Patrick Lew Band
Hometown: San Francisco, California, USA
Years Active: 2001-2012, 2015-present
Website: www.patricklewband.com
Gerne: Hard Rock, Punk Rock, Post-Grunge, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Members:
Patrick Lew - Guitar, Bass, Programming, Lead Vocals
David Arceo - Drums, Programming
Former Members:
Tommy Loi - Drums
Eddie Blackburn - Lead Guitar
Jeremy Alfonso - Lead Guitar
David Hunter - Bass
Greg Lynch - Guitar, Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Websites:
ReverbNation - http://www.reverbnation.com/patricklewsband
ReverbNation – http://www.reverbnation.com/heavysigmaband
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/patricklewband
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/patricklewsband
SoundClick – http://www.soundclick.com/patricklewband
Patrick Lew Band is a Taiwanese American rock band which is the solo moniker of former Power Trip rhythm guitarist Patrick Lew. Initially, the band was described as a “virtual rock band” which friends would collaborate with Lew via Internet, recording in their own home studios and cutting and pasting the music together. The band initially consisted of former Distorted Harmony guitarist Jeremy Alfonso, OC Bay bassist David Hunter and former Power Trip drummer David Arceo. Multi-instrumentalist Greg Lynch also supplemented the lineup whenever the band played shows locally.
Prior to the breakup of Power Trip in mid 2008, many speculated that Lew might record a solo album. After the disbanding of Power Trip, Patrick Lew kept a low-profile and frequently recorded new music in his personal studio and posted his material on the Internet. In January 2009, Patrick Lew Band released Curb Your Wild Life, which was met with negative reviews from critics. As a result of being musically uneven, Lew collaborated with several friends and began an online collaboration in order to create new music. This resulted in the albums Let It Rise And Against and Murder Bay, released in 2009 and 2011 respectively.
The band is often using social-media sites to put their music out there, and has performed live sporadically. In mid 2011, the band performed several surprise shows without any advertising or word of mouth locally and through social-media which they would play a low-key set and later broadcast it on Internet television through YouTube and Facebook. However, a period of creative and personal differences alongside tensions with Lew’s former girlfriend caused the online collaboration to cease, which led to Patrick Lew recording material for Heavy Sigma, releasing three albums in 2012: Oddities, Taiwanese Rebels and Voyager.
Patrick Lew returned to creating music in the studio under the Patrick Lew Band moniker prior to the end of 2014. He currently is the only official band member in the project. Playing all instruments, writing all the music and self-producing the 2015 release To The Promised Land. The album To The Promised Land was released on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon and received small recognition on social-media sites and through the independent music community via Internet. Patrick’s goals is to remain true to his music and being an artist with many different passions as opposed to being a rock band chasing the spotlight in the music industry and to create success and recognition on his own terms. Patrick currently handles the business side for Patrick Lew Band’s music on his own. Utilizing social-media and putting himself out there in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene.
Hometown: San Francisco, California, USA
Years Active: 2001-2012, 2015-present
Website: www.patricklewband.com
Gerne: Hard Rock, Punk Rock, Post-Grunge, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Members:
Patrick Lew - Guitar, Bass, Programming, Lead Vocals
David Arceo - Drums, Programming
Former Members:
Tommy Loi - Drums
Eddie Blackburn - Lead Guitar
Jeremy Alfonso - Lead Guitar
David Hunter - Bass
Greg Lynch - Guitar, Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Websites:
ReverbNation - http://www.reverbnation.com/patricklewsband
ReverbNation – http://www.reverbnation.com/heavysigmaband
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/patricklewband
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/patricklewsband
SoundClick – http://www.soundclick.com/patricklewband
Patrick Lew Band is a Taiwanese American rock band which is the solo moniker of former Power Trip rhythm guitarist Patrick Lew. Initially, the band was described as a “virtual rock band” which friends would collaborate with Lew via Internet, recording in their own home studios and cutting and pasting the music together. The band initially consisted of former Distorted Harmony guitarist Jeremy Alfonso, OC Bay bassist David Hunter and former Power Trip drummer David Arceo. Multi-instrumentalist Greg Lynch also supplemented the lineup whenever the band played shows locally.
