner Amber Rubarth and NewSong finalist Devon Copley (The Animators, 2006). I will be continuing to release exclusive content and videos on my Patreon site, which I adore. As a producer, I just started work with NC natives Delta Rae on their upcoming double album.

Listen to Alex Wong on Soundcloud and Spotify. Follow Alex Wong on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Tags: Alex Wong, Asheville, Isis Music Hall, NewSong Music, NewSong Music Competition, songwriting, The Quiet Voice
Posted in Contest, News | 2 Comments »

Announcing the 2018 NewSong Music Contest Finalists!

Wednesday, November 21st, 2018

Congratulations to our finalists in the 17th annual NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition!

The following eight songwriters will perform, network and compete on Saturday, December 15 at Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC.

For more information on attending this event, please visit our Facebook event page. Buy tickets here.

Thank you to all who submitted their music this year, and we look forward to meeting our finalists next month! In the meantime, we hope you will check out their music below.

We’ve created a playlist for you to enjoy all of this year’s finalists here.