Patrick Lew Band EPK (as of 2012)

1) band name: Patrick Lew Band 

2) hometown: Antioch, California, USA 

3) genres: Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Garage Punk, Grunge, Punk Rock 

4) years active: 2001-present 

5) labels: Heavy Sigma Records (USA/Canada), Unsigned (worldwide) 

6) related bands: Band of Asians, The P & G, Distorted Harmony, Goldenweasel, Logic's Enemy, Retrograde Fire 

7) website: http://www.reverbnation.com/patricklewsband 

8) band members: 

Patrick Lew - lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2001-present) 

Faith Marie Lew - TBA role (2009-present) 

David Hunter - bass (2012-present) 

Greg Lynch - keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (2012-present) 

former members: 

Jeremy Alfonso - lead guitar, backing vocals (2009-2011) 

Zack Huang - keyboards (2005-2008) 

Eddie Blackburn - lead guitar, backing vocals (2001-2005, 2007) 

Tommy Loi - drums & percussion (2001-2005) 

David Arceo - drums & percussion (2006-2012, recurring onwards) 

HISTORY 

Starting out as a musician by aimlessly jamming in Lew's bedroom with then-limited experience and education in playing musical instruments, creating their own brand of Garage Punk. They recorded their first demo tape between 1999 and 2001, and in May 2001, Patrick Lew began promoting his music on the Internet as a solo rock musician or in his freelance garage bands. Unlike most of their contemporaries in San Francisco, the band was interracial and inter-gender. Alongside, displaying more 80's and early 90's hard rock and grunge inspirations fused with contemporary punk. Lew also adopted a part Mod, part Hippie, and trendy Asian pop culture image. But later replaced it with varying hairstyle lengths and casual men's attire. 

The Patrick Lew Band mainly created music, freelanced with other musicians in the Bay Area community in garage bands, and busked free low-key gigs locally in bars, churches, high schools, even outside of retailers in downtown San Francisco. 

One of the most notable moments during their brief time as a live performing Garage Punk band was opening up for the all-girl SF pop punk trio Tinkture, Scarlett Bombs, and former lead guitarist Eddie Blackburn's other band Nocturnal Rock Turtles during a 2007 local tour across recreational centers sponsored by KLC Productions. 

Some time in 2008, the Patrick Lew Band dwindled into being more of a Patrick Lew solo project with the occasional contributions of other musicians Lew was close to from City College SF and Cal State University, Hayward. By this time, Lew no longer performed live gigs and assembled a homegrown rock band recording studio in his own bedroom, to create his own music alone. Despite many turbulent times, Lew persisted and determined himself to improve as an artist, songwriter, guitar player, and musician after years of being deemed "amateurish" as a musician playing and making rock & roll music given the lack of experience at the time playing guitar and creating music. This led to three more albums, "Curb Your Wild Life" (2009), "Let It Rise And Against!" (2010), and "Murder Bay" (2011). The Patrick Lew Band took an indefinite hiatus in Fall of 2011 to devote more time to other extracurricular side projects, such as The P & G. And because of consistent expansion of the Patrick Lew Band, Lew finally receive slight recognition for his efforts and earned some online fame as a musician. Alongside, a creative lull for the Patrick Lew Band itself when making new music. 

Although the Patrick Lew Band never signed with a major or indie record label, and were also turned down by a lot of the Internet music critics and the rock music industry for its uniqueness or unconventional sound or alleged notoriety, and never appeared on mainstream multi-media publications, the Patrick Lew Band nearing the end of 2011 has become somewhat of a critical moderate success in the independent rock music scene across the universe, and attracts a cult-like following via Internet based on persistence and uniqueness. 

Why this name?

Because it's Patrick Lew's solo project. Pretty much! In the last 11 years since the Patrick Lew Band existed, there were: 3 drummers (Tommy, Dave, and Faith), 2 lead guitarists (Eddie and J), 1 keyboardist (Zack), no bass players. But there is only! One Patrick Lew. Fo reals.

Do you play live?

No, we jam and make music in the studio most of the time!! But you might see me busking down the street corners of downtown SF sporadically...

Would you sign a record contract with a major label?

