ONE LOVE FOR MY ASIAN SISTAS!

Bizarre Confession/True Story: When I was in Tokyo, Japan on August 22, 2019. I had sex with a Japanese porn star or in more appropriate “PC” description, a female Japanese sex worker. 

I’ve dated Asian women before in the past before then but never got physically intimate with one. Prior to this event, I’ve had sexual relations with three White women I’ve previously dated or had a relationship with. To varied results. 

The experience was...My good friend from the music business who resides in Tokyo, Japan were hanging out one evening. I wasn’t done hanging out that night just yet and I suggested and pitched the idea, “I wanna meet and have a good time with a sister.” So he took me to this one red light district out in Tokyo...And I paid $100 USD on my debit card and did a 35 minute session. 

I remember the experience was. She gave me a good scrub down in the shower and brushed my teeth for me. She knew I was Asian or appeared East Asian obviously, but didn’t knew if I was Japanese & Chinese mix or not...So I just said I was American. Lol. She was very well mannered, sweet and very down-to-Earth when there wasn’t X-Rated things going down.

The whole experience was so great, it felt I was actually one of my brothers in those Japanese porn movies actually doing it with someone awesome. I’ve never had sex with an Asian woman up until that night...But always wondered if it was worth it all in the back of my mind. And truly, it was!

Other things I can recall about her was, her favorite band is Metallica and she observed the guitar tattoo on my right wrist and asked, “Are you a musician?” Lol. We ended up connecting briefly because of similar taste in music and she told me in broken English, “I’ve never been to America because I have a fear of flying.” She was 35 years old, one year older than me. And her name was Rei. Our communication aside from sex was rather cute, jolly and warm...Whether my native Japanese speaking skills were not solid and her English was choppy.

I didn’t give her my CD but I remembered how I was telling her how satisfied I was over the experience and how I will always treasure the moment. She was like, “Thank you Patrick! Thank you!” We hugged one last time.

Then I met my buddy downstairs, got my clothes on and we went about our thang before I went back to my hotel where my dad was sleeping. Lol.

I told my brother and his girlfriend about the experience, they were like Daaaaaaaaaaamn. Lol.

The Life and Times of Patrick Lew

This is our band. Our music. Our story.

Me and Madeline were Japanese/Chinese-Taiwanese mixed descent (ex. Chipanese) and drummer David was Filipino-American (FilAm).

We were three Crazy Poor Asians who didn’t belong who wanted to kick some ass and tear shit up in-and-out of our garage playing that 80’s and early 90’s inspired pop-metal and a little bit of that grunge and Britpop though.

PATRICK LEW’S EARLY LIFE (1985-2001)

Patrick was born on November 15, 1985, in San Francisco, California, to Winson Lew and Winnie Hayashi. He has two siblings, Ricky and Madeline (fictional twin sister). He was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by his parents. Patrick had a slightly difficult childhood and upbringing, caused by the death of his paternal grandfather Wayne at the age of four and furthered, when he was battling a disability as a child and getting into trouble in school and outside with his peers and elders. Patrick Lew’s interest in music began with his mother Winnie introduced him to 60’s and 70’s British rock bands and acts such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart.

To overcome a slightly difficult childhood, Patrick often traveled with his family for vacations and turned to pro wrestling, video games and cable TV as a source of comfort.

In his pre-teenage years, Patrick Lew’s interest in music shifted to hard rock, J-Pop, alternative rock and eventually punk. He began playing guitar at the age of 13, after his maternal cousin Andrew was living with his family during the Summer as a foreign exchange student at a community college. His cousin Andrew was a guitar player and a huge fan of Jimi Hendrix and blues music. And he would often play the guitar and amp that Patrick’s elder brother Ricky left sitting in the closet. His mom quoted him saying, “I’m gonna make it one way or the other by playing guitar and singing writing weird rock and roll songs!” He often practiced 45 minutes to one hour every other day.

Patrick Lew attended Raoul Wallenberg High School and graduated in 2003. He would later attend City College of San Francisco, before transferring to CSU East Bay. Graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy in 2011.

GENESIS OF HIS MUSIC CAREER (2000s)

Patrick joined his first band Samurai Sorcerers in 2001.

They would often play music on the weekends in their garage as a hobby away from their studies. Patrick Lew would begin recording home demos on a 4-track Tascam and began uploading his work on the Internet as early as 2001.

