LEWNATIC - The ingenious music of Asian-American icon and YouTuber Patrick Lew Hayashi

 NAME: PATRICK LEW HAYASHI

NICKNAME: The Kamikaze Guitarist, PLB, Patty Pat, P. Money, P. Deli, The Lewnatic, Masa

ALSO KNOWN AS: Patrick Lew, Masamichi Hayashi

JAPANESE NAME: 林 正道 BIRTHDAY: November 15, 1985 as Patrick Allan Lew

HOMETOWN: San Francisco, CA, United States

HEIGHT & WEIGHT: 6' (182 cm) / 134 lbs (60 kg)

ETHNICITY: Japanese, Chinese-Taiwanese, Remotely Southeast Asian

RELATIVES: Ricky (older brother; b. 1981), Madeline Lew (relative; b. 1985, Metaverse Only) Winson Lew (father; b. 1948), Winnie Hayashi (mother; b. 1951, d. 2017)

HIGH SCHOOL: Raoul Wallenberg High School, Soko Gakuen Japanese School

COLLEGE: California State University, East Bay

OCCUPATION: Musician, YouTuber, Grocer, Former Uber Driver

INSTRUMENTS PLAYED: Guitar, Bass, Programming, Vocaloid, Piano, Vocals

GENRES: Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Instrumental, Punk, Grunge, Emo, Various Genres

YEARS ACTIVE: 1999 – Present

MEMBER OF: Patrick Lew Band, Lewnatic, Crazy Loser in a Box!

FORMERLY OF: TheVerse, Pleasure Gallows, Benigneglect, The Tortured

LABELS: Statue Records, Bentley Records, Lewnatic Records (self-released)

GEAR USED: Mid-2012 MacBook Pro, Early 2015 MacBook Air, HP Steam Laptop (2021), Fender Telecaster, PreSonus Audiobox iOne, Logic Pro, Marshall CODE50 Amp, VOCALOID (for Madeline Lew's lead vocals), iMovie (for making YouTube videos), iPhone 13 PRO + various apps, Boss DS-2 Pedal, 20-Watt Glarry Practice Amp, A.I. Music Generators.

CONTACT INFO: lewnatic@bentleyrecordsred.net

LEWNATIC415 is a virtual-based punk rock band that was created by Patrick Lew Hayashi, who is best known for his indie music career and his work with the Patrick Lew Band and TheVerse. He is also an online content creator, mainly on his YouTube channel.

Born to a Chinese father and Japanese mother of mixed descent, Patrick began playing guitar at age 13 when his cousin Andy was living with his family while studying at a community college as an International Student. He began his indie music career in 2001, playing guitar and singing in his high school band, which later would evolve into the Patrick Lew Band. Patrick is also a moderately known influencer, having been making YouTube videos online since 2007 at age 21.

In July 2019, during the second year of Patrick Lew Band’s (PLB) hiatus, Patrick began brainstorming ideas to go “back-to-basics” with his music as a solo artist. After parting ways with his previous band amicably, Patrick started Lewnatic as a personal solo recording project. And quickly began performing under the LEWNATIC banner once-a-month at DNA Lounge in San Francisco until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The band’s name Lewnatic is a spoonerism of Patrick’s father’s surname and “Lunatic.”

For the next two years, Patrick returned to performing, recording and live-streaming webcasts with the Bay Area band that made him sort of famous globally with his fictitious cousin (in reality, his alter-ego), Madeline Lew, with the Patrick Lew Band. Embarking on their most prolific stage as artists. By this point, the Patrick Lew Band began receiving recognition and exposure worldwide and online. As bloggers and curators began writing about PLB more positively and they began putting Patrick Lew Band’s music more out there to the public.

By the end of 2022, PLB was put on hold as Patrick mainly put most of his energy and focus with the Lewnatic project.

Lewnatic would eventually return from hiatus in early 2022, as COVID-19 pandemic began winding down considerably and quietly in the San Francisco Bay Area. He began working with his booking agents Afton Shows again. The band Lewnatic once again performed live music at DNA Lounge on February 20, 2022.

Lewnatic is intended as the touring and live-streaming spin-off related to the Patrick Lew Band. Alongside, a touring and live-stream concert experiment as a solo artist. Whereas, with PLB, due to sophisticated nature such as the technical inability to present Madeline Lew's likeness onstage, and other complicated myriad of reasons backstage, cannot tour or perform live.

The band’s live setup and tech rider is based on minimalism and convenience when traveling with Patrick’s guitar rig. Instead of bringing his 50 watt Marshall amp and lots of gear in an Uber ride to venues he’s booked to perform for the evening, most of Lewnatic’s live gear is based off a virtual guitar amp and backing tracks on Patrick’s laptop. Alongside, an inexpensive audio DI box and Fender Telecaster.

As a live musical act, the band Lewnatic performs a mix of PLB and spontaneously rearranged performances of Lewnatic's material. The band Lewnatic makes sure that every one of their live-stream or onstage performances are not exact replicas of their albums on CD.

During the end of March 2022, Lewnatic began recording their second album Strictly Prohibited at their home studio in San Francisco. On one of the new upcoming tracks “As Gritty As I Want To Be,” Patrick’s relative Madeline Lew makes a guest appearance as a lead singer. The music creation for the entire album was finished in less than a week reportedly, and was released worldwide in April 2022 on Spotify, Apple Music and everywhere else.

On July 19, 2022, Lewnatic signed a 1-year record contract with Bentley Records. LEWNATIC released their first album under a record label (and their third LP) titled Rapid Fire worldwide tentatively on August 19, 2022! Featuring six all-new guitar-based instrumental rock compositions with a strong CITY POP and Anime-like theme. The album was briefly promoted by both Bentley Records and Patrick Lew himself on social-media.

On August 28, 2022, Lewnatic live-streamed directly through Patrick Lew Hayashi’s YouTube channel, performing two rearranged songs off Patrick Lew Band’s 2022 EP Pariah Vol. 2 (“Are You Down With Me” and “Love Yourself”). Another virtual concert on his YouTube channel commenced a month later, where Lewnatic live-streamed a cover of the Elvis Presley song That’s All Right Mama.

Most of my Lewnatic’s virtual concerts are pre-recorded on Patrick’s 2017/18 iPad or his iPhone 13 PRO. And edited on iMovie on his old laptop before being posted online. The band’s colleague and friend James Conrad also handles videography and photography for the solo project locally in San Francisco.

On September 24, 2022, Lewnatic filmed an MV for their first single off their album Rapid Fire in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The music video world premiered in mid-October, and amassed a decent number of views on YouTube. The MV for their single We The People served as a #StopAsianHate and #BLM anthem during the post-pandemic aftermath affecting minorities in the United States. Two more live-stream performances followed at PLB HQ (Patrick Lew’s personal rehearsal space) in San Francisco that month also.

