February 2014 – Page 2

Jesse Lewis Choose Love

FOR THE SENDER is an emotionally charged book, album, and concert experience assembled by singer-songwriter, author, and speaker, Alex Woodard, that uses real-life letters, and the songs they inspire, to tell true stories of love, loss, redemption and release.

After the passing of Jesse, Scarlett wrote a letter to him that she shared with Alex. “Celebration” is one of three songs Alex composed based on this letter. The YouTube video Alex created for this song in particular includes a montage of never-before-seen photographs of young Jesse, his brother J.T. and Scarlett.

Read the full article at Jesse Lewis Choose Love

DailyOM: Alex Woodard Feature

Author and singer-songwriter Alex Woodard was in the audience, waiting to be called to the stage to perform at New York Times bestselling author Dr. Wayne Dyer’s lecture presentation in New York. Dr. Dyer’s daughter had written him a letter, and Alex had crafted a song about the letter in the spirit of his first Hay House release (FOR THE SENDER: Four Letters. Twelve Songs. One Story.). Any moment now, Alex would be asked to play it for the sold-out auditorium. But first Scarlett Lewis was invited to the stage. Scarlett’s son was a six-year-old hero who died saving his friends’ lives in the Newtown, Connecticut, elementary-school massacre, and her words of love rang deep through the packed house as she told her story. Alex noticed that Scarlett described love more as an action and less as a feeling, and made a mental note to speak to her after the presentation. Scarlett would soon send Alex a letter—and coupled with the letter from Dr. Dyer’s daughter, the foundation would be set for Alex’s spring 2014 release FOR THE SENDER: Love Is (Not A Feeling). Through those letters (and three other inspiring examples), and songs from platinum-selling artists written about them, Alex weaves his own story of discovery as he sifts through the competing messages we receive daily about the most powerful of human experiences: love. He challenges mainstream media, the self-help establishment, and the reader to re-examine what really matters: what we actually do, for ourselves and each other. The end result is a deeply empowering reading and listening experience that will be featured in Dr. Dyer’s 2014 PBS special and on stages nationwide this spring.

Read full article here on DailyOM

Alternative Press: Jordan Pundik Feature

Jordan Pundik (New Found Glory) featured on new Alex Woodard song

Singer/songwriter/author Alex Woodard has released a new song, “Breathe The Sky,” which features New Found Glory frontman Jordan Pundik on vocals.

The song, which premiered today on Billboard, is taken from FOR THE SENDER: Love Is (Not A Feeling)—the second installment in Woodard’s music/book project, which is due for release February 25.

“This was a completely different kind of thing for me,” Pundik tells Billboard, “I’ve always been into alt-country and Americana, and [the song] has that vibe. I was able to tone down my voice a bit, to not to belt so hard.”

See full article here on Alternative Press

Swiftsure Ranch Private Concert

On March 8th Alex will be playing a private concert for the winning bidders of last year’s Cowboy Ball in aid of the Swiftsure Ranch in Idaho. Phil and Annie Mabry, whose daughter Brienne is featured in Alex’s new book FOR THE SENDER: Love Is (Not A Feeling), were victorious at auction and will host 50 of their closest friends and family at this unique and intimate show in Idaho. The funds generated from the Annual Cowboy Ball allow Swiftsure Ranch to teach the students without cost. The fundraiser accounts for 50% of the operating budget. Over the years, the success of this Ball and auction has played a major role in the services Swiftsure is able to offer the community, such as their affiliation with the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind as well as Camp Rainbow Gold and Higher Ground. (can we embed the link for the video here, it’s for with you which all takes place at the ranch)

Loren Nancarrow Tribute

Friday February 21st, 2014 sees Alex joining an all-star lineup of San Diego’s best musicians and taking to the stage in tribute to San Diego broadcast journalism icon Loren Nancarrow. Enjoy performances by Alex, Eve Selis, Berkley-Hart, Steph Johnson, Cathryn Beeks, Michael Tiernan and more artists to be announced, honor Loren and, if you can, make a donation to support the Loren Nancarrow Healing Garden Project at Scripps Radiation Therapy Center, part of Scripps Health. This very special event will feature a performance by Loren’s son, Graham Nancarrow, and his band, Nancarrow. For more information and tickets go to http://www.eventbrite.com/e/rock-in-the-park-a-tribute-to-loren-nancarrow-tickets-9853429874?aff=eorg

A Surfboard, A Horse And A Truck

I was in the parking lot of a surf shop a couple days ago, standing behind my truck with the tailgate down and trying to pull a fin out of my surfboard. Some guy in a sport coat and loafers with no socks got out of a sedan a few feet away and walked behind me and I heard a voice say with some degree of incredulity say ‘You ride surfboards AND horses?’

I followed his gaze into the back of my truck where my surfboard was laying across my saddle and said ‘Yeah, I suppose I do.’

And he just kept standing there, like I was supposed to say something else.

When I looked closer I saw that he was almost daydreaming… like he was sizing up his life as a contrast to mine. My boots, his loafers. My truck, his Jag. My worn hat over hair that hadn’t seen a brush in awhile, his well-styled, manicured look.

In that moment I thought that with a couple different choices along the way, I could’ve been him, and he could’ve been me.

I wondered if that’s what he was thinking too and the silence was getting kind of awkward so I turned back to close the tailgate. When I turned back around he was gone.

But not before I heard him say ‘That’s really cool, man.’

He wore his choices well, so I hope he’s a happy guy, too. We probably have different roles to play here, as we all do. I think a big part of happiness is when you get to a place where you know that you’re right where you’re supposed to be, at the right time.

If I’d had a new book with me, I’d have given him one. And if you get this far in this post, you can get one too. The hardcover is shipping early from Amazon, right now.

For The Sender Didn’t Start With A Dog Story

For The Sender didn’t start with a dog. I had received a beautifully-written letter from a woman named Emily, right around the same time that I was struggling with what to do next. I’d spent years chasing a dream that didn’t line up with reality and was having a hard time letting go, not only of that dream, but also of a best friend who had just died.

I was beat down and discouraged, and Emily’s letter lifted me up. Sean Watkins and I wrote a song about her letter and called it ‘For The Sender,’ after a lyric in the song that says a letter is like a prayer in that it’s more for the sender.

The idea of writing a song about a letter took a few turns and evolved over the next couple of years, which I wrote about in the first For The Sender book. I won’t spoil the ending, but I can tell you that the project may have started with a letter, but it ended with a dog.

Only it wasn’t the end of the project. There was another book to write, and now it’s only a couple weeks before the second installment of For The Sender makes her way into the world. But I thought for this #throwbackthursday I’d honor where the last book ended.

With that best friend who had just died when I got that letter from Emily.

A dog. Mine.