The Life and Times of Patrick Lew

As the singer/songwriter and only constant member of the Patrick Lew Band, Patrick Lew is one of the most charismatic and decorated individuals in the second half of the 2010s. He parlayed that recognition into the dynamic project Heavy Sigma, a group heavily indebted to the late 80’s and early 90’s rock of Nirvana, Mother Love Bone and Green Day, which Lew formed while Patrick Lew Band was on hiatus in the first half of the 2010s. For awhile, he kept a dormant Patrick Lew Band and Heavy Sigma afloat, but after the lineup of the Patrick Lew Band collapsed in 2012, he briefly retired from performing and recording partly due to his disillusionment with the music business and his crumbling relationship with his former fiancee Faith Lambright. In 2015, Lew returned to music and launched a solo career under the Patrick Lew Band name with the clearinghouse demo To the Promised Land.

To the Promised Land appeared nearly fifteen years after the Patrick Lew Band formed, but that was only the first major breakthrough that Lew has experienced in his music career. A San Francisco native, the teenage Patrick Lew loved television, extreme sports and rock and roll, learning how to play guitar in his early teens. In his mid teens, he formed a band with drummer Tommy Loi and lead guitarist Eddie Blackburn, flying through a variety of names before landing on Patrick Lew Band. They cut a demo called Live! Like a Garage Band in 2002 and began self-producing their own music. Psychotic Love, their official debut, arrived in 2003, supported by do-it-yourself efforts promoting their group through the Internet, all of which helped the Patrick Lew Band reach out to listeners on social-media.

In the mid 2000s, Lew formed the alt-metal outfit Band of Asians with college classmates David Arceo, Augusto Hernandez, Zack Huang along with Blackburn, putting the Patrick Lew Band aside so he can focus on his new project. Revenge, the group’s only album, came out in 2006 and the Band of Asians began touring locally. Different priorities in life came ahead, as both Blackburn and Loi left the Patrick Lew Band during 2007, with Band of Asians drummer Arceo replacing Loi. The Band of Asians however, split amicably in early 2008. Lew and Arceo began directing their main focus on the Patrick Lew Band. They recruited former Distorted Harmony guitarist Jeremy Alfonso and newcomers Greg Lynch and David Hunter, and the new lineup recorded 2009’s Curb Your Wild Life and Let it Rise and Against. The latter, helped raise their profile in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Over the next few years, the Patrick Lew Band embarked on a long road to thrust themselves in the spotlight and further their band in the music business. Their 2011 album Murder Bay, sustained their momentum.

Despite their promise and lofty ambition, tensions started to surface in the band when polarized reception from audiences and critics affected Lew emotionally at the time. Lew got engaged to his former fiancee Faith Lambright, and his relationship with her initiated many tensions with his creative pursuits and his personal well being. His creative pursuits and ideas didn’t satisfy some of his bandmates, and a growing number of detractors began to appear. Then came further fractures in the band’s relations, highlighted by the lack of support from some of his bandmates, David Hunter and Greg Lynch’s projects outside of the group and Lew’s desire to slow down his music career so he could spend more time reconciling with his significant other. All this led to the Patrick Lew Band’s breakup in 2012.

Lew resurfaced later in the year with a new band called Heavy Sigma, a hard rock outfit inspired by 80’s and 90’s rock icons Guns N Roses, Nirvana, Bon Jovi, Green Day and Oasis. Heavy Sigma released an experimental debut, Taiwanese Rebel in 2012, quickly followed by Voyager in 2013. Following the release of Voyager, Lew quietly announced his retirement from the music scene. However early retirement was not to be, as Lew personally missed performing and recording music and developing a bond with his audience. In mid 2014, Lew ended his six year relationship with his fiancee Faith and began pondering a return to the scene. He began sporadically recording new material in his home studio, and revived Patrick Lew Band with long-time friend and collaborator David Arceo by the end of the year. A full fledged campaign followed on social-media sites Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and Lew decided to pursue a solo career under the Patrick Lew Band name in 2015. After several months of home recording, the album To the Promised Land surfaced in June of that year. Along with participating in Patrick Lew Band, Lew began collaborating with Neverfade drummer Erick Salazar with Heavy Sigma, currently working together on the new Heavy Sigma album Play It Loud. Alongside a flurry of activity. While turning his attention to Heavy Sigma with Salazar, he turned his attention back to Patrick Lew Band, compiling new music for the upcoming album Bubblegum Babylon, which is set to be released during the fall of 2015.  

CSUEB Notable Alumni Award Nomination Essay: Patrick Lew

I know I shouldn’t nominate myself for the award.  But I am a very determined hard working individual who has endured some tragedy and triumph over the years.  My goal growing up was to be remembered for something I’ve accomplished in my lifetime. For the friends and acquaintances who known me from Cal State East Bay, aside from majoring in Philosophy, I am a local San Francisco Bay Area rock musician who plays guitar, sings and writes most of the original music in my solo band Heavy Sigma. I also dabbled and wrestled with acting here and there as a man approaching his 30th birthday. I’ve battled a lot of hardships over the years as an artist and human being, and of course, it took me seven years to complete my college education and earn a degree. But hard work, confidence, being humble and my perseverance enabled me to accomplish a couple of things during the 2010s before and after I graduated from Cal State East Bay four years ago.

If you don’t know my story,  I was born in a lower middle class Asian American family who struggled with financial and cultural issues living in the Bay Area. We weren’t exactly the “model minority” that America and especially Asian Americans place ourselves when it came to that category. My parents were immigrants from Taiwan and China respectively and worked long hours in order to support and raise me and my older brother Ricky. My parents also had a rocky marriage in my early years because of the stress of raising a family with dead end jobs and having to experience others in our community shaming us because weren’t like everyone else expected us to be. I lost my beloved grandfather when I was four years old, and truthfully, he was the closest thing to a father I had in my early years. Losing him was one of the hardest things I had to go through early on in my life, and it’s something that hasn’t left me to this very day. As I grew up, I was always the guy who stood out in the crowd. Dreaming of being destined for greatness, and greedy for respect from my peers. I grew up listening to a lot of late 80’s and early 90’s hard rock, alternative, classic rock and hip hop as a child. The first thing I was ever good at growing up was playing sports. I played basketball, baseball and I also was a skateboarder. I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, but whenever I came into contact with people I grew up with. That’s what I pretty much did. But I experienced a lot of injuries as a child playing sports and at times spent nights in a hospital room recovering from some injuries.