Two more mini-albums (EPs) followed during 2023, the 70's rock inspired Getcha Mood On Right and the critically acclaimed circa 1992 reminiscent hard rock and grungy gem, The Lost Souls. During 2023, Lewnatic performed a few live-stream performances on Patrick's YouTube channel. And also, performed and were interviewed extensively for Luke Sauer's podcast at San Francisco's Edge Studios streamed worldwide on Memorial Day.

Lewnatic currently remains a solo project for Patrick Lew Hayashi, as there are no other members onstage and in the home studio with him. Patrick Lew Hayashi boldly describes Lewnatic, “a one-man rock and roll machine.” The musical arrangements are very simple and straight-forward, Patrick plays guitar and occasionally raps/sings. And he handles the backing tracks and beats on his old laptop like a DJ.

The main motives for doing the band Lewnatic is to have fun, play heavy music and not take life and music in general so seriously. And the occasional punk rock show, whether it be a webcast or at the local dive bar! Expect more from the Sino-Japanese rock and roll pariah and icon himself. The Lewnatic is coming to town!

Who is the Patrick Lew Band?

 Patrick Lew Band (PLB) is an Asian-American rock band from San Francisco, California. The band was formed in 2001 by Patrick Lew Hayashi, who is also a singer, guitarist, and YouTuber. Their music is a mix of rock, grunge, and K-Pop. 

The band's debut album, Jump, Rattle, and Roll, was released on CDBaby in 2006. They began playing small shows in the San Francisco area in 2007. Since 2016, the Patrick Lew Band has transitioned exclusively into an Internet-based project. The band also features a virtual member, mascot, and bassist named Madeline Lew, marketed as Patrick's younger relative or sibling. 

The band's YouTube channel has over 500 videos. Their music is influenced by the Seattle grunge band Nirvana. 

Some of their songs include: Glaring Dream, Simply Ravishing, Badlands, Cartoon Catastrophe, Orgasm. 

In 2022, they released a cover of Bryan Adams' "Cuts Like A Knife".

PATRICK LEW BAND

ORIGIN:  San Francisco, California, USA

GENRES:  Punk, Electronic Music, Instrumental, Alternative Rock, Grunge, K-Pop, J-Pop, Rock And Roll.

YEARS ACTIVE: 2001-present (hiatuses: 2013-15; 2017-19)

OFFICIAL MEMBERS: 

Patrick Lew/Madeline Lew - All Instruments, Guitar, Lead Vocals  (2001 onward)

Madoku Raye - Lead Vocals (2021-Present)

FORMER MEMBERS: 

Tommy Loi - Drummer (2001-2005)

Eddie Blackburn - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals (2001-2005; 2007, declared deceased in absentia in 20??) 

David Arceo - Drummer (2005-2016)

DISCOGRAPHY:

STUDIO ALBUMS...

Jump, Rattle, And Roll! (2006), Let It Rise and Against (2009), Murder Bay (2011), Angry Yellow (2012), No Sleep Till San Francisco! (2013) Bubblegum Babylon (2015), Oakand (2017), Cold Sirens (2017), Immortality (2020), Codebreaker (2020), Rolling Thunder (2020), Xclamation! (2021), Adrenaline (2022), Forbidden Door (2024)

LIVE ALBUMS...

IN YOUR HOUSE! (2021)

COMPILATIONS AND EP's...

Up The Wazoo! (2007), History Vol. 1 (2018), To the Moon and Back (2020), Pariah: The Kamikaze Guitarist Strikes Back (2022)

GEAR:  Epiphone Les Paul * Fender Telecaster * 2012 MacBook Pro * 2014 MacBook Air * Apple GarageBand * Apple Logic Pro X * Apple MainStage 3 * Vox AC50 * Boss DS-2 * Marshall CODE50 * Boss Dr. Rhythm Drum Machine * PreSonus Audiobox iOne * iPhone 13 PRO * Fender Jazz Bass * VOCALOID (to create Madeline Lew's voice) * A.I. Music Generators 

Want to enjoy new and interesting songs or unique and entertaining YouTube content? Patrick Lew Hayashi is the guy for you. He has been creating amazing and amusing content in terms of songs and videos for 20 years. The idea of making a fictional character of his sister Madeline and starting a band named Patrick Lew Band (PLB) with her is humorously intelligent. This idea is getting a lot of attention.

About

Patrick Lew is an Asian-American multitalented artist, possessing the incredible skills of a singer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and YouTuber. His style is mostly Hard Rock as he has a fondness for all the genres. His sole purpose is to create vibe music to save people from negativity by amusing them through entertaining songs. Regardless of no support from around him, he smiles and puts smiles on other people’s faces. Patrick Lew was born and grew up in San Francisco to a Japanese mother and a Chinese father on November 15, 1985. Being a 90’s kid, he creates many nostalgic videos, such as the one he recently made, a 90's themed documentary about his journey.

Childhood

Patrick fell for music at an early age. The childhood of Patrick Lew seemed good enough to an outsider, but he was facing a lot. His grandfather, who was as close as a best friend to him, died in his childhood. Plus, he was facing a lot of racism and negativity in school and other surroundings. Patrick turned to video games, television, and professional wrestling to get rid of all the negativity. He also fell for music as it distracted him.

Patrick’s parents’ love for music also played a part in creating a music fondness in him. He grew up listening to his mother’s favorite genre, classic rock, by The Beatles and Stones, and his dad’s favorite funk, R & B, and Motown music.

The Start of a Musical Journey

Patrick’s musical journey began in 2001 when he was just 16 years old. He would create mixes for solo and high school bands and upload them on social media sites under multiple band names. After finishing his schooling at Wallenberg High School, he got admission to CSU East Bay and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy with a minor in Music Composition. The band also ended up with the name Patrick Lew Band then.

The Patrick Lew Band (PLB), which hails from the thriving American city of San Francisco, is a major player in the Rock music scene. They have built out a unique sound with their fusion of Rock, J-POP, and Alternative Rock that makes them stand out from the competition. The Patrick Lew Band's music engulfs you from the moment you press play, grabbing your attention and refusing to let go.

They produce an exhilarating atmosphere with their unbridled energy and contagious songs that leaves fans wanting more. The group's versatility and musical aptitude are demonstrated by their ability to smoothly combine parts of Rock, J-POP, and Alternative Rock. Their music has a life of its own, driven by the mysterious frontman Patrick Lew. Every song is given a sense of passion and intensity by Patrick's strong vocals and his captivating songwriting. The Patrick Lew Band's songs touch listeners on a profound emotional level, whether they are gritty, hard-hitting Rock anthems or more reflective and melodic works.

Today, he has a number of songs uploaded on various music websites such as Apple Music, Spotify, etc. His most famous works are Glaring Dream, Badlands, Try a Little Harder, Chasing Reality, Orgasm, and many more.

Madeline Lew

Patrick has one real brother, Ricky Lew, but he always says that he has two siblings. The other is his fictional sister Madeline, whom he created to make entertaining content. Madeline is Patrick dressed as a girl. He used this character for making music as well as making YouTube content. He even made a separate channel on YouTube in her name where he uploads funny content.

