22 www.taylorguitars.com 23 Return to Sender An unexpected letter altered lex Woodard wasn’t doing so through songs had prompted him to mal jam sessions. The group included in the experience of writing a song “That was the first time I’d really Alex Woodard well. It was 2008, and after offer a unique incentive to anyone who some acclaimed talents — people like about it with someone, and I’d never had nothing to do with it,” he says. “I nearly 15 years of plying his pre-ordered his most recent CD: He Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman felt that way before,” Woodard reflects. mean, I wrote it, and I was recording craft as a performing singer- would craft and record a song for each (814ce, 614ce, 514ce, GS6, GS5), “I’d always been holding on [to the them and producing the song, but I Alex Woodard’s musical path songwriter, the modest person based on whatever they asked Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek process] really tightly. With Sean, we’d was completely out of the picture for record deal he’d scored him to write about. In the end he had fame, award-winning tunesmith Jack gotten to be friends, and he’s a great the first time. So I let go of the perfor- had gone sour. more than a hundred takers, and he Tempchin (“Take It Easy,” “Peaceful writer, so I thought, let’s just see what mance side. I started to sense that I when he needed it most. With “It sounds like a typical penned an individual song for every Easy Feeling,” “Slow Dancing”), vocalist happens. And with that first song, ‘For could get a much deeper connection if musician complaint, but request. Jordan Pundik from the pop-punk act the Sender,’ the collaborative thing I just took myself out of it. I remember the label didn’t care,” “I recorded them right here at my New Found Glory, and even luthier/ came not only from the writing but listening to Molly sing and thinking, why the help of some talented friends, he explains from his home in Leuca- kitchen table,” he says. “They weren’t musician and soon-to-be Taylor employ- from the singing, because when we should I be singing this song? By then I dia, California, a coastal community in necessarily fancy, but they also weren’t ee Andy Powers. recorded it, Sean sang it. That was the realized I should just get the hell out of Anorthern San Diego County. “They were 30-second tunes; these were full-on Woodard’s new friends also got to first time that I didn’t sing something I’d the way. Fortunately, in the years lead- he learned to connect with others supposed to be distributing the CD, songs.” know and love Kona, and later offered been involved with writing.” ing up to that, I had developed some but they weren’t really.” Woodard says the requests ran their support when she passed. Months The experience proved to be a skills for producing, arranging and To make matters worse, around the the gamut, from light-hearted topics to later, Woodard was still in the midst of creative catalyst for Woodard, enabling recording. So I feel like everything kind same time, Woodard’s beloved black romantic themes to a few heartbreakers some soul-searching when, out of the him to open himself up to a slowly of prepared me for this, for taking my by letting go of himself. Labrador retriever, Kona, his constant that left him with a lump in his throat blue, Emily’s letter arrived from across unfolding collaborative journey with his hands off the wheel.” companion throughout his entire music when he read the requests. He discov- the country. Woodard didn’t know her, new group of friends. It would lead to Woodard continued to collaborate career, succumbed to bone cancer. ered that he liked the creative process, but his music had somehow found and heartfelt letters from others, which in with his songwriting friends. Emily’s By Jim Kirlin The losses thrust Woodard into which marked a departure from his connected with her. She wasn’t writing turn inspired more songs, eventually letter would inspire two more songs, a period of intense self-reckoning. He largely self-reflective songwriting focus to commission a song, but simply to culminating with an album and a book, one co-written with surfing buddy Jon understood the realities of the music up to that point. thank him for the ones she had heard. For the Sender (Hay House Publish- Foreman, another written entirely by business as well as anyone, and knew “For whatever reason, writing about “I think your songs are gifts,” she ing), in which Woodard poignantly Foreman while he was out on tour and that he’d embraced a career path with other people’s stories came easier to wrote. “Pieces of yourself used to help chronicles his transformative experi- recorded when he was back in town. no guarantees of success. As a survival me,” he says. “My writing had been me- other people with their stories.” ences and the strong connections he In his book Woodard talks about mechanism early on he’d developed a centered for a long time in part because In her letter Emily explained that made with others along the way. the creative liberation he felt from writ- mindset — a protective armor of sorts — I didn’t have any mentors,” he says. her soul mate had passed away several “I would have never, ever thought I ing about others’ stories and recording that kept his music dreams insulated “I probably didn’t think anyone would years earlier and that each autumn — would be doing this,” he admits. “Writ- other people singing. from the sometimes discouraging believe in me besides myself, so I wasn’t their favorite season — she would write ing a book — that was not on my radar. “In this new anonymity I begin to blows of the business. It allowed him to very open. I wasn’t looking for co-writing him a letter to share her thoughts and It wasn’t even a dream.” feel lighter and free, like a door has sustain the belief that success would opportunities or anything collaborative. I memories, even though the letter would Both the album’s song sequence opened into a bright, airy room I’ve eventually come if he stayed positive kind of held everything tightly.” never be sent. But this year she had and subsequently written book follow never seen, one that’s been in my and focused on his craft amid the daily Woodard had moved to Leucadia decided to send it to Woodard to share the natural progression of the song- house the whole time but I always just grind and inevitable setbacks. But his with Kona a few years earlier, after being a piece of herself in gratitude for his writing process. After he and Sean walked past,” he reflects. armor now had a chink in it. If anything, based in Seattle for years, to reconnect music. recorded the song they’d written in Other random encounters led to Kona’s passing was a painful sign that with the ocean and his family up the The letter touched him deeply, response to Emily’s letter, Woodard sent more letters and, in turn, songs. Wood- his long-term dream of “making it,” coast in Long Beach, California. As he both because of its personal nature it to Emily as a thank-you for sharing her ard and Foreman spent time playing for years comfortably set in the open- rekindled his passion for surfing and and because of the realization that his letter. She replied with a beautiful note guitars and hanging out with teens at a ended future of “someday,” might in fact made new friends in the area, he found music had moved Emily. He showed it about how moved she was by the song, homeless youth shelter in Oceanside, have an expiration date. He wondered himself welcomed into a close-knit com- to Sean Watkins, who was also moved, inspiring Woodard to write another California that Switchfoot has helped whether he was actually gaining any munity of accomplished songwriters and and the two were inspired to write a song, “My Love Will Find You,” also support for several years. After the ground on his dreams. musicians. He started getting invited to song together based on the letter. based on her original letter. He enlisted director, Kim, sent a thank-you note to It wasn’t for lack of effort or creativ- regular “family dinners” — potluck gath- “In sharing her letter, Emily was standout singer-songwriter Molly Jenson ity. His desire to connect with listeners erings that inevitably ended with infor- being so giving that I wanted to share and Jordan Pundik to sing it. continued next page 24 www.taylorguitars.com 25 the two for sharing their time, Woodard ful Day’: ‘What you don’t have you don’t shows with some of the musicians wrote back to inquire what led her to need it now.’ And I started looking at who participated in the making of the do the work she does, and she replied the world through that lens, like, what record. He’s done several gigs in the with a heartfelt letter describing her I have right now is what I need, and San Diego area, which made it easier own troubled youth living on the streets these big music dreams, I must not for more of his busy friends to perform as a teenage addict, and of the people need them now; I’m probably supposed with him.