When I was in middle school, that was the beginning of the turmoil that motivated me to change the game and make my impact on the world. I went to Rooftop Alternative School located at Twin Peaks in San Francisco. I was the only Asian American male attending a predominantly Caucasian middle school. San Francisco thrived itself on being diverse and open towards everyone. But that illusion I’ve always believed growing up proved to be false during my time at that school. I was constantly bullied by my peers and didn’t fit in with anyone or any group where I studied. I felt alone during those four years I’ve spent attending Rooftop. But an epiphany dawned on me around the time I was 12 years old. 

I attended my first rock concert in mid 1997 as a tween. It was Australian grunge band Silverchair. Watching my favorite band onstage left a huge impact on what I wanted to as I got older, whether it made me successful or not. Seeing three cool long haired guys playing guitar and drums to a live audience of other teenagers who can totally relate to the music you’re making on that stage. I finally found my calling! I was getting injured too much playing second fiddle as an athlete, so I decided to annoy my mom and ask her to buy me a guitar and amp. That’s where it all started for me! 

Of course there were two things that were on my mind. Being a musician someday, and of course, getting a decent girlfriend. I know some people out there find my goals and ambitions rather pretentious or something that’s not understandable, but I always wanted to bond with someone of the opposite sex who can appreciate me for what I’m worth and I would do the same for them. My bad experiences with not attracting the right people and being unfairly critiqued when it came to the competition made me more desperate, yet more determined to find the right woman. I always was a fan of those old cheesy romantic television shows and movies as a child. Believe it or not, I had strong friendships with the girls in my grade school. Plus I am totally against racism and homophobia, things I’ve witnessed and experienced first hand as a student in middle school. The idea of interracial dating fascinated me, even as a 12 year old boy reaching puberty. I saw all these beautiful and photogenic Caucasian and Hispanic women on television growing up, and man, I just wanted to go for it! Of course in 1997 compared to 2015, interracial relationships and dating were considered taboo and unfashionable. Especially for Asian American men. For many decades, the Asian man was always the underdog and finished last or didn’t get the girl at all. But I was determined to break down the wall, and accomplish something that eluded me for most of my life. Which I will get into detail later in this esssy! 

After I got the heck out of middle school, I attended Raoul Wallenberg High School. Located in Lower Pacific Heights in San Francisco. This is where my road to being destined for greatness started. When I was a freshmen, I met two childhood friends who became the foundation of a on-and-off again Bay Area rock band I played with for the last 14 years called the Patrick Lew Band. My two good friends Tommy Loi (drummer) and Eddie Blackburn (lead guitar). Of course at that time, we weren’t a great band. But we loved playing and recording original music together! The thing that worked well with the Patrick Lew Band was that me and Eddie were influenced by the same kind of music and we both started playing guitar when we were pre-teens. We weren’t the most technical musicians out there like Eddie Van Halen or Nuno Bettencourt, but we had taken music classes as children, but learned how to play our instruments and write and record music on our own time and space. Our first gig was a local Battle of the Bands charity in San Francisco. Of course! We weren’t the best band onstage and we sure as hell weren’t like the Rolling Stones live, but we managed to pull through. Believe it or not, one of our friends snuck in a tape recorder to the show and bootlegged bits and pieces of our performance. This was the days before tablets, smartphones and GarageBand on Macbook Airs! You can hear a 2002 performance from this show of one of our first songs “Shadow of Your Face” on one of the Patrick Lew Band’s websites (http://www.soundclick.com/patricklewband). Go look for it! 

Of course the Patrick Lew Band endured many hardships since the last 14 years. From lineup changes, a slow pace in musical output in the studio and of course. The thing I’ve dreaded since day one. The people who didn’t believe in us and the scene who didn’t see our potential. A lot of people on the Internet and in the music industry generally speaking never gave us a glowing reception. The music critics hated us. Mainly, the older generation and jaded Millennials who are still stuck in their old ways of thinking. They thought we couldn’t play, and that we were tone-deaf and I was a horrible singer who never sang in key most of the time. But interesting enough, there were also people in San Francisco and some people in the independent music scene who appreciated us for not selling ourselves short, having our own unique rock and roll sound and being true to ourselves. Of course, they knew we weren’t the best band out there. But they appreciated us and respected us for being unique and true to ourselves. They knew we had it rough, but they knew we were in this band for the sole purpose of performing and creating music and thought we were one of the most underrated bands in the Bay Area rock music scene that should get noticed. I’ve even heard people compare the Patrick Lew Band to the 70’s British punk band The Sex Pistols and overwhelmingly, Jimi Hendrix. In early 2010, an online independent music podcast reviewed our track 925 and pointed these things out with what I just wrote. Listen to it here. ( http://www.reverbnation.com/patricklewsband/song/22727186-googly-ears-reviews-patrick-lew) In 2006, I met one of my best friends prior to attending CSUEB at a community college by the name of David “Stitch” Arceo. He is one of those rare people who changed my life and became one of the best friends I ever had throuhgout my 30 years of living.  He replaced my good friend Tommy as the Patrick Lew Band drummer and has been the longest tenured member of my on-and-off again rock band. Because of him, I invested in the latest gear to create music with. Like computers and stuff like Line 6 ProTools. Aside from being one of my closest friends as an adult, he brought a whole another element to the music we were making. His sense of beat and groove as a drummer, along with his hip hop and electronic dance music influences, evolved our sound in the studio. Plus, we were putting ourselves out there more and more on the Internet and the local Bay Area music scene as time passed. 

You can find numerous accomplishments and press regarding the Patrick Lew Band if you Google in “Patrick Lew Band” on your computer, tablet or smartphone. 