Achievements

Patrick received a number of naming achievements which spread his fame a lot. For example, he was the first Japanese-American male to receive the honor of 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame in 2019. He got a lot of appreciation for his work under Patrick Lew Band at the age of 33. At age 38, his project PLB was included in the Class of 2023 Akademia Music Awards Hall of Fame. 

The Patrick Lew Band is an absolute force in the Rock music world thanks to their distinctive sound and outstanding talent. They stand out from their colleagues because of their capacity to push limits and give exceptional performances. As this innovative band continues to create waves and leave their impact on the worlds of Rock and Alternative music, keep an eye out for them.

Patrick is not stopping here though. He is ready for more struggles in the future for his fans. He is currently working on a project (LEWNATIC) which he is going to launch soon. And he is also planning to continue making music with the Patrick Lew Band going forward. Keep following him on social media for more updates. CLICK HERE: https://linktr.ee/patricklewband/ 

Who is Patrick Lew Hayashi? What is Lewnatic?

 "Lewnatic is the touring and live-streaming solo experiment from Patrick Lew Hayashi, a half-Chinese and half-Japanese YouTuber, guitarist, and musician from San Francisco.

Best known for his indie music career with both Patrick Lew Band and TheVerse, Patrick started the Lewnatic project as originally a rap-metal duo with his close friend, Filipino-American rapper A.K.AYE.

A few years later, Lewnatic became an off-shoot/spin-off related to the Patrick Lew Band. "

NAME: PATRICK LEW HAYASHI

NICKNAME: The Kamikaze Guitarist, PLB, Patty Pat, P. Money, P. Deli, The Lewnatic, Masa

ALSO KNOWN AS: Patrick Lew, Masamichi Hayashi

JAPANESE NAME: 林 正道 

BIRTHDAY: November 15, 1985 as Patrick Allan Lew

HOMETOWN: San Francisco, CA, United States

HEIGHT & WEIGHT: 6' (182 cm) / 134 lbs (60 kg)

ETHNICITY: Japanese, Chinese-Taiwanese, Remotely Southeast Asian

MARITAL STATUS: In an Open Relationship With AYAKA HAYASHI (Metaverse Only; e.g. CANDY A.I.) 

RELATIVES: Ricky (older brother; b. 1981), Madeline Lew (relative; b. 1985, Metaverse Only) Winson Lew (father; b. 1948), Winnie Hayashi (mother; b. 1951, d. 2017)

HIGH SCHOOL: Raoul Wallenberg High School, Soko Gakuen Japanese School

COLLEGE: California State University, East Bay

OCCUPATION: Musician, YouTuber, Grocer, Former Uber Driver

INSTRUMENTS PLAYED: Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Slide Guitar, Bass, Programming & MIDI, Vocaloid, Piano, Lead Vocals

MUSIC GENRE(S): Rock, Punk, Alternative, Hard Rock, Emo-Grunge, Various Genres 

YEARS ACTIVE: 1999 – Present

MEMBER OF: Patrick Lew Band, Lewnatic, Crazy Loser in a Box!

FORMERLY OF: TheVerse, Pleasure Gallows

LABELS: Statue Records, Bentley Records, Lewnatic Records (self-released)

CONTACT INFO: lewnatic@bentleyrecordsred.net

GEAR USED: Mid-2012 MacBook Pro, Fender Telecaster, Marshall CODE50, Assorted "Licensed" Backing Tracks, Logic Pro, A.I. Music Generators, Launchpad iOS App, iPhone 13 PRO, Inexpensive Digital Audio Interface, Epiphone Les Paul.   

Patrick Lew Hayashi (better known by his stage name LEWNATIC) is a guitarist, DJ, songwriter, and YouTuber. He is also a recording artist on New York City’s Bentley Records. He is perhaps best known for his tenures with the Patrick Lew Band (PLB) and more recently, with LEWNATIC. He has also played music and toured sporadically for other musical projects locally in Northern California. 

Born 1985 in San Francisco as Patrick Allan Lew, Patrick was raised in the Bay Area to a Chinese father and Japanese mother of mixed descent. He became a passionate fan of Grunge, Punk, J-ROCK, and American and British Classic Rock music as a child. His favorite bands growing up were Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, X Japan, Green Day, Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, The Beatles, Pearl Jam, Oasis, Silverchair, BEYOND, B’z, and Led Zeppelin. 

He began playing guitar at the age of 13 and studied guitar and music composition at Vibo Music Center and California State University East Bay (B.A., 2011). While attending Raoul Wallenberg High School in San Francisco during the early 2000s, he formed what would become the first incarnation of the Patrick Lew Band (PLB) with his classmates. While a student in college in 2007, he began uploading online content on YouTube related to his music. 

Patrick graduated from Raoul Wallenberg High School in 2004, and also graduated from Soko Gakuen Japanese School that same year. 

By the early-to-mid 2000s, the Patrick Lew Band began putting their music online on many different websites. In 2005 at the tender young age of 19, the group was briefly signed to Statue Records. The group would relocate to Antioch, CA during the late 2000s, and would perform and record locally in Contra Costa County’s garage band circuit. After many false starts on-and-off, personal struggles, and a rotating line-up of sidemen and potential band members, the Patrick Lew Band briefly took a two-year break from making music by the end of 2012. 

Patrick Lew Hayashi also played locally in other musical projects outside of the Patrick Lew Band: TheVerse (2015-2019), Pleasure Gallows (between mid-to-late 2018 until early 2019), and Crazy Loser in a Box! (2018 onward). He also made a brief uncredited cameo appearance on Season 4 and Episode 1 of the critically acclaimed Amazon TV series The Man in the High Castle as an extra. 

In 2015, he officially introduced his fictitious relative Madeline Lew (his M2F cross-dressing alter-ego) as a virtual band member and mascot of the Patrick Lew Band. That same year, he also rebuilt and rebranded the Patrick Lew Band (PLB) as an Internet-based virtual rock band, performing live sporadically, but more focus on home recording and producing unique music that’s been described, “as a dynamic and anthemic fusion of classic rock, J-Pop, and grunge.” After Madeline’s arrival in the project, PLB began achieving exposure in the local music scene that long eluded them. By 2020, the Patrick Lew Band (PLB) became relatively prolific in the indie music community and on the Internet, as numerous press and bloggers began curating PLB and writing about them.

Madeline’s singing voice was created on VOCALOID and A.I. singing technology, whereas, her likeness is mainly created by Gender Swapping on very popular iPhone/Android smartphone apps, alongside Photoshopping. 

The Patrick Lew Band has recorded 13 CDs as a prolific home recording act and as bedroom producers: Jump! Rattle! And Roll! (2006), Let It Rise and Against (2009), Murder Bay (2011), Angry Yellow (2012), Bubblegum Babylon (2015), Oakland (2017), Cold Sirens (2017), Immortality (2020), Codebreaker (2020), Rolling Thunder (2020), No Sleep Till San Francisco! (2021), Exclamation (2021), Adrenaline (2022), and the upcoming release Forbidden Door (2024). 

