Patrick Lew
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What I think about my music and artistic creation.

By PatrickLewsBandSF, 2009-11-27

Patrick Lew's Band. Solo Grunge musician who promotes his music via Internet on websites like this. Patrick Lew is a rock band from Antioch, California active making music since 1999. While mainly a one-man project for Lew, it also consisted of other musicians before. He began promoting his music online around 2001 at 15 years old and a high school freshmen. His music and art is classified best as Hard Rock, Grunge, Pop Punk and Alternative Metal. Patrick Lew's Band Statistics Origin -- San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA Genres -- Hard Rock, Alternative Rock, Pop Punk, Punk Rock, Alternative Metal Years Active -- 1999-present Labels -- Unsigned Associated Acts -- Dexter Rotten, Band of Asians, Silent Minister, The Nocturnal Rock Turtles, Eddie Blackburn Website -- www.patricklewsband.com (Members) Patrick Lew - Almost Everything (1999-present) Patrick Lew's Band (formed 2001) is an American hard rock band currently promoting their music on PureVolume. They also promoted their recordings and story on a variety of other websites, most notably Soundclick.com. Maintaining their independent DIY ways of promoting a virtually unknown rock band via Internet. This solo rock band consists of only one member, Taiwanese rock guitarist and songwriter Patrick Lew recording and playing all the instruments. And pro Do I play live shows as a musician? Used to, when I was playing guitar and pursuing my music career with my former garage bands I was a member of. We were promoting our music mainly through our computer online and, putting out pamphlets of our website on college campuses and record stores like Amoeba and Rasputin. I was in 3 or 4 former local Bay Area bands playing guitar and doing music prior to going solo as Patrick Lew's Band. I mainly nowadays, am focused with finishing college up at CSUEB. The university I attend studying Music and Philosophy. And making music at home, and promoting it online. I would love to play live shows again. But I might really need a backup band of live musicians to present Patrick Lew's Band center stage. And I need less parental control with family when living in my house with my parents in my hometown of Antioch. And when the right opportunity, respect and time comes for my music. I mean! I been making music since 1999, promoting myself online when I was 15 years old. So timing is a bit essential for myself to get recognized musically. How many years have you been doing music? About almost a decade. I started learning guitar when I was 13 at a Chinese music school, and began writing my own songs quickly through the power chords I learned during guitar lessons. I began recording basement-made Rock N' Roll music since 2001, when I got a 4-track Portastudio from some Guitar Center. I began using computers to record my compositions and ideas around 2005 or 2006, when I invested in a lot of up-to-date musical and recording equipment with my college money for cram school. What would you classify the style of your music and unsigned band? It's hard to say. I've been influenced by a lot of music and experiences. I hold a close nostalgia to 80's hard rock and metal. And I love early 90's alternative rock. I have also been influenced by punk and thrash music a lot from the Bay Area. I also was a die-hard Beatles fanatic growing up, collecting any merchandise related to The Beatles as a kid. But my music in Patrick Lew's Band? I'd say it is unconventional Hard Rock that is guitar-based with some added electronic sounds! I've been told my music as P Lew's Band to be classified when promoting it online as: Pop Punk, Grunge. I really been buying older records of popular 80's and 90's rock bands on Amazon.com and the record shop and putting the CDs onto my iPod Nano, which I got at a blowout sale at Virgin Megastore in SF. I also pay close attention to the music I hear on various indie music community sites and the Bay Area scene. How many bands were you in prior to Patrick Lew's Band? The story behind it? My first punk rock band was called Goldenweasel which I founded with my schoolmate from Chinese school, Tommy. Around the summer of 1999, and we were learning how to play rock instruments at the time. We began playing music and being amateur hobbyist musicians in my house in my bedroom, it was basically a very primitive and amateur garage band playing Rock N' Roll music. My first REAL band as an independent musician was Silent Minister in high school. Which was the proper start of my music career and resume in Hard Rock. Tommy was the drummer for it for awhile, I met lead guitarist Eddie through a schoolmate of mines in high school as a freshmen. He was learning to become a guitar virtuoso at School of Rock in San Francisco. This was the first actual rock band I played and pursued music in. We alternated between high school with our music and rockin' band! Playing gigs as underage musicians at bars and other very small places locally. And I began promoting my solo music along with Silent Minister around the same time, 2001. Some other bands I played guitar and wrote music in was TORM with my schoolmate from Wallenberg High School, Gray. Though we had a MySpace and Soundclick at the time, we never recorded any music together or pursued it full-time for various reasons. I was also forming Band of Asians with community college friends at the time. Which continued the things I did with Silent Minister, taking music seriously. When that and our band didn't work out, I went solo as an artist and musician.  