It depends. I'm content with what I have now as far as my musical merit and accomplishments are concerned. But I'm open for the forthcoming "right" opportunity for my music if it ever comes my way! 

Most of the time, I rather be known and recognized as an artist or pure musician rather than just an entertainer.

Your influences?

The Beatles, Nirvana, Green Day, Pearl Jam, AFI, Steelheart, White Lion, Tesla, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, Dead Kennedys, Silverchair, Mother Love Bone, Bad Religion. 

Being in a rock & roll band is like being in a marriage. It's not just about getting in a studio or club playing music together. It's also very similar to a romantic relationship with someone. I mean I been in bands where a guy gave me a hard time for reasons that seem irrelevant today. Basically...Either, you have to get along and resonate well with your band. Or else, sh*** man...You're unemployed musically for the time being. I do most of the music alone, given the skills I've gained over the years in the regional music field. And somehow...Persisted because of it.

Favorite spot?

San Francisco! Other than that, Seattle. As far as overseas goes, I love Ireland and my homeland of Japan and Taiwan in the Far East.

Equipment used:

My musical gear consists of... 

Guitars: Gibson SG, Epiphone Les Paul custom Hot Rod, Excel Stratocaster 

Amps: Fender 25R Frontman Amp 

Pedals: Digitech RP50 Multi-Effects, Digitech Death Metal hi-gain distortion box, Boss DS-2 Turbo 

Other Guitar Accessories: Dunlop bottleneck slide (for my crappy slide guitar skills...), Monster 15 ft cables 

Recording: Acoustica Mixcraft 4, M-Audio Fast Track USB digital interface, Various guitar VST's (for Mixcraft), Countless #'s of drum loops via DVD, Beheringer USB guitar interface, Line6 TonePort GX (discontinued as of 2011), My Toshiba laptop 

The Gospel (promoting my band): Toshiba laptop (equipped w/ WiFi), critical thinking & writing skills for band bios and EPK's, countless #'s of my finished pieces of music via mp3 files, ANY indie music website with high traffic, big demographics, and registered artists & bands (ex. Reverbnation, Facebook, etc)

The Patrick Lew Band - 10 Years of Rebelling, Chaos, and Taiwanese Man Blues!

Patrick Lew Band. The 100% Truth.

1) band name: Patrick Lew's Band


2) formation date: May 2001


3) years active: 2000s, 2010s


4) web address to use as a link that can be seen by all users:
http://www.myspace.com/patricklewsband
http://www.reverbnation.com/patricklewsband
http://www.facebook.com/patricklewband

5) preferred genre classification: Grunge, Garage Punk, Alternative Rock, Hard Rock

6) home state (or country if not U.S.): Antioch, California, USA

7) band members:
Patrick Lew - Guitar, Bass, Electronics, Lead Vocals
Faith Marie - Drums, Percussion

8) Discography:
1st album: Psychotic Love (2002) --!!! OUT OF PRINT !!!--
2nd album: Revenge (2006) --!!! OUT OF PRINT !!!--
3rd album: Curb Your Wild Life (2009)
4th album: Let It Rise And Against (2009)
5th album: Murder Bay (2011)

FOREWORDI am just an Asian guy who loves and is passionate about music and was lucky enough to survive many struggles in life and enjoy what I love doing and making, regardless of what other people thought. My relationship with the music and through the Internet is to maintain a friendship with listeners & fans of PLB and encourage constructively with other bands to share the music we make to everybody where ever we're at around the world, whether I'm in San Francisco or you're somewhere in Liverpool or Tokyo. The Internet should be used as a musical weapon to get ourselves out there, heard, exposed, and maybe even some prospects along the way! While I don't play gigs very often, based on many different factors such as a lack of a band to play guitar and sing in as one of the major pitfalls along with other limitations. I take pleasure in jamming with friends in the Bay Area in garage bands. That's what I been doing since I was 13 during the end of the 90's! While I am often at home, I mainly play my guitar figuring out how to write new music and record them on my laptop. One of my intentions as an artist is to write good songs, and improve myself not only as a musician but also a human being!