In 2004, his band landed a record deal with a small indie label at the age of 19. However, they were soon dropped from their record label. Patrick Lew also roadied for the New Jersey based Asian-American rock duo FANTASIA for their San Francisco shows.

While attending City College, Patrick Lew played rhythm guitar and electronically composed for the deathcore band Band of Asians. Which also featured future former Patrick Lew Band drummer David Arceo.

PATRICK LEW BAND (2001-2012) / THE STEEL LIONS (2012-2017)

In 2008, Band of Asians called it quits and Patrick was without a band to play music in. He was contemplating where to go next and what to do with his free time while not resuming his college studies and acting in community theater. He decided to take his original concept and ideas for his first band Samurai Sorcerers but rebrand it as the Patrick Lew Band. He would also use some of his college funds to buy musical equipment and began recording many ideas in his bedroom. He began using the Internet as a format to put Patrick Lew Band out there. He also began playing guitar more, learning the tricks of digital home recording and began composing and putting out what would become his signature work as a composer, guitar player and artist. Needing some assistance to carry the band to its potential, Patrick recruited a few former schoolmates from CSU East Bay and his bandmate from Band of Asians, David, to finalize the Patrick Lew Band lineup initially.

Patrick then relocated to live with his mother in Antioch, California. This would become the location for where Patrick Lew Band would record and self-release their albums Let It Rise and Against (2009) and Murder Bay (2011) online. Dubbed “3700 PIETA”, this would also become the location for some of Patrick Lew Band’s live onstage performances.

Critical reception towards Patrick Lew Band were initially very lukewarm on social-media and in the scene, stemming from the band’s first controversial hit single “Azn Girls.” Which was written about wanting to finding a place to belong in a closed-minded community and circle. For unknown reasons, the song’s original message was misinterpreted, leading to some polarizing reactions from the public.

Patrick Lew also got into a common-law marriage with his former partner Faith. They got together on Halloween 2009 and would eventually divorce on July 17, 2014.

Eventually, the Patrick Lew Band wouldn’t function well long-term as a huge creative and personal conflict led to the band’s initial demise during September 2012. In the meantime, Patrick retreated from playing music and pursuing his passion seriously and decided to work a full-time day job as a visual merchandiser for a tech start-up. Which was his first time working a traditional paying job outside of playing music. He would record on-and-off during his break and would secretly self-release new music under the name The Steel Lions.

The Steel Lions would sporadically record at Patrick's newly built home studio in San Francisco during this period. And performed at Mama Art Cafe on September 13, 2013. The band would work with former Distorted Harmony drummer Erick Salazar in his personal studio to record the album Unfinished Relics. After several delays, The Steel Lions would self-release Unfinished Relics digitally on May 12, 2016.

FROM PATRICK LEW BAND TO PLAYING WITH OTHER BANDS (2015-2019)

Patrick eventually returned to the local music scene and social-media as Patrick Lew Band on January 2, 2015. Continuing where he left off. The Patrick Lew Band would still remain predominantly a home recording solo act. With some assistance from David until mid-2016 when he stepped down from the band to pursue other things in life.

Some time around that same period, Patrick Lew introduced a female alter ego into Patrick Lew Band named Madeline Lew. Which was created from cutting-edge modern technology and editing. Intended in storyline and social-media marketing purposes, as a fictional twin sister and Guardian Angel for Patrick Lew. Madeline plays a prominent role in the current era of Patrick Lew Band as the brand ambassador and has been credited on the recordings as a bassist and DJ.

Eventually, Patrick became close friends with his long-time acquaintance Janny and founded the post-punk/garage rock duo TheVerse. Janny was initially an EDM producer under the stage name GEM JEWELS. His collaboration with TheVerse also gave Patrick Lew his first success and major exposure in music for the first time in his life.

TheVerse helped Patrick truly pay his dues finally in the local music scene and indies, which also included an intermittent tour across the Bay Area which lasted from May 2016 up until their most recent live performance at El Rio in San Francisco, California, on August 22, 2018. TheVerse digitally released their first EP on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music in January 2018. TheVerse is currently at work in the studio on a new EP while enjoying a well deserved off-season.

In October 2016, Patrick Lew became a fill-in touring bassist for the San Francisco punk band The Tortured for two live performances.