Would I ever sign with a record deal with a major or indie record label, if given the opportunity? I would say, yes and no. Because, while I love being an independent rock musician after all. Promoting my songs and writing my story on websites like this. I still want recognition and make an IMPACT with whatever I am doing. But I say no, because I am a very complicated Asian guy who is against the traditions and politics of the music industry. I also am against people suddenly sucking up to me, after years of alienation and hardships I've experienced not only in the music industry. But in reality. But I still want success and recognition for my music and me. Yeah. Don't trust the men with suits! They know squat about music and art. But as far as independent smaller record labels is concerned, I would try to pursue it if given a fair opportunity from a smaller company for mixed media. It's hard to say, because I dunno if I lose or gain anything out of it. This has to be an experience and lifetime ambition I must live before any results come out of it.  What do you like about Patrick Lew's Band? Everything. The life experiences. Making music. It's a special event and interest of mines. I been promoting my music online for 9 years already, and I would never let anyone discourage me from doing what I love. Which is what I got from some music critics on Soundclick's website of critics and reviewers. I also like being solo, because I don't work under time pressure when coming up with ideas for new songs and Rock N' Roll music, and I don't have to put up with other musicians in Bandalism type events. Such as drama in playing guitar and making music in a band.  Anything else...? MySpace or Facebook me today. For the latest news. And follow me through this endless love and journey.  MySpace -- www.myspace.com/patricklewsband  www.myspace.com/guns_n_samurai  Facebook -- www.facebook.com/patricklewsband

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Musical History

By PatrickLewsBandSF, 2009-11-27

Patrick Lew's Band, rebellious and deviant rock stars making original Hard Rock music since 2001.  Formed - 2001 in San Francisco, California  Group Members - Patrick Lew  Years Active - 2000s, 2010s  Associated Bands - Band of Asians, Silent Minister, Eddie Blackburn  Styles - Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Pop Punk, Glam Metal Revival, Alternative Metal, Post-Grunge  Having been playing and creating music and learning how to get better as a musician since he began playing in local garage bands in his hometown, along with constant promoting of his music online. Guitarist and teenage outsider Patrick Lew got hooked onto heavy metal and alternative rock in the late 1990s, and bought a guitar and took lessons at his middle school. Forming a garage band, which the teenage "garage band" phenomenon would explode onto the Bay Area underground music community in the early-to-mid 2000s, called Goldenweasel. Around the summer of 1999, Goldenweasel were joined by a schoolmate from Lew's Chinese school, drummer Tommy Loi. A bit later when they both began going to Raoul Wallenberg High School in their hometown of San Francisco, they were joined by a pre-teen lead guitarist Eddie Blackburn, a friend of Lew's. Nearly three years younger than future Internet rock music superstar Patrick Lew. Goldenweasel would change lineups constantly during 1999 and 2000, eventually reducing the core of their middle school schoolmates as musicians playing guitar or bass in the band. And began figuring out, who'd proven themselves to be the most serious dedicated musicians and most personally compatible playing music for fun and seriously in a garage band.  Goldenweasel changed their name to Silent Minister in early 2001, quickly becoming the second main project musically for Patrick Lew as he soon was able to create music alone as a one-man band. Aptly titled, Patrick Lew's Band. Mainly being a solo project for the Taiwanese/American local rock musician and artist, but with sometimes contributions from members of his other bands he played guitar in. Around this same time in 2001 when Lew and Loi were high school freshmen, they began promoting their demo MP3's of songs they wrote and recorded on the Internet through personal and indie music webpages. In the summer of 2001, Patrick Lew played his first concert as an Internet and Bay Area rock musician as a busker and attendee at Vans Warped Tour 2001, playing guitar with his schoolmates at a tent where musical equipment was free to test out for the punk music festival's attendees.  