The Patrick Lew Band was inducted in the Akademia Music Hall of Fame in September 2023. A few years earlier in 2019, Patrick adopted his mother’s maiden name Hayashi (林) legally into his name, and created a touring and live-streaming solo project as a musician under the stage-name LEWNATIC, touring Japan and performing live shows once-a-month at San Francisco’s historic DNA Lounge, until the COVID-19 pandemic happened a year later.

The band’s name Lewnatic is a spoonerism of Patrick’s father’s surname and “Lunatic.”

By 2022, he reactivated his solo project LEWNATIC and quickly began making music and live-streaming as a recording artist on social-media. By July that year, he signed with Bentley Records and quickly produced and released three mini-albums (EPs) during 2022 and 2023: Rapid Fire! (2022), Getcha Mood On Right (2023), and The Lost Souls (2023). 

He rebranded LEWNATIC as a more simplified version of the Patrick Lew Band, and as the spin-off/offshoot band related to the PLB. Most of LEWNATIC’s music tends to be Instrumental Rock, with some lead vocals on Patrick’s behalf on selective songwriting ideas. In LEWNATIC, like with post-2015 era Patrick Lew Band, he plays most or all of the instruments on the studio recordings. Onstage, Patrick plays guitar, sings occasionally, and uses a laptop running all the backing tracks as musical and rhythmic arsenal, performing a setlist of his more recent classic output with the Patrick Lew Band and all his selective musical work with LEWNATIC.

During 2023, Lewnatic performed a few live-stream performances on Patrick's YouTube channel. And also, performed and were interviewed extensively for Luke Sauer's podcast at San Francisco's Edge Studios streamed worldwide on Memorial Day. He is currently working on Lewnatic’s next album of all-new music titled STARCADE. He recently renewed his recording contract with Bentley Records in August that year.

Around late 2023, in spiteful response to his former girlfriends and his former friends (online and offline), he began dating Ayaka Yoshimura in the "Metaverse." Patrick Lew also reconnected with his long-time bandmate Madeline Lew from PLB, and regrouped the Patrick Lew Band going forward. In December 2023, Patrick was interviewed by Recording Artist Guild magazine. 

Lewnatic currently remains a solo project for Patrick Lew Hayashi, as there are no other members onstage and in the home studio with him. Patrick Lew Hayashi boldly describes Lewnatic, “a one-man rock and roll machine.” The musical arrangements are very simple and straight-forward, Patrick plays guitar and occasionally raps/sings. And he handles the backing tracks and beats on his old laptop like a DJ.

The main motives for doing the band Lewnatic is to have fun, play heavy music and not take life and music in general so seriously. And the occasional punk rock show, whether it be a webcast or at the local dive bar! Expect more from the Sino-Japanese rock and roll pariah and icon himself. The Lewnatic is coming to town!

The Patrick Lew Band Story

Patrick Lew Band (PLB) is an Asian-American rock band from San Francisco, California. The band was formed in 2001 by Patrick Lew Hayashi, who is also a singer, guitarist, and YouTuber. Their music is a mix of rock, grunge, and K-Pop. 

The band's debut album, Jump, Rattle, and Roll, was released on CDBaby in 2006. They began playing small shows in the San Francisco area in 2007. Since 2016, the Patrick Lew Band has transitioned exclusively into an Internet-based project. The band also features a virtual member, mascot, and bassist named Madeline Lew, marketed as Patrick's younger relative or sibling. 

The band's YouTube channel has over 500 videos. Their music is influenced by the Seattle grunge band Nirvana. 

Some of their songs include: Glaring Dream, Simply Ravishing, Badlands, Cartoon Catastrophe, Orgasm. 

In 2022, they released a cover of Bryan Adams' "Cuts Like A Knife".

PATRICK LEW BAND

ORIGIN:  San Francisco, California, USA

GENRES:  Rock / Punk / Electronic 

YEARS ACTIVE: 2001-present (hiatuses: 2013-15; 2017-19)

OFFICIAL MEMBERS: 

Patrick Lew/Madeline Lew - All Instruments, Guitar, Lead Vocals  (2001 onward)

Madoku Raye - Lead Vocals (2021-Present)

FORMER MEMBERS: 

Tommy Loi - Drummer (2001-2005)

Eddie Blackburn - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals (2001-2005; 2007, declared deceased in absentia in 20??) 

David Arceo - Drummer (2005-2016)

GEAR:  Epiphone Les Paul * Fender Telecaster * 2012 MacBook Pro * 2014 MacBook Air * Apple GarageBand * Apple Logic Pro X * Apple MainStage 3 * Vox AC50 * Boss DS-2 * Marshall CODE50 * Boss Dr. Rhythm Drum Machine * PreSonus Audiobox iOne * iPhone 13 PRO * Fender Jazz Bass * VOCALOID (to create Madeline Lew's voice) * A.I. Music Generators 

HISTORY!!!

Patrick Lew was born in San Francisco in 1985 to a Chinese father and a Japanese mother of mixed descent.

In 2001, Patrick Lew Hayashi formed a band under the banner Patrick Lew Band in his hometown of San Francisco, CA when he was just 15 years old. Most of Hayashi's early years in the indie music circuit was playing in a garage band. In 2005, Hayashi was attending City College of San Francisco and was briefly signed to an indie label based in La Jolla, CA. After he was dropped from his developmental contract with the label, Hayashi decided to book studio time with the help of his friends.

Patrick attended Wallenberg High School in San Francisco, graduating in 2004 after being held back one grade while in elementary school. He also attended Soko Gakuen Japanese School, and graduated and got certified around the same time he graduated from high school. He later attended CSU East Bay, graduating with a B.A in Philosophy and Music Composition in 2011. He began playing guitar at the age of 13 through his older cousin Andy, whom was living with his family at the time in San Francisco.

Patrick also began using YouTube as a platform dedicated to his life as an artist/musician and in general on February 2, 2007. After several years, his YouTube channel reached a respectable amount of recognition on the Internet. As of today, there are 600 and counting uploaded videos on his YouTube channel.

The Patrick Lew Band is largely influenced by the iconic Seattle grunge band Nirvana.

Other key influences in the band and their music ranges from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Yutaka Ozaki, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Oasis, Miyavi, Guns N Roses, X Japan, Danny Chan, B'z, Beyond (HK Band), Hatsune Miku, BTS, Jim Johnston, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Nine Inch Nails, The White Stripes, Green Day, Blink 182, The Fall, The Sex Pistols, and many more.

Most of the time, Hayashi was on the Internet putting his bands music out there. On November 15, 2006, which was also Patrick Lew's 21st birthday, the Patrick Lew Band released their debut album JUMP, RATTLE, AND ROLL on CDBaby. Patrick Lew Band would begin to sporadically play small shows in the San Francisco area by 2007 with a frequently changing line-up. Their first single AZN GIRLS was posted online during late 2007, leading to a critical backlash among the band on social-media over unbeknownst reasons. Around this same period, the bands chiptune rearranged cover of the Nirvana song Drain You was published on Nirvanaclub.com.