Patrick also played guitar and joined his then-girlfriend and close friend Sigyn’s band Crazy Loser in a Box. Often contributing guitar parts in separate studios with the band as collaboration. He can be heard on a few tracks off Crazy Loser in a Box’s 2018 debut album such as “Freckles”, “The Lie” and “Have You’ve Met My Friend?” Patrick Lew is still officially a member of the band under his translitered Japanese name Ryukan Satoru. They are currently working on a 4th album in the studio!

Approaching closer to the end of the 2010s, Patrick Lew entered the annals of history when he was named the recipient for the 40 Under 40 Awards from his alma mater Cal State East Bay for his work with the Patrick Lew Band on June 7, 2019.

By the end of 2017, the Patrick Lew Band was no longer a full-time project for Patrick Lew as a recording artist and semi-pro musician. Patrick stated on his social-media, “The Patrick Lew Band will now be a sporadic part-time thing and it will always be there.” Whilst still active, the band was now a part-time responsibility for Patrick in the studio and all over the digital age of punk rock music. The Patrick Lew Band’s most recent albums were released all over streaming services digitally in 2017: Oakland and Cold Sirens.

Upon entering the CSU East Bay Hall of Fame, Patrick Lew announced publicly by June 2019 that he will be discontinuing the Patrick Lew Band. He felt that he accomplished all that he could with PLB and felt that he made and left his mark. And he personally wanted to disband Patrick Lew Band at its highest and at its zenith rather when it was at its lowest.

LEWNATIC (2019-PRESENT)

On July 2, 2019, Patrick Lew announced on social-media that he will be forming a new solo project inspired by his metal and punk rock roots and to "get back to basics" as an artist and musician. Asking for help from friends on the Internet, his close friend Rob Silver suggested the band's name would be LEWNATIC PARK. An anagram on Patrick Lew's birth name.

LEWNATIC PARK would eventually be shorted to LEWNATIC. As Patrick felt that the former name would mistaken the new solo project as a Linkin Park tribute band.

LEWNATIC would often film Facebook live videos at their home recording studio as "intense" jam sessions leading up to recording new music at the expense of their own home studio, gear and computer.

It has been also announced that LEWNATIC will play its first show at an open mic in Tokyo, Japan sometime around August 20-21, 2019. The band's debut EP is set to be digitally distributed soon to streaming services via CDBaby!

CONCLUSION/MORAL OF THE STORY

Let music be the labor of love! Patrick Lew's goal is to become bigger, better and badder in rock music despite his ethnicity or shortcomings. He will always be what he is, what he does and will continue to try and rock a million faces on the World Wide Web. And of course, the Bay Area.

Patrick Lew Band's Final Chapter???

I might or might not perform music and record under the Patrick Lew Band name again.

But my second run with PLB is what made me who I am today and cemented my status in this rough-and-tumble hella cut throat music scene. Between 2015 and 2019, I've established myself as the man most well deserving of a Hall of Fame ring (ex. 40 Under 40 Cal State East Bay) at age 33. Even if I never pick up the guitar and write and record another LP with Patrick Lew Band again...It wouldn't really bother me that much.

Most of my music and creative force has since drifted to TheVerse, Crazy Loser in a Box and the up-and-coming heavy metal startup LEWNATIC.

Patrick Lew Band Is Out. In Comes LewNatic!

Patrick Lew Band is dead???
Our final chapter was sealed on June 8, 2019?

When all those good deeds and those dues paid were realized when he entered into the annals of history at CSUEB’s 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame.

Now the immortal one can finally rest on his laurels upon that final chapter and find something else new to fulfill his mojo and his passion for playing music.

Nothing else left to prove with Patrick Lew Band after a stellar two decade run in the indies. He’s seen it all, done it all (perhaps?) and conquered all that he could in the indies and regional music scene with his PLB in the mid-card.

His final appearances were sporadic with PLB. As his drive and creativity went to the other bands from the scene in his circle.

Now...The 34 year old so-called immortal has his eyes set on something new, something slightly different, something less pretentious and definitely more “extreme” and something  perhaps All Elite! An alternative to what’s happening in the metal music scene so far, a rebirth or perhaps reinvention of the man known to the independent music scene and rock and roll’s Dark Web and underground in the LEWNATIC. That man is...Patrick Lew!