San Francisco and Daly City were Patrick Lew's Band's fame center stage early on in his music career. Playing high school talent shows and, because the musicians were at the time teenagers. Their parents carpooled the teenage musicians from Patrick Lew's Band or carried their entire musical equipment through BART trains or public buses. Usually, the musical performances of the Band were described as sloppy, chaotic and technical...Like not-so-experienced musicians playing music in a garage band. But Eddie's guitar leads often prevented the musicians and Band from sounding too amateur-ish. There was manic energy, devotion and hidden talent within their early musical performances however. When Lew became a 10th grader at Wallenberg High School, he and his Band returned to San Francisco to focus on band practices and writing and recording original music on a Portastudio. Eventually, Lew's schoolmate and Japanese female friend Mayumi eventually joined Patrick Lew's Band on bass guitar (the bass duties in his other band Silent Minister were by Eddie's friend Shawn Blacharski).  They returned to their priorties in San Francisco during 2002, although drummer Tommy Loi dropped out of the Band early in the year to focus on his pre-college studies and getting a great education. Mayumi took over bass, Blackburn settled on lead guitar, and Lew played rhythm guitar and sang most of the Band's music. There was a problem however, they didn't had a live drummer for recording and live performing. So to solve the problem for the time, they went to a store and bought a drum machine or used drum backing tracks off Lew's laptop onstage for live performing. In mid-2002, Patrick Lew's Band (minus Loi) made their and his first recordings for his solo band. The music of Patrick Lew had barely developed at this stage, and these recordings were sloppy originals and amateur-ish tape recorded Rock And Roll music at best. And Lew's songwriting at the time dealt with more fiction such as early songs such as "Drug Commercial" and "Cheerleaders of My Love." These recordings were done on a 4-track, and became Patrick Lew's first demo "Live! Like a Garage Band!" Only 25 to 50 copies of this demo tape were made reportedly, to hand to their schoolmates and family. This time period was almost significant not only promoting their music online to an extremely limited audience, but their trademark look was developed by bassist Mayumi. Japanese pop culture became an interest for Lew because of this, and Blackburn and Lew began to restyle their pop punk haircuts for fobby Asian pop star shags. Which gave their musicians their visual sound and personality on record.  Near the end of 2002, Patrick Lew's Band played and was booked to perform at a local "Battle of the Bands" event in their hometown of San Francisco to compete with other teenage bands for a grand prize opportunity to get free recording studio time and their resume sent to record labels. They performed at the event for 15 minutes roughly, although they did not win or sound proper musically at the "Battle of the Bands." However, parts of this event was taped when one of the band's friend's snuck in a tape recorder. Although no photos exist from this performance historically, but there is a short recording as evidence. By promoting themselves constantly locally and on the Internet, Patrick Lew's Band and his other band Silent Minister received an opportunity off an email through their Soundclick.com music page by Statue Records. Signing a record deal (though it was later to be revealed as a SCAM by Statue). In 2003, Patrick Lew and the Band followed the same avenues as they did the year before. Alternating between playing music and high school. During band practices, they began recording Patrick Lew's first album "Psychotic Love" as a musician, albeit with poor mixing, producing and engineering on a 4-track. It was released via Internet on their website, in April 2003. Which topped reportedly, the popularity of Lew on pre-MySpace networking website Findapix.com for about 24 weeks.  