We done an interview for a British music magazine in 2009, an interview with Absolute Punk in 2011 ( http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?p=92101692) and was ranked #2 locally in the Punk genre on indie music social-media site ReverbNation in September of 2011. We also support our local music scene and encourage positive outlooks and inspiration on social-media, especially the people who follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. We encourage our fans and friends to be open-minded, stand up for what they believe in, never give up during the struggle and go for their dreams. As a band, we do everything ourselves. We never had a manager, promoter, radio, record label or television handling our music. So we do everything ourselves. We put ourselves out there on social-media like YouTube and Facebook. We meet and talk to people about what we do locally. We put numerous amount of flyers at Amoeba and Rasputin of our band. We handmake our own CDs and t-shirts. We handled the business side of music on our own, and while we’re still learning, we’ve done good so far. Right now, I also play in another band called Heavy Sigma! Which is like outtakes from the Patrick Lew Band that I do on my own home studio by myself. And I play all the instruments and produce everything! (http://www.reverbnation.com/heavysigmaband).  The Patrick Lew Band is obviously an underrated hard rock band that not many people know of, but so far, we’ve self-released five or six self-produced studio albums. We went on tour in 2011 right around the time I’ve graduated. Which some of our performances can be found on my YouTube account (http://www.youtube.com/djaudiorage66). And music journalist Heath Andrews wrote a story about us too. 

Aside from music, I graduated Cal State East Bay in June 2011 with a B.A. in Philosophy. Since then, I’ve done a lot. I traveled a bit. Reconciled with my parents. Met many amazing people on social-media and locally. I’ve been working full-time as a merchandiser in the San Francisco area since late 2011. I’ve rebuilt my confidence and reinvented myself as a very humble, open-minded and down to earth individual. I also wrote a short story for a 2011 film Journey of a Paper Son prior to graduation (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3621955/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1). I’ve also been an advocate for the future of television and supportedTVFreedom.org in improving and spreading the gospel on digital over-the-air television in America. In case you didn’t know, I also am an enthusiast of television. Particularly, the art and science of television programming, the industry itself and the technology of the perhaps the greatest invention that came out of the 20th century aside from the Internet. Or maybe Les Pauls and Marshall amps! My love for television and supporting the technology such as digital antennas, streaming video players and others landed me an endorsement with a television antenna maker based out of St. Louis, Antennas Direct (http://www.antennasdirect.com/blog/patrick-tv-lover/). I also acted in a few plays while I was still in college, and still have that drive to do acting again.  I also donated some of my hard earned money to social causes such as supporting people with mental illnesses, cancer research, Blue Cross relief funds and not to mention, the music scene I found my muse in.

I was always the underdog when it came to many things. Whether it was being a musician or looking for a decent girlfriend to be with in a mature responsible serious relationship. I admit, I had deal with a lot of bad people and awful situations when it came to my journey.  I admit to being a little bitter it didn’t happen to me sooner. But maybe I wasn’t quite ready for the challenge and opportunity yet. Last year in August. I met an amazing and beautiful Mexican woman named Pitalu on Facebook and created a wonderful long-distance yet committed loving relationship that is still happening more than half a year later. I made the promise to myself to never follow the mistakes of previous relationships that ended on bad terms, and be the extra humble and loving supportive boyfriend to my girlfriend Pitalu regardless of the distance, the haters and all other odds stacked against me. I just recently flew out to Mexico City to see her. And it was the first highlight of my 2015. I do miss her, her friends and her family.  But like Arnold from The Terminator, I will be back! But we’ve managed to maintain a strong and healthy relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend because of social-media and Skype. And I couldn’t be any happier! 

So that’s my story guys. Why should you nominate me? Well. My life so far can’t be summarized in just one paragraph but telling you about who I am, what I’ve struggled with and how I persevered and remained consistent shows you many reasons why you should put me in the ballot. They say the underdog never wins. But in my case, I overcome all the odds. Of course there will be more struggles in my life yet to come and many more amazing moments. But I want to be remembered for my legacy, being the awesome guy I am and the accomplishments I received in my lifetime.  There’s definitely more to come! But there’s one Patrick Lew. 

Patrick Lew's love for television. The story behind the rock musician who happens to be a TV lover.

Of course all of you guys know I play guitar, sing and write my own music in a one man band Heavy Sigma. It's your atypical hard rock band and I upload my original music on the social-media. But for those who also didn't know, I'm an enthusiast of television. Particularly, the technology of TV and using the medium as a window to the world and escaping the hardships of reality.

My love for television started as early as the day I was born and stepped into the world. At the time, I didn't subscribe to cable. My parents weren't financially stable enough yet to pay for television before Kindergarden, until my mom finally landed a full-time job at a Holiday Inn here in San Francisco. At the time, we had a mid 70's Mitsubishi CRT TV set in our living room which had only about 13 channels (from channels 2 to 13). This was long before over-the-air television went digital in America, and we were using rabbit ears on top of our television set. The signal wasn't always the best. We had to mess around with the antenna sometimes to get a clear reception on our channels. If the signal wasn't clear, our picture and sound on our TV would start ghosting and having a lot of static noise.

In the 80's, I mostly watched the primetime programming that ABC, FOX, CBS and NBC had to offer. My mom, my older brother and I would tune into a bone chilling suspenseful new episode of 21 Jump Street. On Thursday nights while my father was home from work, we'd tune into Unsolved Mysteries (which scared the bejeezus out of me!) and I would wake up Saturday mornings every week to watch the latest cartoons eating multiple bowls of Corn Pops cereal.

People don't know too much about this known fact about why Americans started subscribing to cable and paying for television in the 70's and 80's. It wasn't because of the "niche" channels like ESPN, HBO, Nickelodeon, MTV and CNN believe it or not. It was because at the time, cable TV gave us the best picture and sound on our television sets and it was the only way we could get a clear signal from the broadcast networks like ABC, CBS and NBC. Around the time I started Kindergarden in 1990, my father purchased a 32 inch Sony Trinitron, which became our living room TV set. That CRT console was huge! My current 32 inch Sharp HDTV set in my bedroom weighs only 15 lbs which is a huge difference compared to that early 90's Sony TV that weighed 250 lbs at least. But around that time, my mother started working and we called the cable guy at Comcast and hooked up our service at our home. This was before high-speed Internet services, and in 1990 or 1991, our cable bill every month was like $24.99 a month if I can remember correctly. At the time, cable wasn't as expensive like is today in the year of 2015 where my parents pay $140 every month.