During 2009, Patrick Lew Band began making their strides in the regional music scene and on the Internet. Their song Everyone Loves Ashley brought them to notoriety and initial indie-level fame. Between 2009 to 2012, the band would write and record up to as many as 60 songs per year in their home studio. To have something to fall back on, Hayashi taught himself the fundamentals of the indie music business and being his own entrepreneur.

During this period, Patrick Lew Band had aborted plans to tour locally. However, the group would perform live in the Antioch area occasionally during some of 2011. Some of these performances can be found and since leaked on Patrick Lew Band's (PLB) official YouTube channel.

Between 2009 to 2012, the Patrick Lew Band self-released their music online: Let It Rise And Against (2009), Murder Bay (2011) and the EP Angry Yellow (2012).

On February 4, 2012, Patrick Lew Band performed at Dolores Park in San Francisco. After taking a few years away from the indies because of a failed relationship with his ex Faith and very well documented personal problems, Hayashi made his return to music with the Patrick Lew Band by the beginning of 2015. Embarking on his most profitable and memorable run in the indie music circuit.

2015 began with Hayashi being appointed the Ambassador for Antennas Direct. And conducting a televised interview with the 24 HOUR K-POP music TV channel in the San Francisco Bay Area. Around this same period, Patrick introduced a crossdressing M2F alter-ego by the name of Madeline Lew into the band. Created from digital special effects, CGI and Photoshop. In a music marketing storyline, Madeline's role in the band is described as, "the long lost younger sister of Patrick Lew Hayashi saving the band from failure and bringing his band and his music back to prominence."

Madeline Lew's introduction into the Patrick Lew Band as a virtual band member and mascot brought Patrick Lew's profitability back to prominence in the music scene and helped Patrick Lew Band achieve publicity and moderate indie-level success that he did not accomplish prior to 2015. The success and exposure that the Patrick Lew Band received during this period included a couple music blogs writing about the Patrick Lew Band online and being mentioned on-air on Bay Area rock FM radio station 107.7 THE BONE.

The band was mostly recording in their home studio in San Francisco. By 2016, the band launched their own label and multimedia start-up Lewnatic HQ.

The band was often working on new music in their home recording studio between 2015 and early 2017. The Patrick Lew Band would release their album OAKLAND on Valentines Day 2017. He and his alter-ego Madeline Lew would perform at Brick & Mortar Music Hall on October 8, 2017.

By the end of 2017, the Patrick Lew Band no longer was a full-time responsibility as Hayashi began working a stable full-time job. The primary cause of the PLB's second departure was caused by his mother's passing. But also, due to exhaustion.

He also began only sporadically making studio recording appearances with the band as he branched his talents to other outlets and playing music with local bands outside of Patrick Lew Band.On June 7, 2019. Patrick Lew Hayashi received the 40 Under 40 award at his alma mater CSU East Bay. He would become the first major Japanese-American male to receive the high honor. In Summer 2019, Patrick and Madeline Lew toured Japan for the first time. 

Outside of PLB. Patrick Lew also made a brief uncredited cameo appearance on the acclaimed Amazon TV series Man in the High Castle on Season 4 and Episode 1. He also is a moderately known and prolific social-media influencer and persona, most notably on YouTube and Instagram.

The band returned to full-time status in 2020. And they reached potentially prolific status with their music and brand in the indies and on social-media with what they do. Recent years proved to be very prosperous and helped the Patrick Lew Band reach new heights. Since then, the band's music has reached thousands of listeners in an estimated 51 different countries worldwide on Apple Music/iTunes. Subsequent reviews and press regarding PLB have been positive.

From 2020 onward since returning to pursuing their passion for making music, the Patrick Lew Band (PLB) decided to transition their project into an exclusively Internet Only type of band.

Since 2020, PLB has been featured in numerous blogs and digital music magazines online. While Lew maintains his citizenship and residence in San Francisco, the band also began gravitating their musical focus to "break into" the music scene worldwide.

2020 and 2021 also saw the band continue and sustain their momentum as a Internet-based rock band. Conducting a few Livestream concerts on social-media, and gaining new legions and generation of followers. The band also released several albums during these two years respectively on iTunes and Spotify, including their first live album IN YOUR HOUSE! Rumors began to swirl in mid-2021 regarding the Patrick Lew Band's future online. However, the PLB released more new music going into the year 2022 online.

During most of 2022, Patrick re-launched a spin-off of the Patrick Lew Band known as LEWNATIC. As COVID-19 pandemic began to quietly wind down in San Francisco, he began touring and live-streaming under the LEWNATIC name. Lewnatic would perform at San Francisco's historic DNA Lounge on February 20, 2022. Shortly after, he began working on demos and released the mixtape Strictly Prohibited worldwide on iTunes, Spotifty, and everywhere else through his distribtutor CDBABY by April that year.

As Patrick Lew retains his citizenship and residence in the Bay Area, he also planned to introduce his music to JAPAN on the world wide web. By March 2022, he worked with TOP MUSIC JAPAN to get PLB's music out there. Currently, their prolific 2020 album Rolling Thunder was consigned to EGGS, a subsidiary of Tower Records in Japan. He also wanted to expand his music and attention globally, and remains persistent while doing so.

Patrick Lew Band would remain occasionally active during early-to-mid 2022. Madeline and Patrick would often spend much time together during this period doing fun things, alongside making music. 

Much of Patrick's musical activity during 2022 was placed primarily on LEWNATIC. As PLB remained exclusively a virtual rock band in the Metaverse, for many kinds of reasons.

On July 19, 2022, Patrick signed a 1-year Artist Development Contract with New York based label Bentley Records. And released his first EP RAPID FIRE under the LEWNATIC banner as a signed artist a month later. By this point, Patrick began focusing more of his attention to LEWNATIC as a musician and social-media influencer. Madeline took a step back from Patrick Lew Band by August 2022, in kayfabe, she relocated back to Asia. In reality, Patrick wanted to semi-retire her character in the project, feeling that it served its pupose. In kayfabe, Madeline Lew nonetheless, will still make occasional recurring appearances in the Patrick Lew Band going forward.

On September 5, 2022, the Patrick Lew Band released their 12th album Adrenaline worldwide on all the platforms. They would also release an 11-minute Blues inspired song She's All That a month later on October 17th. Madeline's final contribution to Patrick Lew Band, a cover of the Yoko Ishida song "Watashitachi ni Naritakute" from the Sailor Moon TV series was released worldwide on May 4, 2023.

Meanwhile, LEWNATIC began posting new online content and releasing new music as a signed artist under Bentley Records, their most recent release, the critically acclaimed EP "THE LOST SOULS" was released worldwide on March 15, 2023. On Memorial Day 2023, Patrick Lew (under LEWNATIC) made a live televised appearance at San Franciscco's Edge Studios for a podcast, also being interviewed by host Luke Sauer. It was his first live public appearance performing in over a year. 