What Patrick Lew's Band done musically was take the elements of hard rock, pop and metal they loved and make them their own. Since the Goldenweasel days, they had steeped deeply into 80's hair metal, Bay Area thrash and the Seattle grunge scenes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Motley Crue, Metallica, Guns N' Roses and others. They'd also kept an ear open to the early 2000s alternative metal and pop punk of Incubus, Korn and Blink 182. And also paid close attention to Bay Area independent music and J-Pop. Though the musicianship and skill-levels vary between every musician making the music, there was a sense of uniqueness and strange deviant vibe to Patrick Lew's Band. With made them stood out from their contemporaries from their Bay Area underground music community. Though not always popular or appreciated, they developed a cult fan base which still exists today for Lew's music outside of the norm. Patrick Lew was also credited to these things, refining the ideas despite limitations without formulating to tinker with the conventional mass media. And during the later and current studio band years of Patrick Lew's music career, his knowledge and information from what he learned and experienced was effective in his ability to promote him on every relevant website for unsigned bands. Mastering his promoting skills online by making everything accessible, and translate concepts and ambitious ideas into what seems possible, through recording technology, and widening sounds and instruments through newly available digital technology for musicians.  Just as crucially, as limited and primitive as they can be, Patrick Lew's Band was never the ones to give up during hard times or oppression, and is strong-willed to determine their success and future the way they want it or whatever pleases. In 2004, Patrick Lew graduated high school and went to cram school first at City College of San Francisco before transferring to a CSU school. After watching a free concert at a record store by J-Pop singer Nami Tamaki, Lew wrote the song "Tokyo Pop Princess" which became Lew's first hit single via Internet and was a notable song locally in his hometown before he left high school. Just like he did with high school, Lew alternated between music and education when going to a 2-year college. He played a few shows sporadically, and his other band Silent Minister jammed on some music too.  However by late 2004, some problems were experienced by Lew and his Band. Because of personal struggles, the Taiwanese rock musician and superstar Patrick Lew began his first time in personal rehab. A sporadic practice to learn life the way he wants it, that continued for the next few years. Although Lew did not like his first time in college due to personal problems, his band Silent Minister (not Patrick Lew's Band) began splintering when lead guitarist Blackburn begun various roles in other projects. Lew and Blackburn briefly regrouped in May 2005 for band practices with Silent Minister before mutually parting company to pursue their own life and artistic avenues. Patrick's bassist for his solo project Mayumi, left the band after she graduated high school in June 2005 to attend UC Davis. Patrick Lew would make music solo, but focused his energies with his college friend Zack Huang to form the Band of Asians with schoolmates at City College. On February 13, 2005, Patrick Lew played his only concert during 2005 at Balboa High School. Unfortunately, by this time...Patrick was able to access a digital camera to take pictures during band practices. Which explains why NO photos exist of Lew's time with Silent Minister, except writings and records.  By this time, Patrick Lew's Band and Silent Minister withdrew from Statue Records after it was learned they were scamming musicians and unsigned bands on various indie music websites for "fake" record deals. An unauthorized recording was published and sold to retailers from Patrick Lew, called "Tokyo Pop Princess." But Lew claims he hates the recording for butchered sound quality from demo tapes and live recordings taken from that time. Patrick and Eddie would not play music together again, until May 2007, where Patrick joined Eddie's new band Logic's Enemy onstage for a gig at Civic Center.  Most of 2005 was a reconstruction time historically in Patrick Lew's Band. He took a year-long break from community college to focus on his music career and personal life to evolve. Patrick Lew and his friend from City College, Zack, formed a new band called Band of Asians and Patrick took music in his new band seriously. Looking for a lead guitarist, Lew tried social-networking website MySpace.com by placing an ad. But the guitar player they jammed with twice whom was met online, never went long-term as a musical project. Instead, Lew began to be determined to get better and improve as a guitar player to play guitar leads in Band of Asians. He even took a three-week guitar lesson at a school near his house called Vibo Music. Lew began going to Skyline College in early 2006, which he protested against attending for cram school. Feeling he wasn't ready to go back to community college yet to focus on his new music. He did however meet his closest friend and Band of Asians drummer Dave Arceo and bassist Augusto Hernandez, finally creating the Band of Asians as a Rock Band. They began upgrading their musical equipment, buying a lot of digital technology such as synthesizers and computer programs to record on. On February 10, 2006, Patrick Lew's Band began a short leg of gigs in Skyline College and some house party in Daly City.  