Band History:

Patrick Lew (guitar, vocals) met Faith Marie (born Faith Lambright) (drums) in 2006 on a free dating website online. While Marie came from a subtle yet relatively turbulent and dysfunctional personal and family background, Lew's childhood was thrown into turmoil when his beloved grandfather passed away when he was four, and his family endured many moments of being financially and socially challenged as an Asian American family. In his youth, Lew was a "somewhat" outsider in school and experienced countless struggles and conflict within the social-network online and in real-life. Lew was also highly creatively inclined and artistic as a child, drawing comic books and developing a love for 60's British rock such as The Beatles and late 80's/early 90's hard rock in the process. Eventually, Seattle grunge (Nirvana and Pearl Jam) and contemporary punk rock worked his way into his interest in music and whilst attending Rooftop Middle School, he began playing guitar at the age of thirteen and met his childhood friend and schoolmate Tommy Loi at his summer recreational day camp at Cumberland Church in San Francisco.

Together, Lew and Loi began jamming aimlessly on their own brand of garage punk music in Lew's house near the tail end of the 1990s called Goldenweasel, and Lew enrolled in a few music courses at a local guitar store. Lew also met a couple of popular punk bands and musicians such as Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 and the band AFI while furthering his interest in punk rock and seeing live music locally. Lew attended Raoul Wallenberg High School, and began playing guitar and jamming freelance with several garage bands like Samurai Sorcerers, often including Nocturnal Rock Turtles lead guitarist George "Eddie" Blackburn.

Although most of Lew's high school band pursuits as a musician, guitar player, and artist were mainly a freelance hobby, Lew intended to take his music very seriously as an independent artist. During his times jamming aimlessly freelance with friends in garage bands miming the post-hardcore and punk rock they grew up witnessing on MTV and the mass media, Lew also created a one-man band called the Patrick Lew Band which was his musical outlet for his own songwriting ideas on record when not playing in other bands
locally for whatever purpose.

Through keyboardist and friend Zack Huang while attending a community college, Lew met close friend and drummer Dave Arceo, who had an intense passion for music and art, which meant that he, like Lew, felt alienated from the atypical superficial, bland, and not-so-interesting types of people from the masses and the Bay Area. Arceo, like Lew, also were considered outsiders within the community and social-network and felt "left out" of the status quo. Lew, Arceo, and Huang decided to form a post-hardcore band called the Band of Asians, with Arceo on drums, Huang on keyboards, and Lew on rhythm guitar. Lead guitar duties were handled by Eddie Blackburn temporarily, and subsequently by their schoolmate Cory Gaitan. The Band of Asians landed a few gigs locally and recorded a small output of musical ideas and instrumentals in a local recording studio (which caused Lew a credit card debt). Alongside a rotating cast of freelance garage bands in which Lew jammed and played his guitar in, and a rotating cast of Bandalism and band members, the bands Lew played in went through many band name changes as it did with whom he was playing guitar with or the ideas he had musically on record as a musician. As Band of Asians didn't put enough effort to further their music and pursuits as a local Bay Area band, mainly because of personal and creative differences, the Band of Asians decided to part ways and embark on solo careers.

Deeply devastated by the outcome of the events and years of adolescent turmoil, Lew pondered his musical future as an artist. Relocating his family to Antioch, California, a suburban Bay Area town about 45 miles Northeast of San Francisco in the Contra Costa County, and took his college education more seriously. Transferring into the California State University, East Bay, and spent most of 2008 in seclusion tinkering in his newly assembled home recording studio digitally creating new rock & roll music alone and posting his demo recordings of song ideas online. Two years earlier, Lew met his close friend and future spouse Faith Marie on a free dating website online and went on a couple of blind dates in the Bay Area. Only to be separated once again, because of Lew's personal crisis with music critics, transitory moments in life, alongside Marie's dysfunctional relationships with former boyfriends when she re-located back to Texas.

Lew began taking his music alone more seriously by 2008, his solo project the Patrick Lew Band and some other freelance jam sessions with friends. With the help of musical entrepreneurship Lew self-taught himself how to do, Lew began posting his music online alone as the Patrick Lew Band and seeing where the prospects take him. And suddenly, Lew's close friend Faith Marie came back into the picture and Lew and Marie solidified their friendship through social-network website Facebook and as a couple long-distance. Lew recorded 20 or 30 tracks or song ideas in his home recording studio. That became, "Let It Rise And Against" the demo album in its original form. Published on Valentines Day 2010 digitally online via iTunes and other mp3 stores.