On September 1, 2023, the Patrick Lew Band (PLB) was inducted in the Class of 2023 Akademia Music Awards HALL OF FAME.

While the future is uncertain for the Patrick Lew Band (PLB). Patrick wants to continue doing music actively as a virtual rock band with both PLB and Lewnatic. There's more coming your way, and PLB won't be going anywhere any time soon! The future is looking more hopeful and brighter, as well as being unwritten at this point. Expect more things to follow in the amazing world and rock and roll from the No. 1 Sino-Japanese virtual punk rock band from San Francisco!

LEWNATIC - ALL ABOUT PATRICK LEW-HAYASHI

 NAME: PATRICK LEW HAYASHI

NICKNAME: The Kamikaze Guitarist, PLB, Patty Pat, P. Money, P. Deli, The Lewnatic, Masa

ALSO KNOWN AS: Patrick Lew, Masamichi Hayashi

JAPANESE NAME: 林 正道 BIRTHDAY: November 15, 1985 as Patrick Allan Lew

HOMETOWN: San Francisco, CA, United States

HEIGHT & WEIGHT: 6' (182 cm) / 134 lbs (60 kg)

ETHNICITY: Japanese, Chinese-Taiwanese, Remotely Southeast Asian

RELATIVES: Ricky (older brother; b. 1981), Madeline Lew (relative; b. 1985, Metaverse Only) Winson Lew (father; b. 1948), Winnie Hayashi (mother; b. 1951, d. 2017)

HIGH SCHOOL: Raoul Wallenberg High School, Soko Gakuen Japanese School

COLLEGE: California State University, East Bay

OCCUPATION: Musician, YouTuber, Grocer, Former Uber Driver

INSTRUMENTS PLAYED: Guitar, Bass, Programming, Vocaloid, Piano, Vocals

YEARS ACTIVE: 1999 – Present

MEMBER OF: Patrick Lew Band, Lewnatic, Crazy Loser in a Box!

FORMERLY OF: TheVerse, Pleasure Gallows

LABELS: Statue Records, Bentley Records, Lewnatic Records (self-released)

GEAR USED: Mid-2012 MacBook Pro, Early 2015 MacBook Air, HP Steam Laptop (2021), Fender Telecaster, PreSonus Audiobox iOne, Logic Pro, Marshall CODE50 Amp, VOCALOID (for Madeline Lew's lead vocals), iMovie (for making YouTube videos), iPhone 13 PRO + various apps, Boss DS-2 Pedal, 20-Watt Glarry Practice Amp, A.I. Music Generators.

CONTACT INFO: lewnatic@bentleyrecordsred.net

LEWNATIC415 is a virtual-based punk rock band that was created by Patrick Lew Hayashi, who is best known for his indie music career and his work with the Patrick Lew Band and TheVerse. He is also an online content creator, mainly on his YouTube channel.

Born to a Chinese father and Japanese mother of mixed descent, Patrick began playing guitar at age 13 when his cousin Andy was living with his family while studying at a community college as an International Student. He began his indie music career in 2001, playing guitar and singing in his high school band, which later would evolve into the Patrick Lew Band. Patrick is also a moderately known influencer, having been making YouTube videos online since 2007 at age 21.

In July 2019, during the second year of Patrick Lew Band’s (PLB) hiatus, Patrick began brainstorming ideas to go “back-to-basics” with his music as a solo artist. After parting ways with his previous band amicably, Patrick started Lewnatic as a personal solo recording project. And quickly began performing under the LEWNATIC banner once-a-month at DNA Lounge in San Francisco until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The band’s name Lewnatic is a spoonerism of Patrick’s father’s surname and “Lunatic.”

For the next two years, Patrick returned to performing, recording and live-streaming webcasts with the Bay Area band that made him sort of famous globally with his fictitious cousin (in reality, his alter-ego), Madeline Lew, with the Patrick Lew Band. Embarking on their most prolific stage as artists. By this point, the Patrick Lew Band began receiving recognition and exposure worldwide and online. As bloggers and curators began writing about PLB more positively and they began putting Patrick Lew Band’s music more out there to the public.

By the end of 2022, PLB was put on hold as Patrick mainly put most of his energy and focus with the Lewnatic project.

Lewnatic would eventually return from hiatus in early 2022, as COVID-19 pandemic began winding down considerably and quietly in the San Francisco Bay Area. He began working with his booking agents Afton Shows again. The band Lewnatic once again performed live music at DNA Lounge on February 20, 2022.

Lewnatic is intended as the touring and live-streaming spin-off related to the Patrick Lew Band. Alongside, a touring and live-stream concert experiment as a solo artist. Whereas, with PLB, due to sophisticated nature such as the technical inability to present Madeline Lew's likeness onstage, and other complicated myriad of reasons backstage, cannot tour or perform live.

The band’s live setup and tech rider is based on minimalism and convenience when traveling with Patrick’s guitar rig. Instead of bringing his 50 watt Marshall amp and lots of gear in an Uber ride to venues he’s booked to perform for the evening, most of Lewnatic’s live gear is based off a virtual guitar amp and backing tracks on Patrick’s laptop. Alongside, an inexpensive audio DI box and Fender Telecaster.

As a live musical act, the band Lewnatic performs a mix of PLB and spontaneously rearranged performances of Lewnatic's material. The band Lewnatic makes sure that every one of their live-stream or onstage performances are not exact replicas of their albums on CD.

During the end of March 2022, Lewnatic began recording their second album Strictly Prohibited at their home studio in San Francisco. On one of the new upcoming tracks “As Gritty As I Want To Be,” Patrick’s relative Madeline Lew makes a guest appearance as a lead singer. The music creation for the entire album was finished in less than a week reportedly, and was released worldwide in April 2022 on Spotify, Apple Music and everywhere else.

On July 19, 2022, Lewnatic signed a 1-year record contract with Bentley Records. LEWNATIC released their first album under a record label (and their third LP) titled Rapid Fire worldwide tentatively on August 19, 2022! Featuring six all-new guitar-based instrumental rock compositions with a strong CITY POP and Anime-like theme. The album was briefly promoted by both Bentley Records and Patrick Lew himself on social-media.

On August 28, 2022, Lewnatic live-streamed directly through Patrick Lew Hayashi’s YouTube channel, performing two rearranged songs off Patrick Lew Band’s 2022 EP Pariah Vol. 2 (“Are You Down With Me” and “Love Yourself”). Another virtual concert on his YouTube channel commenced a month later, where Lewnatic live-streamed a cover of the Elvis Presley song That’s All Right Mama.

Most of my Lewnatic’s virtual concerts are pre-recorded on Patrick’s 2017/18 iPad or his iPhone 13 PRO. And edited on iMovie on his old laptop before being posted online. The band’s colleague and friend James Conrad also handles videography and photography for the solo project locally in San Francisco.

