1. Start by keeping it as a Patrick Lew solo project.
Like how it was after my good friend David mutually departed Patrick Lew Band in mid-2016, the PLB was mostly a Patrick Lew solo project from there. With the introduction of a "crossdressing" alter ego introduced into the band as a "virtual" band member and mascot named Sister Madeline Lew, ever since David left the band on good terms to pursue other life avenues...It gave Patrick Lew Band more creative freedom to be what was intended to be. Like the social-media presentation, the music and etc etc.
Even before David's departure from the drum kit, Patrick Lew Band was a dysfunctional and derelict type of garage band. Where toxicity and polar opposites in creative direction, relationships and different goals for the band tore it all apart.
The 2015 return of PLB was mostly seen more as a "reboot" of the entire band rather than a band reunion with all former members. With Patrick Lew as the bandleader and primary composer of the band, it gives the PLB more opportunity to be themselves and enough creative and personal control over the music and the brand.
2. Taking the band off the road.
Unlike Patrick Lew's branching out towards his work with other bands such as TheVerse, Pleasure Gallows and Benigneglect, which were based mostly on live shows and performances. Like The Beatles, very few people have actually witnessed Patrick Lew Band live and onstage.
Also, Patrick Lew Band was one of those acts in the indies that didn't really enjoy touring as much for different reasons. So with that being said, the concert timeline of PLB is very limited and sporadic/intermittent. However, with improvements and advancements in technology...Patrick Lew Band made most of their impact as a home recording band, putting it up online and digitally distributing all the full-length albums, EPs and singles on Spotify, Apple Music and our YouTube channel.
With difficulties seizing bookings outside of Afton with Patrick Lew Band, and other personal difficulties in the live aspects as a solo act. Patrick Lew Band only prefers a limited amount of tour dates annually. Patrick once said, "he can't do more than 4 shows per week for a myriad of reasons. Aging and health related being one of them." He also said that doing less shows enables him to perform his best onstage.
And that being said, less is more for the fans. Quality over quantity. With COVID-19 pandemic still in full effect, like a lot of other bands using live streaming as a source of keeping their audiences up-to-date. Since bands aren't allowed to play mass gatherings at live venues amidst the pandemic, a lot of bands are now utilizing live streaming of in-house performances to sustain themselves.
To keep the budget tight and ensure Patrick's long-term health won't be affected by doing too many live appearances outside the studio, Patrick Lew Band has announced the recurring In Your House 2020-21 Concert Tour. Which is basically going to be pre-taped live performances at Patrick Lew's home recording studio in San Francisco, and with advancements in technology and digital video editing, edited and polished as a presentable and passable concert video and instantly premiering them on YouTube, typically at 4 PM on Sundays.
To keep up with frugal cost-friendly ventures and to avoid long-term risk factors with Patrick Lew Band, touring will be limited to sporadic appearances annually. Expect at least 5 In Your House concert videos to be uploaded yearly on Patrick Lew's YouTube channel.
3. Ability to branch out.
Patrick Lew Band returned to the music scene on March 17, 2020 via Instagram and Facebook post. Unifying both Lewnatic and Patrick Lew Band into one, well, Patrick Lew Band.
However, like wrestlers who are not exclusive to WWE but contracted to other promotions like AEW, which enables wrestlers to work with other organizations in affiliation. Patrick and his alter ego Madeline will not just be exclusive to just Patrick Lew Band.
Since the end of 2017, PLB drifted into doing one-off and very sporadic appearances.
All because of Patrick branching out to playing with other Bay Area bands such as TheVerse, Pleasure Gallows, Benigneglect, Crazy Loser in a Box...And there's probably going to be more bands that Pat will play guitar or bass with in the future.
Patrick personally doesn't enjoy touring as a solo act, but enjoys touring and playing shows with other bands. It usually takes the pressure, stress and anxiety away from him as a solo live performer and enable him to focus on his main strengths as a musician, playing the guitar.
He won't necessarily be a bandleader, and he definitely wasn't in TheVerse. But he will be able to take the pressure off by stepping down from that bandleader role and focus more on playing the guitar or bass in the band. Patrick also thinks it's important to play with other musicians. Thinking, it's always more fun to do it that way.
However, any band outside of Patrick Lew Band and its 2012-2017 stop-gap band Steel Lions will not be exclusive to his record label Lewnatic Records. It also increases the prolific nature and qualities of Patrick Lew and adds more credentials in his music.
4. Keeping it real.
Patrick Lew feels Patrick Lew Band should remain an independent rock act away from the major labels and music industry sharks. And he is perhaps right about that.
After many years of playing with PLB, he's realized that Patrick Lew Band is too raw, experimental and not as accessible for Top 40 rock music platforms and all audiences. If this were wrestling, Patrick Lew Band would be equivalent to Impact Wrestling or MLW. Whereas, TheVerse was PG Era WWE and Pleasure Gallows was CZW.
While the Patrick Lew Band of today isn't necessarily garage band quality music, the music of course has gotten a little more sophisticated and now has better studio production...Yet, it still has that raw sound. Patrick Lew Band's music was always based on passion and emotions.
The music itself is very unconventional, so not a lot of mainstream music fans will buy into it.
Patrick Lew Band's music is equivalent to indie wrestling or the glory days of the original ECW like playing punk rock at bingo halls or dive bars.
With advancements in technology, the production values are not necessarily lo-fi but it's passable enough to be considered "almost" professional sounding.
Patrick wants PLB to be authenticity and passion. Not mainstream popularity.
5. Increased Online Content.
Chances are, if you go on one of Patrick Lew Band's music pages online. There's about 270 tracks on that website directly from Patrick Lew Band!
PLB launched their YouTube way back on February 2, 2007. But it would be over a decade before increased and more qualitative content and videos would be posted and accessed through their YouTube channel. Alongside, the number of social-media followers increased, but the larger numbers only began becoming more prominent following PLB's first visit back home to Japan last year.
Right now, there's 457 YouTube videos under Patrick Lew Band's YouTube channel. Patrick Lew's personal Instagram was created some time on August 2014. There is now almost 15,000 posts and photos under his account on Instagram since the first day it launched!
Even on streaming apps like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube...Patrick Lew Band has nine full-length albums you can listen to or cherry-pick the songs out of like a personal playlist. According to YouTube, there's at least 170 tracks associated with Patrick Lew Band that can be streamed that has seen worldwide release on digital music platforms.
The increase in content is intended to build a legacy, impact and perhaps gain more new fans and listeners by having as much content available as possible.
Recently, Patrick Lew Band has released a few EPs and two full-length albums as of 2020. New music from PLB will continue to be released on streaming apps like Spotify through PLB's main distributor CDBaby.com on behalf of Lewnatic Records. Whereas, Patrick Lew Band will be releasing and posting their B-list material or C-list material albums on their Bandcamp page as a digital download.
A new album for Patrick Lew Band is rumored to be in the works right now at Lewnatic HQ. But as any other PLB record before, it's going to be an unpredictable surprise and will take some time. Studio autonomy, playing with other bands and Patrick's meticulous attitude when it comes to making new music being the reasons. In short, it will take awhile perhaps. The increased content available for PLB is like the Library of Congress or an artist exclusive Sirius XM station. The purpose behind it is to take it worldwide, see what comes out of it and build a legacy and make an impact.
LINK: facebook.com/patricklewband
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