Prior to the breakup of Power Trip in mid 2008, many speculated that Lew might record a solo album. After the disbanding of Power Trip, Patrick Lew kept a low-profile and frequently recorded new music in his personal studio and posted his material on the Internet. In January 2009, Patrick Lew Band released Curb Your Wild Life, which was met with negative reviews from critics. As a result of being musically uneven, Lew collaborated with several friends and began an online collaboration in order to create new music. This resulted in the albums Let It Rise And Against and Murder Bay, released in 2009 and 2011 respectively.
The band is often using social-media sites to put their music out there, and has performed live sporadically. In mid 2011, the band performed several surprise shows without any advertising or word of mouth locally and through social-media which they would play a low-key set and later broadcast it on Internet television through YouTube and Facebook. However, a period of creative and personal differences alongside tensions with Lew’s former girlfriend caused the online collaboration to cease, which led to Patrick Lew recording material for Heavy Sigma, releasing three albums in 2012: Oddities, Taiwanese Rebels and Voyager.
Patrick Lew returned to creating music in the studio under the Patrick Lew Band moniker prior to the end of 2014. He currently is the only official band member in the project. Playing all instruments, writing all the music and self-producing the 2015 release To The Promised Land. The album To The Promised Land was released on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon and received small recognition on social-media sites and through the independent music community via Internet. Patrick’s goals is to remain true to his music and being an artist with many different passions as opposed to being a rock band chasing the spotlight in the music industry and to create success and recognition on his own terms. Patrick currently handles the business side for Patrick Lew Band’s music on his own. Utilizing social-media and putting himself out there in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene.
Why this name?
For a long while, I experimented with many different names for my band's music. We had band names like Samurai Sorcerers and other random shit. But this was meant to be my solo project with the help of some friends. Me and my friends would do a collaboration online putting pieces of the music together online. Like we would send each other instrumental parts we've recorded in our own studios when we had the time to. So we basically Frankenstein the music together through online collaboration. So I guess calling it Patrick Lew Band it was then.
Do you play live?
I don't play shows usually as a solo musician. I will say this though. When I play with other guys in a band, we take it a little more seriously as far as being in a band goes. But alone, I just come up with some idea here and there, record them on my laptop, and post the songs online for some recognition or merit.
I toured the San Francisco Bay Area sporadically over the years. Me and my former friend and bandmate Greg did a bunch of secret shows in Contra Costa County and later uploaded them on YouTube and Facebook in 2011. In my old band, we played a couple of shows in San Francisco, we were touring with Tinkture and Elevator Love Letters at the time. This was in 2007. I also played an outdoor event at Dolores Park in San Francisco in February 2012. Since then, I played live whenever I felt like it and had the time to. I didn't had anything really to prove by being in a band, I just wanted to be known as an artist rather than just being this dude in a rock band.
I toured the San Francisco Bay Area sporadically over the years. Me and my former friend and bandmate Greg did a bunch of secret shows in Contra Costa County and later uploaded them on YouTube and Facebook in 2011. In my old band, we played a couple of shows in San Francisco, we were touring with Tinkture and Elevator Love Letters at the time. This was in 2007. I also played an outdoor event at Dolores Park in San Francisco in February 2012. Since then, I played live whenever I felt like it and had the time to. I didn't had anything really to prove by being in a band, I just wanted to be known as an artist rather than just being this dude in a rock band.
How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
I came during a generation, where bands and musicians didn't need to sucker themselves into signing with a major record label, getting on TV and radio, and doing mass live performing as a way of bigger exposure. I came during a time where the computers and social-media made it more possible for the little or middle fish in the pond to get themselves heard. Despite my love for 90's rock, I highly doubt I would have been recognized back then like I am now supposedly, and it's not a money thing either. It's recognition and making an audience.
Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
Don't know. I really don't know for sure, it's kind of hard to make it in the music business but as long we do what we love doing. I however, do not want to be told to be someone who I am not as obvious and want full creative control and copyrights to what I'm doing. It's really hard to say, I am open about major label deals. But I sometimes wonder, if it's worth the chase? But I'm still reluctant to actually do it. I can handle this, even if fame and success really bothers me sometimes.
Band History:
The Patrick Lew Band is a grandiose rock band that was conceived by eccentric and rebellious San Francisco guitarist/songwriter Patrick Lew. Patrick intended the Patrick Lew Band to feature talented musicians with the same passion and drive to accompany his musical ideas onstage and in the studio. The Patrick Lew Band was formed in 2001 in San Francisco by a group of friends from Wallenberg High School. Many talented musicians has contributed to the band over the years from different ethnic backgrounds, different influences and different levels of skill sharing the same passion for making rock music and expanding many different boundaries for themselves. Currently, the Patrick Lew Band consists of long-time friends Patrick himself (Guitar/Bass/Vocals) and David Arceo (Drums). The band’s mission is to expand their music to a larger audience through social-media and their local scene, and create what they call, “primitive rock and roll” music.
The best way to describe the sound of the Patrick Lew Band: late 80’s and early 90’s influenced hard rock blended with an old school punk attitude and sound. Their onstage performances is heavily influenced by the stripped down no nonsense punk music. In short, the band sounds very much like a punk band when they play live. However, the Patrick Lew Band does not conform to one genre or sound by trying new things out with their music in the studio, but often maintains their own described sound. For those people who had the rare opportunity to witness the Patrick Lew Band live, many of those people enjoyed the raw, energetic and empowering presence that these musicians performed onstage.
The Patrick Lew Band began their 14 years as a band by jamming endlessly at former lead guitarist Eddie Blackburn’s basement. After many false starts, hardships and numerous original music recorded in Patrick’s home recording studio, they began earning minor recognition in 2009 when the band constantly put themselves out there on social-media websites such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and Reverbnation, putting out flyers anywhere they could locally and sporadically busking all across the San Francisco Bay Area. The Patrick Lew Band’s audience began to grow because they were consistently put their music out there regardless of critics and what kind of results they would get out of doing what they love doing. In 2011, the band performed at Patrick’s alma mater CSU East Bay and played a few shows locally in Antioch, California during the Summer. In February 2012, they performed at the first Mobzilla event that was held at Dolores Park in San Francisco with DJ Kevin Sparkle as a guest performer. Currently, the Patrick Lew Band has self-released five albums: Psychotic Love (2003), Curb Your Wild Life (2009), Let It Rise And Against (2009), Murder Bay (2011) and Rebel On The Dance Floor (2014). The band records all of their music digitally through Apple GarageBand alongside a Line6 recording audio interface. The Patrick Lew Band can be found on several websites online and has been endorsed by television antenna makers Antennas Direct, and was interviewed by Absolute Punk and Leicester Bangs. The Patrick Lew Band has also been advertised on a past issue of Recording Magazine.
As a part of the Patrick Lew Band, it is important to do what’s entirely right for you and go for whatever makes you happy. They also believe that playing rock and roll music should be all about having fun and being 100% carefree when it comes to some things that goes against the music that you are making and putting out there. The band also has a strong Do-It-Yourself philosophy. The band also has a philosophy that “less is more.” The band has experienced many highs and lows during the last 14 years as a rock band, and doesn’t base their popularity and success through the amount of likes on their Facebook page or what music critics say about them in the press. The Patrick Lew Band also creates their own merchandise such as CDs and t-shirts themselves. When putting themselves out there locally or online, they will try their very hardest to promote themselves and expand their audience by putting out flyers anywhere they can, utilizing social-media, meeting new people, talking to people about what they do and much more.