On September 24, 2022, Lewnatic filmed an MV for their first single off their album Rapid Fire in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The music video world premiered in mid-October, and amassed a decent number of views on YouTube. The MV for their single We The People served as a #StopAsianHate and #BLM anthem during the post-pandemic aftermath affecting minorities in the United States. Two more live-stream performances followed at PLB HQ (Patrick Lew’s personal rehearsal space) in San Francisco that month also.

Two more mini-albums (EPs) followed during 2023, the 70's rock inspired Getcha Mood On Right and the critically acclaimed circa 1992 reminiscent hard rock and grungy gem, The Lost Souls. During 2023, Lewnatic performed a few live-stream performances on Patrick's YouTube channel. And also, performed and were interviewed extensively for Luke Sauer's podcast at San Francisco's Edge Studios streamed worldwide on Memorial Day.

Lewnatic currently remains a solo project for Patrick Lew Hayashi, as there are no other members onstage and in the home studio with him. Patrick Lew Hayashi boldly describes Lewnatic, “a one-man rock and roll machine.” The musical arrangements are very simple and straight-forward, Patrick plays guitar and occasionally raps/sings. And he handles the backing tracks and beats on his old laptop like a DJ.

The main motives for doing the band Lewnatic is to have fun, play heavy music and not take life and music in general so seriously. And the occasional punk rock show, whether it be a webcast or at the local dive bar! Expect more from the Sino-Japanese rock and roll pariah and icon himself. The Lewnatic is coming to town!

The Patrick Lew Band (PLB) Story

 

Patrick Lew Hayashi (born Patrick Allan Lew on November 15, 1985) is an Asian-American musician, guitarist and YouTuber currently performing, live-streaming, recording, and occasionally touring with the band LEWNATIC. He is perhaps professionally best known for his 22-year indie music career with the Patrick Lew Band (PLB), albeit including sabbaticals. He is also known for his tenure(s) as the lead guitarist for Bay Area bands TheVerse and Crazy Loser in a Box! Hayashi began his 22-year tenure with Patrick Lew Band in 2001 whilst still a teenager attending Wallenberg High School. And spent several years under PLB in the Contra Costa County region performing and recording as a garage band. By 2015, his fictitious cousin and former girlfriend Madeline Lew (his cross-dressing alter-ego) joined Patrick Lew Band, and the band soon was rebranded as a Metaverse-themed project. He eventually went on to achieve great success and prolific level of recognition independently with PLB by the year 2020. In addition, he was inducted in the Class of 2019 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame at his alma mater CSU East Bay as Patrick Lew Band (alongside Madeline Lew), and was the 1st place winner of the July 2016 Akademia Music Award for best experimental rock song, “Game Changer.” Hayashi also performed as a fill-in member for various local bands, such as The Tortured and Pleasure Gallows. From 2015 to 2019 whilst still active with PLB, Hayashi was the lead guitarist for the San Francisco shoegaze band TheVerse. And quickly began playing shows and touring locally with the group, developing a cult following regionally in the Bay Area. During his four-year tenure as a member of TheVerse, they self-released one self-titled EP during 2018. Patrick Lew Hayashi formed his current project LEWNATIC in 2019, originally as a rap-metal duo with his close friend A.K.AYE (Filipino-American rapper). From November 2019 until March 2020, the band Lewnatic had monthly residencies at San Francisco’s historic DNA Lounge. Upon the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band Lewnatic was postponed as Patrick returned to making music and new online content with PLB with Madeline over the next three years. By early 2022, Hayashi relaunched and rebranded Lewnatic as a live-streaming and solo touring experiment, serving as the spin-off to the Patrick Lew Band. Hayashi quickly began creating and releasing new music under this banner. By July 2022, Lewnatic signed a 1-year Artist Development Deal with New York-based label Bentley Records, so far releasing two EP’s and several singles as a signed artist on their active roster. Hayashi also is a YouTuber, having created his YouTube channel and occasionally uploading new content related to his music and life since February 2, 2007. He also made a brief uncredited cameo appearance on Season 4 and Episode 1 of the Amazon TV series The Man in the High Castle, and was previously a former Brand Ambassador for Antennas Direct. Patrick Lew Hayashi is currently in a relationship with aspiring Swedish-American freelance writer and poet Amanda Johanneson. The two originally met on social-media in mid-2021 during the height of Patrick Lew Band’s fame in indie music, and began dating by the end of 2022. Currently, Patrick Lew resides in San Francisco somewhere anonymously in the Excelsior District. He also holds a B.A. in Philosophy from his alma mater CSU East Bay, and works as a grocer at a SAFEWAY store full-time while signed to Bentley Records as a recording artist. Patrick Lew Hayashi is multi-ethnic, born to a Chinese father and a Japanese mother of mixed descent. His main language is English, and he can as well speak some Japanese language. Patrick Lew attended Raoul Wallenberg High School and graduated in 2004, and also graduated from Soko Gakuen Japanese Language School around that same period. THEIR STORY The Patrick Lew Band (PLB) is an Asian-American Rock band which was formed in San Francisco, California by Patrick Lew in 2001. Largely functional as an ‘Internet-based Rock band,’ PLB is renowned for its stunning home recording and occasional live performances. A dynamic fusion of rock, J-Pop, and grunge, PLB stands out with an Asian-American male lead who stands above the rest with versatility and endurance. He is complemented by a cross dressing alter-ego named Madeline, who was indirectly inspired by Hatsune Miku from JAPAN. Patrick Lew Hayashi is a singer, guitarist, YouTuber, and multi-instrumentalist, who was born in San Francisco in 1985 to a Chinese father and a Japanese mother of mixed descent. In 2001, Patrick formed a band under the banner Patrick Lew Band in his hometown of San Francisco, when he was just 15 years old. Most of Hayashi's early years in the indie music circuit were spent playing in a garage band. In 2005, Hayashi was attending City College of San Francisco and was briefly signed to an indie label based in La Jolla, California. Patrick also began using YouTube as a platform dedicated to his life as an artist on February 2, 2007. After several years, his YouTube channel reached a respectable amount of recognition on the Internet. As of today, there are 400+ uploaded videos on his YouTube channel. Apart from Patrick Lew, who serves as the drummer and covers vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, piano, and programming, the Patrick Lew Band (PLB) also features a virtual band member and bassist named Madeline Lew, marketed as Patrick's younger sister. Madeline was created through modern smartphone apps, such as FaceApp and Reface, alongside other digital special effects and sophisticated editing, such as cosplaying. Since 2020, PLB has been featured in numerous blogs and digital music magazines online. While Lew maintains his citizenship and residence in San Francisco, the band also began gravitating their musical focus to "break into" the music scene worldwide. In 2020 and 2021, the band’s momentum continued to soar, as they began gaining new legions and generation of followers. The band also released several albums during these two years respectively on iTunes and Spotify, including their first live album ‘IN YOUR HOUSE.’ In 2022, Patrick re-launched a spin-off of the Patrick Lew Band known as LEWNATIC. On July 19, 2022, the eclectic artist signed a 1-year Artist Development Contract with New York based label Bentley Records. He also released his first EP ‘RAPID FIRE’ under the LEWNATIC banner as a signed artist a month later. On September 5, 2022, the Patrick Lew Band released their 12th album ‘Adrenaline’ worldwide on all their platforms. Patrick Lew Band was inducted in the 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame at their alma mater CSU East Bay in 2019, and were the first Japanese-Americans and second Taiwanese-Americans to achieve the honor. They also won the July 2016 Akademia Music Award for the best experimental rock song, "Game Changer." Influenced by Nirvana’s lyrical content, image, and personality, PLB plan to continue making music exclusively as an internet-based Rock band. ARTISTS WE ALSO LIKE: WE SUPPORT ALL LOCAL BANDS THAT CAN RIDE WITH US. BAND INTERESTS: Making Music, YouTube, Netflix, PlayStation, Fast Cars, Oakland A's, Pro Wrestling, Pizza, Sexy Curvy Ladies, Jamming PERSONAL INTERESTS: Making Music, Playing Shows, Making YouTube Videos, Immortality. PRODUCTS: Streaming Video & Audio, Digital Downloads, Digital Brochures, Band T-Shirts, YouTube, Photography, YouTube.    MEET THE PLB BAND! PATRICK LEW (林正道) - lead vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, piano, programming, drummer  MADELINE LEW (林綾香) - keyboards, synthesizers, programming, bass, lead vocals  MADOKU RAYE: lead vocals, composer, keyboards