But once we got cable at our home, I got the experience to enjoy the type of television programming that most people from my generation grew up enjoying. Nickelodeon began putting out their original live-action shows and cartoons during the early 90's, and I grew up escaping from the hardships of elementary school and the death of my grandfather watching shows like Doug, Rugrats and Clarissa Explains It All. I always loved rock music and I'm a very musically inclined person, so I got to watch the latest rock bands and their hit videos like Guns N' Roses, Metallica and Nirvana on MTV. Back when during a time when MTV wasn't about pregnant teens and trashy reality TV. I still kept up with the programming on broadcast networks, like watching family-friendly sitcoms like Full House and Family Matters on ABC. At the time in 1991 with a subscription to Comcast cable services, we had about 54 channels on our lineup in San Francisco. The childhood friends I grew up with who didn't pay for television and were still using rabbit ears basically had their major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX), PBS and maybe a few independent stations. Unlike today in San Francisco where you can get 52 over-the-air TV channels using a well designed television antenna and pay for 300+ channels on a cable package with Comcast. Back then, we didn't have as many channels. But the quality of television programming was simple, straight-forward yet very creative and entertaining. Even educational at the same time.

As some of you know, I didn't have a very easy time growing up. I didn't have a lot of friends in school, I had to deal with a lot of crappy people where ever I went and the situation me and my family were in was very tough. If it weren't for rock and roll music and television, I wouldn't have something I can turn to as a source of comfort. I used television as a way of dealing and coping with hardships I would later face in my life. When DJ Tanner on Full House had to find ways to deal with bullies, gossip and high school crushes, those were things I could relate to emotionally. Whenever MTV played the latest hit video from Blink 182 where the guys were running naked on the streets with that rocking music playing in the background, I fell in love with the music and it became the soundtrack to being 13 years old, angry, rebellious and trying to find your niche in society. I played guitar in a few local bands, and found my calling in life by being this so-called rock musician. But I was interested to know more about the greatest technology that came from the 20th century.

Almost everyone in the world knows who invented the iPhone, but sadly most people in this world doesn't know who actually invented television. When I went to school, they never taught us anything like that in history class except for the wars we fought and the dead guys who used to be our President. Television (or the first working TV set) was invented almost 90 years ago by an inventor by the name of Philo Farnsworth. Bu the man who commercialized television and made it what is today was the CEO of RCA Electronics, David Sarnoff, who was actually the Steve Jobs of his time. We've came a long way since. The technology itself hasn't changed much in a long period since color TV was invented in 1954. Other than a few things like pay TV service, VCRs, DVD players, video game consoles and television sets going from having mono to stereo sound. There hasn't been much of a significant change in TV between the invention of color TV in 1954 to digital high-definition television becoming the standard in 2009.

I think television has gotten better than ever. Not just the quality of the programming with shows like Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy, but most definitely the technology. Since then, the price of a monthly cable bill risen 2.5 times faster than the cost of living in the States. The transition from analog to digital high-def television given us all new ways to enjoy and experience TV like never before. Because the pay TV services like cable and satellite gotten so expensive in recent years, over-the-air television has experienced a resurgence in popularity since the transition from analog to digital. When we think of antennas, we think of those big funky looking antennas on the top of the roof of our house in the 50's and 60's and the rabbit ears that we painfully had to adjust on the top of our TV set to grab a clear signal. Digital television antennas are 10% the mass of the ones your grandparents had, and they're technically more advanced. Instead of just talking about the advancements in television antennas, the quality of over-the-air TV drastically improved as well. Now we have digital sub-channels which means we get more different kinds of programming in our area like sports, kid's shows, women's interest, African American programming, news, weather, throwback TV shows and movies. Plus we get free HD. Did you hear me guys? Free HD picture and sound! Thanks to the Internet, we can now also catch up on our favorite shows and movies from cable on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes and Hulu. So we don't necessarily need to splurge big money every month for a ton of channels we don't even watch. With a Netflix subscription, I can access movies and the latest cable shows for $8 a month. And I can catch up with my wresting on WWE Network, an online TV channel for passionate wrestling fans.

I think television is just going to get even better. It helped me through hard times. And the beauty of digital TV gave me an easier way to enjoy my favorite shows any time I want whether it's a stressful day after work or just in general. Television is indeed the window to the world. Most of my friends I know are on social-media like Facebook, but I find television to be more empowering, insightful and entertaining than fishing for more likes on my band's Facebook page from people who just don't see you for who you are deep down. TV is my stress relief, my educator and my window to the world.

How does the Patrick Lew Band make their music?

Patrick was just 13 years old when he found out what he wanted to put his passions and interest towards, whether it made him successful or not. He was a pre-teen rebel at the infamous Rooftop Middle School in the city of San Francisco. Life wasn't easy for the de-facto leader of the band growing up. His beloved grandfather passed away when Patrick was aged four, and spent nearly his whole childhood sheltered and isolated from "the in-crowd." When he was just aged 13, he bought his first electric guitar at a mom-and-pop music store, and painstakingly practiced and procastinated when learning how to play the guitar.

While he wasn't particularly skilled as a musician, at least not yet by conventional standards, Patrick was going to Cumberland Church every Sunday in the Chinatown. It was here! Where he met his soon-to-be high school classmate Tommy and struck a close friendship which lasted since day one. The two friends began establishing themselves with aspirations to become professional - or semi-professional yet amateur - musicians and were damn passionate about playing rock & roll music. Regardless what many critics and haters thought of them since day one, never letting those jeers and poor criticism discourage their passion for playing music in garage bands. Tommy and Patrick formed a garage punk duo called Goldenweasel (which eventually became Band of Asians), and it was the tail end of the 90's as the two were about to graduate from 8th grade with diplomas before luxoriously attending Raoul Wallenberg Traditonal High School as freshmen.

Whilst their freshmen years in high school, Napster and mp3 technology was changing the way the music industry and how bands, musicians, any many other things could be heard and distributed. Computers and Internet, while still in its pre-Facebook days, were becoming more affordable for home office usage and digital music software was replacing the 4-track Tascam! While the Internet didn't virally made Patrick Lew a very successful millionaire rock & roll superstar with millions of "likes" or "fans" on Facebook, it did give him and a million other unsigned bands locally an option to get heard. But realizing the oversaturation of the Net of dozens and dozens of unsigned bands putting themselves out there, Lew had a lesson to learn in later years.

