Alexander Wren 2024 Tiny Desk Submission - 'Internal Jukebox'
For NPR: I'm Alex. I'm a New York City based songwriter and am on a journey to revive the classic American song. Many can outsing me and many can outplay me, but this does not concern me much as my sole focus is to lay down any distractions and level with the listener so as to communicate a feeling or an idea that I believe to be truly inspired. For this year's Tiny Desk competition I have chosen a new tune of mine, 'Internal Jukebox,' which I've played as a one-take on my prized Wurlitzer piano. Anyone who knows me knows that I always seem to be singing something under my breath. And this tune pays homage to that while also celebrating the generations of diverse musical artists and works that came before me. I believe that winning this Tiny Desk competition would not only help enable me to professionally record more of my catalog, but I believe it could also help phase me out of my low paying service job, giving me more time to create.
Addressed to a God, a woman, and an audience all unbeknownst to me, I released my debut album in 2023, To Whom It May Concern,. The album was released to editorial support from multiple outlets including Spotify, Apple Music, Vevo, Pandora, and American Songwriter, with lead single, 'Full Time Blues,' later being chosen for Spotify Wrapped's, Best Blues Songs of 2023. The LP was produced by Micah Tawlks (Molly Parden, Louis Prince, etc.) and is an artistic Frankenstien - an amalgamation of some of the best within the 500+ songs that I have written throughout my years in both Nashville and NYC. Following this record, I teamed up with Ourvinyl TV (Justin Townes Earle, Julien Baker, etc.) to perform a live session / EP which was released later that fall.
Enjoy!