Patrick Lew Band Calls It A Day...For Now!

 The final major release under the Patrick Lew Band name was a cover of The Monkees song I Wanna Be Free.

Released worldwide on April 8, 2019.

The PLB was sporadically active and predominantly a part-time band by the end of 2017 but recorded here and there in the studio. I was already doing three different bands by 2018: TheVerse, Crazy Loser in a Box and Pleasure Gallows.

I decided to pull the plug on PLB before it became endangered of becoming a self-parody of its former self. Or going stale. I decided to retire the Patrick Lew Band at its creative peak, culminating with the Hall of Fame ring I got at CSUEB this year in June.

Please don’t ask me to do another PLB record or even get the old band mates from Patrick Lew Band back to do a one-off. Lol. We’ve made our mark, we done all that we could in just almost 20 years. Now it’s time to sit back, enjoy our hard work being immortalized and the fruits of our labor being realized and play music in a bunch of other new bands/projects instead!

So I decided to discontinue Patrick Lew Band at its highest rather than when it was at its lowest. Right when I’ve reached my zenith and peak. Before it went downhill and gotten stale from there. Lol.

LEWNATIC: Patrick Lew Goes Back To His Punk & Metal Roots

Madeline Lew is not involved with my new band LEWNATIC. And has little involvement with it.

She was like telling me, "I don't wanna do it. But you can go ahead and I'll still support you no matter what. If PLB has something else coming, please keep me in the loop Pat."

LEWNATIC is more about playing heavy metal music, one man band or actual band with members involved. With less of the spectacle, less anthemic and less of over the top gimmicks of Patrick Lew Band. 

While PLB is a mixed media art project tackling a bunch of different creative thangs: Music, Photography, YouTuebe videos and etc etc. My new venture LEWNATIC is intended to be treated as a METAL solo project or heavy metal band where it's all about music rather than a bizarre rock and roll spectacle or reminiscent of a Korean soap opera. People won't be seeing too many pretenses in LEWNATIC as it's more about playing music and diving back into my punk rock and metal roots. 

Madeline wasn't pissed when I decided to conceive a new band and guise. She and I just needed space but we still love each other as siblings from the alternate dimension from the same mom and dad and secret lovers as well. 

Be on the lookout for LEWNATIC's forthcoming EP!

Patrick Lew Band's Third Run

I'm currently at Phase 3 of my indie music career with Patrick Lew Band. 

This is now basically an "Anything Goes" run as an active band in punk rock music. And this could very well be my last hurrah with PLB. I will be now recording every new album and playing every show like it could be my very last. 

No one knows when we officially die and leave Planet Earth. While I'm only in my mid 30's right now. I feel that I still got it in me at this stage of my life and music career. I'm cutting some of my best HEEL promos and monologues right now via Facebook Live! I just became a Hall of Fame inductee at age 34 at my alma mater. I'm literally at my "indie" peak as we speak! 

However, most of my talents and work has drifted to other band(s) and vanity related ventures (ex. Lunatic Damage). 

Since 2017 ended and 2018 kicked into gear, Patrick Lew Band went from full-time status in the local music scene to more a part-time or sporadic role. It's like when Nintendo begins phasing out the 8-bit NES and focuses more on SNES and N64. Just an analogy! While still active, Patrick Lew Band is a part-time solo project and I only go back to it whenever I feel like I'm ready to showcase new music or a new major event. I really don't have to do PLB full-time anymore to please everybody and be fully contractually obligated to do so in the business. I have this band I'm doing guitar for, I'm playing guitar under this new alias as a solo artist (B or C material), I now work a full-time traditional day job as a chocolatier and I'm 100% content with doing that and where I work. 

I've been doing Patrick Lew Band for well almost 20 years. It's always going to be around. I'm not going anywhere. It's just more part-time and occasional these days considering the current stage of life where I'm at! I'm focused on a lot of different areas as a musician and artist. It doesn't always mean TOURING. I'm making my mark most of the time without having to leave my home studio Promisedland and the digital age in our hands! 

So any gig or any album or any EP I do now with Patrick Lew Band could be my last day on Earth. All I know is, I'm gonna keep it going until I'm dead and buried 6 feet under and when the BBW lady sings on my grave. I also am aware, I won't be on top forever. So one of my missions now in the future is to "put over" young talent and shine light on the new kids in the scene.