On May 8, 2006, the Band of Asians played a live electronic recital at Vibo Music. Which Augusto and Patrick could be heard arranging their instruments and parts when playing their music live. This recital, featuring tape loops, samples, electronic elements along with amateur-ish rock band performances. Became a Band of Asians live EP, and Patrick Lew's only live album to date. Much of 2006 was a turbulent time for Lew and Arceo, who became very close friends but dealt with personal problems separately in their personal lives.  But 2006 was also a controversial year for Patrick Lew's Band and music. One of the first was Patrick Lew's estrangement from three former female friends: Laila, Jillian and his high school girlfriend Amy. Those three divorces, had a major impact on Lew and sent him to a major depression and worried about his role in society. Whether it was Lew's fault or not, it was one of the other few bad experiences the Taiwanese rock musician went through in 2006. Another was a violent argument that occured in Lew's home, with Arceo scuffling two musicians supposedly brought for a jam session named Anthony and Manchi. By this time, things later would be more frightening and more difficult to experience. Arceo and Lew tried lost their music club at Skyline College because of a bully on campus named Aaron Cheng. Which also resulted in a scuffle which made Patrick decide to go back to City College. It got more complicated when Lew began binge dating with women he met online, with a Eurasian woman named Hachiko being blatantly disrespectful towards him throughout the time. Lew also began experimenting with drugs and alcoholism with schoolmates at SF State University's dorm rooms reportedly.  But however, the music of Patrick Lew was in fact...Very important in his life and hobby. Even for a serious long-term ambition and goal. The Band of Asians began recording their "Revenge" CD in a friend's personal recording studio with the latest and expensive recording and musical equipment. Lew and Band of Asians' intentions for this album were to let their RAGE out at the society and enemies that the Internet rock musicians experienced with musically, and proved to be a fundamental departure from the fictional and J-Pop tribute songwritings of the high school days. Using digital technology, electronics and what they read to make better music. They released their Instrumental Rock album "Revenge" through CDBaby.com on Lew's 21st birthday on November 15, 2006. This was a step forward when writings, photos and audio recordings were important to Patrick Lew's musical franchise, and home video and Patrick Lew's Band shirts were still ages away.  But if anyone could do it, Patrick Lew and his schoolmate musician friends could. This was a radical step indeed, and although this was Patrick Lew's second major album (he later shared joint credits to the record with Band of Asians as both their project's recorded work). It was a stylistic departure from the early days of Lew's music as digital music technology and the tools and experience learned in later years, gave Patrick Lew's Band and the music a sound that remained unto themselves. The appearance of singles "Revenge," "War!" and "Night Vision" shown hints of artistic progression in the Band. Lew was voted by Dmusic.com as one of 2006's "Artist Picks."  When "Revenge" was released by the end of 2006, the Band of Asians and Lew especially were asked by a local concert promoter KLC to play some gig dates opening up for their peers and Lew's high school friends Screamo band Scarlett Bombs. The big concern was, that the music from "Revenge" was very difficult to present live without backing tapes or without a whole ensemble of live musicians playing certain parts, 60% of the record was done on a computer. So instead, Lew and the Band of Asians chose to write new songs to perform on tour, during band rehearsals. The Band of Asians however, lost their original bassist Augusto Hernandez, who'd left to join another local Bay Area band and focus on his college studies. Arceo and Lew were however, attending City College again, and met their schoolmate and close friend Cory Gaitan. Whom replaced Hernandez on bass and also, became the group's 2nd singer. Patrick Lew as a solo artist, also jammed with his some of his bandmates and other musicians he met through networking. The Band of Asians toured San Francisco with Scarlett Bombs through recreation centers and their school, City College from early 2007 until October of that year. It seemed as if, life was ambitious and experienced with less conflict at the time. And that the Band could do no wrong.  