The Patrick Lew Band feels very blessed to have to created this music for everyone to hear. And the band is very satisfied with how things turned out for them. There’s no stopping the PLB Army. 14 years of highs and lows only made these guys more passionate and driven about what they do, and their ambitions are running wild every album they record and put out and they always dream about being destined for greatness.
The best way to describe the sound of the Patrick Lew Band: late 80’s and early 90’s influenced hard rock blended with an old school punk attitude and sound. Their onstage performances is heavily influenced by the stripped down no nonsense punk music. In short, the band sounds very much like a punk band when they play live. However, the Patrick Lew Band does not conform to one genre or sound by trying new things out with their music in the studio, but often maintains their own described sound. For those people who had the rare opportunity to witness the Patrick Lew Band live, many of those people enjoyed the raw, energetic and empowering presence that these musicians performed onstage.
The Patrick Lew Band began their 14 years as a band by jamming endlessly at former lead guitarist Eddie Blackburn’s basement. After many false starts, hardships and numerous original music recorded in Patrick’s home recording studio, they began earning minor recognition in 2009 when the band constantly put themselves out there on social-media websites such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and Reverbnation, putting out flyers anywhere they could locally and sporadically busking all across the San Francisco Bay Area. The Patrick Lew Band’s audience began to grow because they were consistently put their music out there regardless of critics and what kind of results they would get out of doing what they love doing. In 2011, the band performed at Patrick’s alma mater CSU East Bay and played a few shows locally in Antioch, California during the Summer. In February 2012, they performed at the first Mobzilla event that was held at Dolores Park in San Francisco with DJ Kevin Sparkle as a guest performer. Currently, the Patrick Lew Band has self-released five albums: Psychotic Love (2003), Curb Your Wild Life (2009), Let It Rise And Against (2009), Murder Bay (2011) and Rebel On The Dance Floor (2014). The band records all of their music digitally through Apple GarageBand alongside a Line6 recording audio interface. The Patrick Lew Band can be found on several websites online and has been endorsed by television antenna makers Antennas Direct, and was interviewed by Absolute Punk and Leicester Bangs. The Patrick Lew Band has also been advertised on a past issue of Recording Magazine.
As a part of the Patrick Lew Band, it is important to do what’s entirely right for you and go for whatever makes you happy. They also believe that playing rock and roll music should be all about having fun and being 100% carefree when it comes to some things that goes against the music that you are making and putting out there. The band also has a strong Do-It-Yourself philosophy. The band also has a philosophy that “less is more.” The band has experienced many highs and lows during the last 14 years as a rock band, and doesn’t base their popularity and success through the amount of likes on their Facebook page or what music critics say about them in the press. The Patrick Lew Band also creates their own merchandise such as CDs and t-shirts themselves. When putting themselves out there locally or online, they will try their very hardest to promote themselves and expand their audience by putting out flyers anywhere they can, utilizing social-media, meeting new people, talking to people about what they do and much more.
The Patrick Lew Band feels very blessed to have to created this music for everyone to hear. And the band is very satisfied with how things turned out for them. There’s no stopping the PLB Army. 14 years of highs and lows only made these guys more passionate and driven about what they do, and their ambitions are running wild every album they record and put out and they always dream about being destined for greatness.
Your influences?
Dead Kennedys, Green Day, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Motley Crue, Tesla, White Lion, Mother Love Bone, AFI, The Deftones, Steelheart, Murder Bay, Steve Vai, Minor Threat, Guns N' Roses, John Lennon, Bad 4 Good, Silverchair, Def Leppard, Metallica
I was mostly influenced by 80's and 90's rock music. A little punk here and there. And of course, classic rock from my parent's generation.
I was mostly influenced by 80's and 90's rock music. A little punk here and there. And of course, classic rock from my parent's generation.
Favorite spot?
San Francisco, Boston, New York City, London, Toronto, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Taipei.
Equipment used:
Just anything we can get via retail or eBay. Budget model guitars, crappy amps, etc. We go digital when recording...
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