The next step meant! Jamming in their garage, playing their music aimlessly to create instrumental and songwriting ideas, fine tuning their musicianship, and everything else. This took quite a long time, as Lew procrastinated and practiced for years on-and-off to consolidate himself as a guitarist, songwriter, and musician. Plowing through a series of unsuccessful garage bands, and battling his own problems in his life before putting it back together.

In 2008, that dream being a successful musician making money, touring and performing in bands across nightclubs and theaters, and being super publicized and making professional studio recordings, were slowly but surely fading. Even though realizing music wasn't going to pay the utility bills, groceries, and the rent, Lew enrolled into a university in Hayward called CSUEB. Resumed his music as mainly a hobby, but cutting any expensive seriousness that would devour time, money, and effort into making a music career work in the long run. He graduated university in June 2011 with a B.A. in Philosophy and Music. Although music was no longer meant for seriousness for a potential career and benefit. It didn't mean he had to quit doing what he loved doing. He had to make music primarily as a hobby, and play guitar with the friends he chose carefully to play music with as a favorite past-time when everyone isn't busy with school, work, and other important or busy things in life. Flashing back three years prior to graduating college, Lew formed the Patrick Lew Band - later band named the Electric Army or simply, Patrick Lew's Electric Army.

Together, the PLB Army recorded and created music at the expense of their much heavily invested musical gear that Lew spent on with some of his college aid money. Somewhere in Patrick Lew's king-size bedroom inside a house in Antioch, California, that became the band practice room for the PLB Army where they made music. Sometimes, digital and electronic collaboration via Internet was related to the music making priorities. Through Skype and private email messages through social-media website GIANT, Facebook. This led to how Lew created music alone and with the assistance of others as sidemen musicians on record.

How to cut the cable TV cord? Read this article!

So, I don’t have cable or satellite TV at home. I cut the cord about two years ago, and big thanks the switch to digital television in the United States in June 2009, like many other Americans who could no longer afford the triple digital cable bill, I cut the cord and went old school. The rising costs of pay TV providers along with the weak economy, made me give this old technology a second chance. There are millions of Americans now who watch TV over the air using an antenna and supplementing it with on demand programming such as Netflix and Hulu Plus through set-top boxes like Roku. That’s pretty much what I did like a lot of other people, and this is basically the free and cheap alternative to cable and satellite. 

Keep in mind, this does require a high-speed Internet connection in your home, so if you’re looking to sever all ties with your pay TV provider, you will not be capable of streaming the latest movies and shows through on-demand programming when using a set-top box or your smart TV. This also requires running extra cables plugged into your TV set and running additional hardware. If you have a modern television set and broadband Internet connection at home, you’re all set. Before you make your trip to your local “big box” store or shopping for what you will need online, here’s what you should do to cut the cord.

Antenna

Remember when you could watch television over the airwaves for free before cable? (If you’re under 25, ask you parents). These channels are still available to you at no cost…if you have an antenna. The design and performance of antennas have changed substantially over the last several years. Antennas are now 10% the mass they were decades ago. So we’re not talking about the clunky rabbit ears of the old. Antenna manufacturers like Mohu and Antennas Direct are creating high performance long-range units that are pleasing to the eye visually as home decor, resulting in smaller creative and industrial-like designs. Thanks to the transition to digital signals in June 2009, the technologies and performance of free digital TV has also drastically improved.

The thing about OTA (over the air) TV going from analog to digital really set the free TV experience free again. This new technology allowed broadcast stations to add sub-channels on what used to be one analog channel. Which basically increases our choices in programming. Instead of just having the major networks like ABC and CBS, now we have sub-channels that features movies, lifestyle programming, classic TV shows, music videos, and children’s channels depending where you live. Along with Spanish and Chinese language broadcasts. You won’t be getting cable networks like MTV, ESPN or Comedy Central, but OTA TV channels now somewhat duplicate the content of programming you see on cable and satellite. The picture and sound is actually better than what you’re getting on cable and satellite, since most pay television providers have to deliver hundreds of channels, plus broadband and phone service so the TV signal is compressed to conserve bandwidth. All the major networks are broadcast in HD. Outside of a Blu-ray movie, this is the best output I’ve ever seen on my TV set, and did I mention it’s free?

Before cable, watching OTA TV with an antenna had its vulnerable moments, resulting in ghosting and noise. One of the major selling points of cable TV in the analog era was that it was the only reliable way to get a clear signal from the free network channels. Because of the switch from analog to digital signals, we’ve seen improved picture and sound quality. And more channel choices. With improved features and technology, OTA is basically becoming the “new” basic cable. The only thing I pay from Comcast these days is high-speed Internet at home every month.

I highly recommend the Mohu Leaf indoor antenna if you’re planning to cut the cord. It’s currently one of the top indoor HDTV antennas in the market. There are two different types of Mohu Leaf. There is the standard indoor antenna from Mohu, which is good if you are 30 to 35 miles away from broadcast towers. And the amplified version which can also pull in more channels out of reach from the regular antenna and the amplified Mohu works within a 50 mile range. Depending on your location, how far you are from broadcasting towers and the design of your home, you can pull in a surprising number of OTA channels. I pulled in 35 from my Mohu Leaf antenna, and I live in San Francisco. Typically major cities carry more networks and programming choices, but free OTA TV is still expanding. I wouldn’t know too much about outdoor antennas, but they can pull in signals from 70 miles away. But if you (or your significant other) are more into industrial design, and live beyond the reach of broadcast towers in your area, an outdoor antenna is recommended for getting the most out of your free digital TV experience.

I wouldn’t know too much about other indoor antennas. I don’t recommend getting an older rabbit ears antenna on eBay that people used during the analog era, since there’s so many modern antennas on the market today that are better. I do like Antennas Direct’s Clearstream Micron. But I’m more of a Mohu Leaf guy. But it’s all about your preference and people’s first hand experiences with which modern indoor antenna they use. All television sets made since 2007 (when built-in digital tuners became a federal requirement) and if you don’t have one, in order to watch free TV you will need a converter box to receive digital signals from your analog television set.  

Renting DVD’s

Another thing I recommend is checking out your local library. Did you know your library in your town has many movies on DVD that you can borrow for free? The library here in San Francisco carries a countless number of movies and TV shows on DVD and I highly recommend going to your local library to borrow a DVD copy of a movie you want to watch in case they have it. Be sure to check your local library’s website to see the list of DVD’s they do carry that you can borrow and bring home to watch on your DVD player or gaming console. Also try trading DVD’s with your friends and family.