In 2010, Lew and Marie began living together in Lubbock, Texas, as Lew sacrificed his college education and local friends and family to be with her respectively. However, the interracial and happy couple were oppressed by much of Lew's social-network online and in real-life and the social-media imposed claims and gossip about Marie which were fallaciously damaging and atrocious. Much of 2010, Lew and Marie's relationship were on the rocks partly because of the social-network that resented, judged, or oppressed them via Facebook and in real-life. However, the couple has since reconciled and took steps to filter out these unfortunate people in their social-network and keep their relationship strong and healthy. Also, Lew spent sporadic moments making new punk rock music in the studio.

Currently, the band Shanghai Kiss is working sporadically on new music as an Internet collaboration punk rock project between Lew and Marie at this very moment. Lew is also working on his music solo, and freelance jamming with others in the Bay Area in garage bands. Lew just recently published his album "Murder Bay" on his Partrick Lew Band website. Stay tuned for more music, more "dear diary" moments on Facebook, and more extreme and ultimate rock & roll from the rebellious Asian punk rocker named Patrick Lew!

The Chaos Room

Chaos Room: The Patrick Lew Band Anthology
This Soundclick.com music page is dedicated to 100% Patrick Lew Band's music. What you will see and hear is a historical recollection focusing directly on Taiwanese American punk rock musician and guitarist Patrick Lew's music, rather than his personal demons and truimphs. This is pretty much a boxed set anthology "kind of" band webpage of previous rare unpublished recordings such as Patrick Lew home-recorded demos and rough band rehearsal or onstage recordings, spanning from as early as 1999 to today from Patrick's freelance garage bands he played guitar and jammed with. What you will also see and hear are YouTube videos related to the Patrick Lew Band such as band practices, solo punk rock recitals, rant video blogs, and etc. You will also get a chance to hear all the Patrick Lew Band official albums on record as mp3 and streaming hi-fi audio. This music is NOT for everybody, but if you're passionate about the music and this outsider musician, enjoy.

Chaos Room (also known as PLB) are an Internet garage punk band that originally formed as Patrick Lew's Band in 2001 in San Francisco, California. They play a very loose and unpolished musical hybrid of 70's guitar-based hard rock, 90's alternative rock (especially Grunge), and contemporary punk music. The Chaos Room mainly promote their music online as a relatively unknown rock band from the Bay Area. Since 2011, their line-up consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Patrick Lew, keyboardist Faith Marie, and drummer Dave Arceo. Most of the band's pursuits as musicians are jamming in Patrick's bedroom writing songs and recording music, and aforementioned posting them via Internet.

1) band name: Chaos Room

2) Also known as: Patrick Lew's Band

3) hometown: San Francisco, California, USA

4) genres: alternative rock, hard rock, garage punk, grunge, punk revival

5) years active: 2008-present

6) related bands: Band of Asians, The London Lights

7) website(s): www.patricklewsband.com

8) band members:
Patrick Lew - Lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, electronics
Faith Marie - Keyboards
Dave Arceo - Drums, percussion

former members:
Jeremy Alfonso - Lead guitar, electronics

9) discography:
Curb Your Wild Life [demo] (2009)
Let It Rise And Against (2009)
Murder Bay (2011)

Why this name?

While this is still Patrick Lew's Band (PLB), the solo project of muah! The band name Chaos Room was something that was completely f***ing random when I was surfing the Net on some band name generator website. True story peeps. No f***ing joke! I wanted a secondary band name for PLB, like a 'guise' or alter ego or something!

Do you play live?

No! Unless I were playing in a local band serious about the music, with serious musicians who take their pursuits, passions, and everything else seriously. I WOULD. Right now, I do play bass in freelance "temporary" garage bands in the Contra Costa County with my friends from the college I graduated from. Most of the time, I am just making music sporadically in my OWN home recording studio, using my guitar gear, recording software, and little Netbook laptop. And post my new music on websites like this.

How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?

Now you can go on Net and have your stuff heard by people all over the world pretty much. Another good thing about the Internet is it helps others rediscover lesser notable bands and artists from music from more than 15 years ago on websites like YouTube and MySpace and it helps them get some posthumous recognition and stuff.