LEWNATIC BEHIND-THE-SCENES

 

 

NAME: PATRICK LEW HAYASHI 

ALSO KNOWN AS: Lewnatic, Patrick Lew, Masamichi Hayashi 

JAPANESE NAME: 林 正道 

BIRTHDAY: November 15, 1985 as Patrick Allan Lew

HOMETOWN: San Francisco, CA, United States 

BLOOD TYPE: O

HEIGHT: 6' (182 cm)

OCCUPATION: Musician, YouTuber, Music Producer, Grocer 

YEARS ACTIVE: 1999 - Present

MEMBER OF: Patrick Lew Band, TheVerse, Lewnatic, Crazy Loser in a Box!

INSTRUMENTS: Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Personal Computer, Drum Machine, Music Sequencer

LABELS: Statue Records, Bentley Records, Lewnatic Records (on behalf of CDBABY)

PARENTS: Winson Lew (b. 1948), Winnie Lew (b. 1951; d. 2017)

SIBLINGS: Ricky (older brother), Madeline Lew (relative; Metaverse Only) 

SPOUSES: Not Applicable (real-life)

PARTNERS: Betty Mai (1998-2000), Faith Lambright (2009-2014), Pitalu Hernandez (2014-2015), Madoku Raye (2018), REI (2019), Shon Tullie (2021-2022), Amanda Johanneson (2023-Present)

Patrick Lew Hayashi, better known by his stage name LEWNATIC, rose to become one of the Internet’s most prolific yet underappreciated rising rock stars of his time, mainly because of the success of his Metaverse-themed punk rock band Patrick Lew Band (PLB), although his output with other bands and collaborations with other lesser known Bay Area musicians also solidified his reputation as well. 

Born to a Chinese father and Japanese mother of mixed descent in November 1985, Hayashi developed his obsession and passion for rock music at a relatively early age, simply from listening to his mother’s classic rock records from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Motley Crue, Elvis, Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses, to begin playing his older brother Ricky’s electric guitar at age 12 and quickly receiving some formal musical education in high school and college. When his cousin Andy was living with his family one Summer as a foreign exchange student at City College of San Francisco, Patrick Lew Hayashi began playing guitar after watching his older cousin play Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple songs on his guitar at home. 

While not the most technical and not the most disciplined type of musician and guitarist, Hayahsi makes up for it with his stage presence, unprecedented charm, and gritty lyrics and image. Largely self-taught as a musician, Hayashi also taught himself how to create his own music as a bedroom producer and began quickly uploading his tracks online. By 2007 at the tender young age of 21, Patrick Lew Hayashi created his YouTube channel, which several years later, he would gradually become a moderately known influencer and digital creator. 

He began his indie music career in 2001 whilst still in high school, by forming a garage band with his schoolmates. Years later, after all his friends “moved on” from playing music onto other life avenues, Hayashi wanted to continue making music and playing guitar. With dreams of one day cementing his status in the music scene. He graduated from Wallenberg High School in 2004, and also graduated from Soko Gakuen Japanese Language School in San Francisco that same period, and enrolled in CSU East Bay, studying Philosophy. His devotion sort of paid off, although he experienced some prejudice on social-media and had difficulty maintaining a stable lineup for his band. Playing music with some band members that he didn’t quite get along with, and a bitterly dysfunctional six-year relationship with his then-girlfriend.

Eventually, he took his vision, his ideas, and created the Patrick Lew Band (PLB). Realizing he couldn’t find other members to articulate his musical ideas and stay committed to it. He instead began using his computer as a musical stage and tool, augmented with his guitar playing skills. Alongside, occasional angst-filled lyrics related to alienation and abjection. Later on in 2015, together with his cross-dressing alter-ego Madeline Lew (marketed as Patrick’s ex-girlfriend and cousin), embarked on an exciting yet breathtaking journey which would later push the Patrick Lew Band to becoming Asian-American icons on the Internet by 2020. While PLB isn’t the most rock and roll band ever created on Earth in a traditional sense, they are certainly one of the more successful ones, and are one of the most prolific Internet-based virtual rock bands of their time. A number of bloggers, curators, and digital music magazines have since extensively written about the Patrick Lew Band in the press. 

However, PLB didn’t suffice as the only musical vehicle for Hayashi, who never stopped periodic side-projects and branching out. He also toured, recorded, and performed for the San Francisco-based Shoegaze band TheVerse between 2015 and 2019, releasing one EP during his tenure with the group. And he also played guitar with his then-girlfriend Madoku Raye’s Silicon Valley-based Post-Rock band Crazy Loser in a Box occasionally since 2018. His solo discography under the banner LEWNATIC, includes several EP’s, singles, and two full-length albums since he created his solo project in 2019. LEWNATIC has also sporadically perofrmed live occasionally, and also does live-streaming directly on his YouTube channel. Hayashi also made a brief filmed uncredited cameo appearance on Season 4 and Episode 1 on the critically acclaimed Amazon TV series The Man in the High Castle. By 2019, the Patrick Lew Band was inducted in the 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame at their alma mater CSU East Bay. 

The band’s name LEWNATIC is a direct spoonerism of his father’s surname Lew and the word “Lunatic.” 

In July 2022, Lewnatic signed a one-year deal with New York-based record label Bentley Records. And quickly began releasing new music and content as a signed artist. And Patrick Lew Hayashi continues pursuing his musical journey with both PLB and Lewnatic in the meantime, hoping to continue delivering unique music and cutting-edge digital content worldwide!