Set-Top Box 

By supplementing your TV experience, the next step is to choose your hardware for on-demand programming delivered via your Internet connection. You may already have this capability in an existing device if you own a gaming console like Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii. Or perhaps you’ve bought a Smart TV or Blu-ray player with built-in Wi-Fi. But if that doesn’t work out, you should get yourself a set-top box. Remember, in order to make this work you have to continue subscribing to high-speed Internet services from your cable provider. If you have to supplement your TV experience by buying yourself a set-top box like Roku or Apple TV on your TV (via HDMI), you should most definitely do it. 

The rise of Internet video also eased the pain of losing your favorite cable channels. Internet video providers such as Hulu and Netflix carry a vast library of movies and TV shows you can choose and watch. And it costs only $8 a month. Although some movies and TV shows you love might not be available to stream, it’s tough to beat the price.

If you own an older analog TV set without an HDMI port, it won’t be possible to turn your older TV into a smart TV with a set-top box. Chromecast and Apple TV will only work for modern TV sets that includes an HDMI port, so I wouldn’t recommend getting any of those. But various models of Roku, from the $50 Roku LT and other mid-tier models contain a composite A/V cable so it will be able to work on an older TV set. The $99 Roku 3 only uses HDMI so I wouldn’t recommend getting it if you own an older TV without HDMI ports. But if you own a television set with built-in digital tuners made since 2007, you should be fine.

Apple TV and various models of Roku are great alternatives from buying yourself a brand new 55 inch Smart TV from Best Buy during the Holiday season. Apple TV and Roku both contain a wide variety on on-demand programming you can stream onto your TV. If you’re a big Apple fanatic yourself and would like that “Designed in Cupertino” finish in the comfort of your own living room, then you would love the Apple TV. Apple TV also contains an iTunes app, something which Roku lacks. But Roku makes up for it by including an Amazon Instant video store, which is unavailable on Apple TV. 

I use Roku and Chromecast on my TV. Chromecast is limited in content, making it more of a curiosity than primary option for mainstream customers. But it’s worth definitely keeping an eye out on. Roku is currently one of the best set-top boxes out there with more than 1,000 channels to choose from to stream video. There’s a lot of free content and some paid subscriptions services like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu Plus. I personally like the Roku, except my gripes with Roku is that they don’t have a YouTube channel. But there’s a lot of content on Roku even though most of it is of limited appeal. I personally like Chromecast because it has the ability to stream online video from YouTube while using my laptop onto your TV via HDMI, while Roku lacks a YouTube channel currently. But I use both set-top devices through my TV for the most part.

Most of the best stuff on Roku does require a subscription, but it’s far cheaper than paying the triple digital cable bill every month. But please remember to keep in mind on how many channels you subscribe to. Roku even has a PBS and PBS Kids channel. Using just Netflix and Hulu Plus (each require $8 per month subscriptions) gives you a good variety of popular programming. Between the two, you can binge on previous seasons from everything of Downton Abbey and Breaking Bad, watch current episodes of The Daily Show and Parks and Recreation and make a dent in your bucket list of must-see film classics.

There are drawbacks however. Most having to do with content licensing restrictions. Netflix still has a good number of films in its vast library that are unavailable for streaming. With Hulu Plus, TV shows are generally embargoed until at least the day after their original programming network air dates. And there can be some restrictions on which seasons of a show are available. Perhaps most frustrating is that licensing terms for some shows stipulate that they can be viewed through on a computer or mobile phone for free, but are restricted from being viewed on a TV even with a paid Hulu Plus subscription. But remember, you have an antenna and it gives you free OTA network channels. If you’re able to work your schedule around the networks (like the old days) might be able to minimize this inconvenience.

I’ve been using Roku LT to stream the latest recommended movies and binge through the latest episodes of The Walking Dead on Netflix. It’s been quite a traditional TV experience, with the bonus of being able to rewind and pause what I’m watching. The best thing about on-demand programming and streaming videos through a set-top device like Roku is that I get to choose what I watch on my own schedule, juggling the demands of work, friends and family. Other than streaming the latest episodes and seasons I’ve missed from cable network shows on Netflix or Hulu Plus, I enjoy listening to recorded music from my favorite rock bands while using my Roku LT. Roku also has a Facebook and Spotify app, so you can dive into the social-networking experience through the expense of your own TV rather than just using your laptop or smartphone. 

Live Sports

Live sports tends to be a difficult option what many people think about before legitimately dropping their pay TV package. 

Licensing and other restrictions make watching live sports more complicated through a streaming device. Live sports such as professional wrestling mostly gain their revenue through pay TV, and cutting the cord might not yet be a feasible option if you’re a die-hard Wrestlemaniac. It might not even be a reasonable option if you’re as sports junkie who really needs to get the latest updates through ESPN or EPSN 2. But remember, with an antenna, you get OTA broadcasts of big sporting events such as the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, and the Olympics. If you’re able to arrange your schedule just in time to catch the latest New England Patriots game, like the old days, as long as there are no blackout restrictions in case the stadium doesn’t sell out, you should be able to watch your favorite football team play a game on your local OTA channel. 

Thankfully, Apple TV and Roku does offer sports channels for the NBA, MLB, and NHL for streaming. However, they’re not cheap and single season could cost you about $200. But if you can’t get enough of your Boston Red Sox if you live in L.A, and want to keep up with baseball season, I would recommend it. 

Final Words

Since these are my personal recommendations for free and cheap alternatives to cable and satellite TV, what do I personally think about pay TV? I thought it was great personally when my parents first got cable through Comcast back in the early 90’s growing up. But with the growth of new technologies in the digital age, rising prices, weak economy and getting tired of paying $100 a month for 200 channels which 97% of them I would never watch, I cut the cord. Also, there were too many trashy reality shows, repetitive reruns of syndicated sitcoms I could get on The CW or MyNetworkTV and I saw no interest in paying for that every month.

90% of Americans still use pay television services, but a lot of them don’t know that there are legitimate free and cheap alternatives to pay TV. Pay TV is undeniably a richer experience, but it is worth the 330% premium? Not for me. You get better picture quality and sound compared to cable and satellite by just using a modern indoor antenna hooked up on the coaxial port through your TV set. 