The good thing about the Internet and mp3 is it helps hobbyists and serious pro musicians to get their stuff out there when the mass media isn't marketing or paying attention to them!

But, the downside of it is mp3's causes illegal downloading and piracy where no one goes out to a record retail place anymore and buy the CD. But then again! A lot of the stuff (Rock, Rap and whatever) out there being spoonfed to us right now on MTV and Top 40 radio is garbage. Indie musicians get a better chance with the mp3's and the Internet because it would have been much harder 15 to 20 years ago without it to make their music entrepreneurship stuff work and all. Or even get heard when not on the stage!

Would you sign a record contract with a major label?

There was a time, when I was a teenager banging amateurishly performed post-hardcore music in the band Goldenweasel (and Band of Asians) with my friends from high school and early college years in our garage that either one estranged member of the band suggested, we use the Internet as a stepping stone to receive that popularity and success in the music field. My drummer Dave, always was against the idea of commerce and corporate recognition and opportunities in music. Meaning, he was 100% against doing music for mainstream reasons and something that seemed the opposite of what we set our music to be. Artistry and creativity.


I might or might not be considered GOOD enough as a Rock musician locally or online, I'm really apathetic what others think about my skills and musical experience. I mean whilst I was a former member of the obscure local bands I played guitar in, based on the encouragement (not the easiest of ways to breakthrough or go viral I figured) from my former bandmates that myself and even the former bands I was a part of use the Internet as a stepping stone to get that success as a musician. I had NO IDEA it was going to be such a huge challenge to get viral when you're competing with a load of other bands/artists/musicians on the Net on whatever site that was more accessible for everyone. I am not even sure, if A&R and record company people even scouted websites like Soundclick for new talent to sign.



Looking back...I didn't think the intentions of doing music for popularity, money and mainstream commerce or success based on my former bands was a good idea or an aspiration to strive for. I realized the Net was a good place to post my band and music, but a word my close ones told me..."Even with the Internet making it easier for people to get their music possibly heard, it's a 1 out of 100,000 chance you get discovered." I had some regrets with my musical past I hate to say, mainly because me and my bandmates had to fork out so much of our personal investment financially to chase that hard-to-earn opportunity.



It's not music critics or my detractors that was the main concern about my musical past. It was because, I was a bit naive growing up as a guitarist and so-called Punk musician to try those ways to go viral or get exposure.


Now what are my intentions as a musician being on the Net?


Nowadays...While I do not mind opportunity from the field of music (if I were ever to get it). I mainly am using the Internet as a musician to use it as a medium and tool for those living faraway outside of my hometown region of the San Francisco Bay Area to hear and share my music if necessary. I am not usually a guy who is doing music for fame, money or a widespread popularity, even for those who assume I do. Yes, those three are nice to have. But only in moderation and to an extent. I am more currently doing the "INDEPENDENT" route as a musician and music-maker, and I am using the Internet to promote my music. Maybe a few fans and a community I can happily share my work with. Honestly, even with the few press coverage I had locally and on the Net as a musician. I am content with what I have now as far as fans, level of recognition and etc etc.


I am not doing music just for a paycheck and to become a celebrity or something. I am mainly doing this because I love playing/making music and I want to share it to others online. And I let the listeners find me from there or so. I don't mind opportunities in this field, but I am content with what I have now pretty much.

Your influences?

INFLUENCES: Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Green Day, Mother Love Bone, Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, AFI, The White Stripes, Steelheart, John Lennon, Smashing Pumpkins, The Vines, Tesla, White Lion, Blink 182, Angels & Airwaves, Dead Kennedys, Anti-Flag, Gin Blossoms, Beyond (HK), L-Arc-En-Ciel

FOLLOWERS: (To be written 10 years from now...)

Favorite spot?

The Bay Area. Other than that...Seattle, Japan and Ireland.

Here, there, and everywhere...I'm a wandering spirit.

Equipment used:

Les Paul guitars, Fender 25R practice amp, Line6 TonePort GX interface, Acoustica Mixcraft 5 (recording), Toshiba laptop, Rogue bass...

UPDATE: I also use a BOSS Micro BR to record demos!