However, musically the progression and creativity would continue. Personally and socially, not so much. The Band of Asians began to unravel at a very quick pace just as they began getting active. Lew and Gaitan sent their demos and resume to A&R people in the music industry, but came up short on receiving an answer. Band of Asians co-founder, Zack Huang, was absent on occasion during 2007 to avoid foreclosure with his family's house and other daytime jobs. Gaitan, who joined the Band of Asians several months earlier, left the band for overseas briefly due for personal rediscovery. Leaving Lew and Arceo to perform and make music under the "Band of Asians" name. Lew began improving as a songwriter, and the years he played in garage bands, he began developing as a solo artist musically and creatively. But was not always met with a positive reception from music critics and sometimes, the underground music community. Arceo, suffering from a personal setback, would have a more limited role in Band of Asians by late 2007. Although the group recorded two songs which made the 2nd round of two Soundclick.com contests, "No Music, No Life" and an amateur-ish cover of "Jingle Bell Rock." When the Band of Asians finished their tour on October 10, 2007 at City College, Lew and Arceo were debating the future of the group in the press and on their blogs. On January 9, 2008, Lew's closest family member. His pet Dog passed away untimely, sending him to an aftershock.  By this time, the Band of Asians were originally supposed to play club gigs in early 2008. But with the dwindling lineup and personal problems the musicians were experiencing separately, forced a cancellation of those prospects. Overtime, Patrick Lew was experiencing discrimination from various music critics and third-party music industry people and its audiences, as a solo artist. Lacking focus, and more focused on their own long-term goals alone, on March 29, 2008. Arceo announced his departure from Band of Asians due to personal and professional differences with Lew. Although the two best friends remain close and respect each other on many occasions, Lew knew it was time to do music on his own and look into other opportunities which came along the way.  In the middle of 2008, former bandmates Gaitan and Lew began a reconnected relationship when he returned from overseas. Lew's family however, purchased a new house in Antioch, a small town in East Bay, CA. Lew decided, after the years with the BAND ON THE RUN and ups and downs with his personal life and music. He would take an extended hiatus from playing live, and focus on finishing college with a Bachelors Degree. Lew left City College in the summer of that year, but did not receive his Associates Degree mainly for not finishing college-level math and algebra, a subject Lew disliked since grade school. However, he transferred to a CSU school at CSU East Bay. And resumed his studies more seriously. The latter part of the year, Lew was in a short-term relationship with former girlfriend Jenny Mintz, met on a free dating website.  From 2008 onwards, marked the second era of Patrick Lew's Band. A reconstruction of bidding farewell to his past musically and personally, and starting the studio band years of Patrick Lew's music as a solo artist. Earlier in the summer, Lew began his often tinkerings in the studio. He first began doing music solo by remixing well-known Video Game Soundtracks. Lew, based on sympathy from his former music critic and later sometimes Soundclick.com supporter Steve Gilmore, decided to put his old demo tapes and anything related to his past work and experiences in a box and locked it in a closet. Lew later admitted recently, to disregarding his earlier music before 2008 for many reasons. But he decamped himself in his home studio, strong-willed and confident to improve as a musician and songwriter regardless. Composing a lot of songs and recording a slightly big amount of musical ideas. Regardless, of what criticisms might bring or how he might be perceived musically and personally.  That being said, by the end of 2008 saw significant changes and personal maturity and growth in Lew. He released his third major album, "Curb Your Wild Life" independently. While, described as a very "indulgent" and "messy" record. It featured the artistic progression in Lew's music, and shown Lew as all grown up through this sprawling disc. Maintaing the eclectism of "Revenge," ranging from styles such as Neo-Grunge to IDM. Lew, now with longer hair and wearing glasses, despite mixed reviews had maintained his audience and music through status updates on networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. In 2009, IStardom.com reported Lew to be the #10,144 most famous musician online. He was also #432 in a statistic of most famous bands from his hometown of San Francisco. Whatever the future may bring for Patrick Lew's Band, has yet to be seen. But, Lew is ambitious and has long-term goals set for personal growth and attempting success by his own standards and expectations.

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