You can access movies and cable network shows on the Internet and through streaming video providers such as Netflix and Hulu Plus. And watching it on a TV through a set-top box like Roku is much more satisfying than watching it through a small computer screen or mobile phone. And watching the latest syndicated episode of Big Bang Theory in stunning HD is better than watching the compressed version of the same program I was getting on cable. That makes it nearly impossible for me from going back to a cable TV subscription.

It’s ultimately everyone’s choice whether to cut the cord or not. But thinking of the money you’re saving especially in this tough economy, I pay $96 a year for Netflix to stream the movies and sitcoms I want to watch. Which is saving big time compared to the $1,932 every year I was paying for cable from Comcast. Such as taxes, fees, and set-top rental. I dropped the TV package and I am basically right now using their Internet-only plan for $40 a month. My total spendings from one-time hardware purchase (I spent $54 on Roku LT counting taxes), buying an indoor HDTV antenna, and subscribing to Netflix and Hulu Plus every month, my recurring bills add up to $616 this year. A huge savings! 

Right now in the digital TV age, TV antennas are making a surprising comeback. Supplemented with Internet video such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and YouTube. Some people don’t cut the cord. But if you don’t want to because you love watching live sports, sometimes you can negotiate with your cable or satellite company in getting your monthly bill lowered. It can happen by threatening to leave your cable or satellite TV provider for a competitor, and sometimes they can give you a reasonable rate on your next cable bill. But cutting the cord can you save you over a thousand dollars every year and with these new technologies they now have in the digital age, there are free and cheap alternatives to pay TV providers.

My journey as a one man band.

I'm a freelance rock musician who began making music in 2009 after several flops with a local band I used to be in. I'm always trying my best to get better when recording and when it comes to playing the guitar.

It was a hot Summer month when I was dabbling and wrestling with finishing college with a BA in Philosophy with a minor in Music. It was over a year since I was playing rhythm guitar in a post-hardcore band in San Francisco which ended on very bad terms. I studied home recording and the art of guitar playing on my own free time at home. I used the Internet and read books on how to do what I could do in my own home recording studio. I had 3 guitars on me, Fender Frontman 25-watt amp, Line6 TonePort DI, and armed with Mixcraft and a shitty laptop. I had a lot of ideas in my head, contemplating making the music. Because that's what I am most passionate about. Writing and recording my original pieces of music. I was listening to lots of Metal, Hard Rock, and House music on my Zune. And despite some of the issues I had with figuring out how to record my music. I still did it no matter what.

Most of my issues when it came to recording were technical difficulties with hardware and software, trying to come up with nice guitar riffs, and producing on my laptop them well enough without sounding so sloppy and lazy. I also got lazy a lot on many other days. Studying for my classes I was taking at CSU East Bay, watching countless hours of cable TV, playing Xbox 360, and getting serious with my on and off again relationship with my girlfriend Faith. I remained persistent however, giving a fuck less about the haters and the people who were saying and doing negative things to my music career and band, and let my own brand of Hard Rock and EDM come out. I was in a band before and after I graduated from college called P and G, busking a bunch of popular cover songs from bands we loved across Brentwood and Antioch in the San Francisco East Bay. My musical ideas were better suited for a solo project than being a sidemen in a band. So with the advantage of having the musical gear I had in my house to make music digitally, that's how I got my ideas on hard disk and mp3. I can be quite anal with how I want my music to be before I upload it onto my webpage. I was never good at mixing tracks, but I tried my best. I wanted to create the right sounds in the studio and make sure that my music has originality and some creativity that separates me from all those shitty metalcore bands in the Bay Area music scene. I finally did it during these last four years as a solo musician.

With 40 tracks completed of my one man band's original music as of April 2013. I continue to make awesome music without caring so much about popularity, fame and fortune, and all the negative people and obstacles from destroying my passion for being a sporadic freelance musician. I go online to get my music out there on websites like this. And even with things that prevent me from recording such as settling down with my girlfriend Faith, my part-time job as a merchandiser for American Greetings, and among other things. I persevere. And I create some awesome rocktronic music.

Free and cheap alternatives after cutting the cord.

So, I don’t have cable or satellite TV at home. I cut the cord about two years ago, and big thanks the switch to digital television in the United States in June 2009, like many other Americans who could no longer afford the triple digital cable bill, I cut the cord and went old school. The rising costs of pay TV providers along with the weak economy, made me give this old technology a second chance. There are millions of Americans now who watch TV over the air using an antenna and supplementing it with on demand programming such as Netflix and Hulu Plus through set-top boxes like Roku. That’s pretty much what I did like a lot of other people, and this is basically the free and cheap alternative to cable and satellite. Here’s what you should do to cut the cord.

Antenna

The thing about OTA (over the air) TV going from analog to digital really set the free TV experience free again. This new technology allowed broadcast stations to add sub-channels on what used to be one analog channel. Which basically increases our choices in programming. Instead of just having the major networks like ABC, now we have sub-channels that features movies, lifestyle programming, classic TV shows, music videos, and children’s channels depending where you live. Along with Spanish and Chinese language broadcasts. The picture and sound is actually better than what you’re getting on cable and satellite, since most pay television providers have to deliver hundreds of channels, plus broadband and phone service so the TV signal is compressed to conserve bandwidth. All the major networks are broadcast in HD. Outside of a Blu-ray movie, this is the best output I’ve ever seen on my TV set, and did I mention it’s free?

Before cable, watching OTA TV with an antenna had its vulnerable moments, resulting in ghosting and noise. One of the major selling points of cable TV in the analog era was that it was the only reliable way to get a clear signal from the free network channels. Because of the switch from analog to digital signals, we’ve seen improved picture and sound quality. And more channel choices. With improved features and technology, OTA is basically becoming the “new” basic cable. The only thing I pay from Comcast these days is high-speed Internet at home every month.

I highly recommend the Mohu Leaf indoor antenna if you’re planning to cut the cord. It’s currently one of the top indoor HDTV antennas in the market. There are two different types of Mohu Leaf. There is the standard indoor antenna from Mohu, which is good if you are 30 to 35 miles away from broadcast towers. And the amplified version which can also pull in more channels out of reach from the regular antenna and the amplified Mohu works within a 50 mile range. Depending on your location, how far you are from broadcasting towers and the design of your home, you can pull in a surprising number of OTA channels. I pulled in 35 from my Mohu Leaf antenna, and I live in San Francisco. Typically major cities carry more networks and programming choices, but free OTA TV is still expanding. I wouldn’t know too much about outdoor antennas, but they can pull in signals from 70 miles away.

I don’t know too much about other HDTV antennas. I don’t recommend getting an older rabbit ears antenna on eBay that people used during the analog era, since there’s so many modern antennas on the market today that are even better. I do like Antennas Direct’s Clearstream Micron. But I’m more of a Mohu Leaf guy. But it’s all about your preference and people’s first hand experiences with which modern HDTV antenna they use. All television sets made since 2007 (when built-in digital tuners became a federal requirement) and if you don’t have one, in order to watch free TV you will need a converter box to receive digital signals from your analog television set.  

Renting DVD's

Another thing I recommend is checking out your local library. Did you know your library in your town has many movies on DVD that you can borrow for free? The library here in San Francisco carries a countless number of movies and TV shows on DVD and I highly recommend going to your local library to borrow a DVD copy of a movie you want to watch in case they have it. Be sure to check your local library’s website to see the list of DVD’s they do carry that you can borrow and bring home to watch on your DVD player or gaming console. Also try trading DVD’s with your friends and family.

Set-Top Box

By supplementing your TV experience, the next step is to choose your hardware for on-demand programming delivered via your Internet connection. You may already have this capability in an existing device if you own a gaming console like Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii. Or perhaps you’ve bought a Smart TV or Blu-ray player with built-in Wi-Fi. But if that doesn’t work out, you should get yourself a set-top box. Remember, in order to make this work you have to continue subscribing to high-speed Internet services from your cable provider. If you have to supplement your TV experience by buying yourself a set-top box like Roku or Apple TV on your TV (via HDMI), you should most definitely do it. 

The rise of Internet video also eased the pain of losing your favorite cable channels. Internet video providers such as Hulu and Netflix carry a vast library of movies and TV shows you can choose and watch. And it costs only $8 a month. Although some movies and TV shows you love might not be available to stream, it’s tough to beat the price.

I use Roku and Chromecast on my TV. Chromecast is limited in content, making it more of a curiosity than primary option for mainstream customers. But it’s worth definitely keeping an eye out on. Roku is currently one of the best set-top boxes out there with more than 1,000 channels to choose from to stream video. There’s a lot of free content and some paid subscriptions services like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu Plus. I personally like the Roku, except my gripes with Roku is that they don’t have a YouTube channel. But there’s a lot of content on Roku even if its of limited appeal. I personally like Chromecast because it has the ability to stream online video from YouTube onto your TV via HDMI while Roku lacks a YouTube channel currently. But I use both set-top devices for the most part and I do not regret spending my hard earned money for it at Best Buy.

Most of the best stuff on Roku does require a subscription, but it’s far cheaper than paying the triple digital cable bill every month. But please remember to keep in mind on how many channels you subscribe to. Roku even has a PBS and PBS Kids channel. Using just Netflix and Hulu Plus (each require $8 per month subscriptions) gives you a good variety of popular programming. Between the two, you can binge on previous seasons from everything of Downton Abbey and Breaking Bad, watch current episodes of The Daily Show and Parks and Recreation and make a dent in your bucket list of must-see film classics.

There are drawbacks however. Most having to do with content licensing restrictions. Netflix still has a good number of films in its vast library that are unavailable for streaming. With Hulu Plus, TV shows are generally embargoed until at least the day after their original programming network air dates. And there can be some restrictions on which seasons of a show are available. Perhaps most frustrating is that licensing terms for some shows stipulate that they can be viewed through on a computer or mobile phone for free, but are restricted from being viewed on a TV even with a paid Hulu Plus subscription. But remember, you have an antenna and it gives you free OTA network channels. If you’re able to work your schedule around the networks (like the old days) might be able to minimize this inconvenience.

Final Words

Since these are my personal recommendations for free and cheap alternatives to cable and satellite TV, what do I personally think about pay TV? I thought it was great personally when I first got cable through Comcast back in the early 90’s. But with new technologies in the digital TV era, rising prices, weak economy and getting tired of paying $100 a month for 300 channels which 97% of them I would never watch. I cut the cord. Also, there were too many trashy reality shows, repetitive reruns of syndicated sitcoms I could get on The CW and I saw no interest in paying for that every month.

Having cable and satellite is also like having a bad relationship with somebody. Poor customer service, rate increases and seeing no value in paying for hundreds of channels of filler. And that can be pretty bad for a lot of people. 90% of Americans still use pay television services, but a lot of them don’t realize that there are legitimate free and cheap alternatives to pay TV. Pay TV is undeniably a richer experience, but it is worth the 330% premium? Not for me. You get better picture quality and sound compared to cable and satellite by just using a modern indoor antenna hooked up on the coaxial port through your TV set. 

You can access movies and cable network shows on the Internet and through streaming video providers such as Netflix and Hulu Plus. And watching it on a TV through a set-top box like Roku is much more satisfying than watching it through a small computer screen or mobile phone. That makes it nearly impossible for me from going back to a cable TV subscription.

It’s ultimately everyone’s choice whether to cut the cord or not. But thinking of the money you’re saving especially in this tough economy, I pay $96 a year for Netflix to stream the movies, sitcoms, and cartoons I like. Which is saving big time compared to the $1,932 every year I was paying for cable from Comcast. Such as taxes, fees, and set-top rental. I dropped the TV package and I am basically right now using their Internet-only plan for $40 a month. My total spendings from one-time hardware purchase (I spent $54 on Roku LT counting taxes), buying an indoor HDTV antenna, and subscribing to Netflix and Hulu Plus every month, my recurring bills add up to $290 this year. A huge savings! 

Right now in the digital TV age, TV antennas are making a surprising comeback. Supplemented with Internet video such as Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. Some people don’t cut the cord. But if you don’t want to because you love watching live sports, sometimes you can negotiate with your cable or satellite company in getting your monthly bill lowered. It can happen by threatening to leave your cable or satellite TV provider for a competitor, and sometimes they can give you a reasonable rate on your next cable bill. But cutting the cord can you save you over a thousand dollars every year and with these new technologies they now have in the digital age, there are free and cheap alternatives to pay TV providers.