2001-05:
PLB joined forces in San Francisco, California, back in early 2001, with Patrick on guitar and vocals, Eddie on lead guitar and Tommy on drums. They would often sporadically practice on the weekends at home, and record demos and drop mixtapes locally. Around this period, the band would post their music online.
At the time, the band were still underage and attending high school in San Francisco.
During this period, PLB was training at the School of Rock. By 2005, the band was already declared "ready" by the Rock & Roll Dojo to pursue their music.
2006:
Between January 2006 to September 2006, David (drums) joined the band while attending a community college with Patrick. The band went into a local recording studio to cut an album with PLB. On November 15, 2006 (Patrick Lew's 21st birthday), the band would release their debut album JUMP! RATTLE! AND ROLL! worldwide via CDBaby. A band practice session held on May 8, 2006, would later be released as the EP Up The Wazoo!
2007:
The band PLB begins their first local tour performing at their alma mater City College of San Francisco and a few parks & recreational centers. Eddie (lead guitarist) departed the band PLB in June 2007, to focus more on his other bands and side-projects. Around this period, PLB had a revolving lineup of different members (temporary). Patrick Lew from the band also starts acting in community theater. On February 2, 2007, Patrick creates the Official PLB channel on YouTube and begins uploading rudimentary videos shortly on his YouTube.
2008:
The band PLB mostly begins a rebuilding process. Their first hit single ASIAN GIRLS goes viral online, leading to very mixed reactions on social-media. Their Chiptune arranged cover of the Nirvana song Drain You gets published and mentioned on the website NirvanaClub.com. Patrick Lew begins building a basic home recording studio setup through his college money, and moves to Antioch, California in November 2008 to live with his mother. He also begins attending CSU East Bay, majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Music Composition. PLB is rigorously active during this time.
2009:
PLB recruits three members (now currently blacklisted): Jeremy (lead guitar), Greg (guitar/vocals) and David Hunter (bass) to join alongside Patrick and David from the band.
The band PLB begins rehearsing in their home in Antioch, California. And begins long-term plans and goals for the project.
There were creative and professional differences with what the band wanted to do long-term. Patrick wanted the band to go further and expand. Whereas, the rest of the band was doubtful about pursuing a professional music career, preferring to keep PLB "underground" and as a hobby.
Nonetheless, 2009 was the first year the band PLB began achieving fame and notoriety. They were often recording ideas on their laptop and sharing their music online. The PLB song Everyone Loves Ashley (written about former Disney Channel star Ashley Tisdale) becomes the band's major breakthrough in the regional music scene.
Patrick begins taking his craft more seriously by taking music courses for his minor in college, and took most of Eddie's lead guitar role in the studio on the records. On October 30, 2009, Patrick began a common-law marriage (first serious relationship) with his former girlfriend.
On September 1, 2009, PLB performed an impromptu set on-campus at their alma mater CSU East Bay. Later that year on December 11, the band PLB would release their second album Let It Rise and Against worldwide via CDBaby and through iTunes. The album would later be hailed as Patrick Lew Band's best album by the music community and on social-media.
2010:
PLB is offered to do a benefit concert in September 2010 at UC Berkeley hosted by the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity on-campus. However, band conflicts and stress forced PLB to cancel their live appearance onstage.
Patrick briefly leaves Northern California to live in Lubbock, Texas for a few months with his girlfriend at the time.
He returned to the Bay Area in July 2010, and resumed his music career and studies at CSU East Bay. The band also performed a livestream concert in their rehearsal space in Antioch, California on May 9, 2010. Most of the band was absent, except for Patrick and Greg. PLB became an early adopter to live-streaming, a practice that would become the standard a decade later for bands to host concerts along with advancements in technology during COVID-19. The band (mostly Patrick and Greg) would tape live-stream appearances that year in their home in Antioch, later uploading some of their final results on PLB's YouTube channel.
Some time in late 2010, this version of PLB (Patrick and Greg mostly) recorded an EP of 6 or 7 cover songs (80's and 90's American Top 40 songs) in their home recording studio in Antioch, California. It was briefly uploaded online, until Greg wanted the recordings pulled off the Internet. Today unfortunately, the master tapes to this session no longer exist or in possession.
2011:
Patrick graduated from CSU East Bay on June 11, 2011 with a B.A. in Philosophy and a minor in Music Composition. Earlier that year on February 9, PLB would perform their song Matchmaker on-campus. A video of his live performance has since been digitally edited and uploaded on his YouTube channel.
The band PLB becomes indecisive about where to go as a band. Eventually, settling on the idea of remaining an Internet-based local band. They would decide later if they want to perform live onstage in front of audiences in Northern California. A lot of activity followed during the previous 18 months leading up to the June 2, 2011 release of their third album Murder Bay. The band (mostly just Patrick) was busy practicing, writing and recording many songs at home at the time. PLB would release their 3rd album worldwide for free initially on file-sharing websites. The album Murder Bay would later be re-released worldwide on Spotify, Apple Music and everywhere else around 2018.
PLB (mostly Patrick and Greg) would periodically perform in public in the Summer of 2011 in Antioch, California. And began live-streaming their performances directly on their YouTube and Facebook page.
Patrick eventually moved back to his hometown San Francisco by the end of August that year. Taking all his musical gear and the band PLB with him. Blacklisted former member Jeremy would quit PLB in July for personal differences within the group.
On September 24, 2011, PLB was ranked No. 2 most popular local rock band in Contra Costa County, California for a day or two on ReverbNation.
Earlier in the year, Patrick would do interviews for Absolute Punk and Leicester Bangs online.
2012:
PLB would begin work on a new album. Taking inspiration from X Japan's 1993 mini-album Art of Life, The Beatles song Revolution No. 9 and horror films. When presenting the idea to the rest of the remaining members involved in PLB, they were rejected. Undeterred, Patrick and his drummer David would lock themselves in Patrick's bedroom making music during mid-2012. This would become the EP Angry Yellow. The EP also marked a significant change in PLB's sound, borrowing elements from Dubstep, Prog-Rock and Electronic Music.
Angry Yellow would be released on Bandcamp and other places online for free in August 2012.
PLB (Patrick mostly) would perform at San Francisco's Dolores Park on February 4, 2012 in the early evening hours for the inaugural Mobzilla event.
In mid-2012, Patrick reconnected with Greg from the band to work on new music. And discuss long-term goals for PLB for another rebranding. Tensions grew increasingly cold and terse during these sessions. Greg wanted PLB to be a family-friendly Top 40 cover band that only performed in church, whereas Patrick wanted something different and opposite with PLB. Due to the increasing strain of the events, Patrick was unable to perform and operate under the PLB name for a few years. On September 5, 2012 on a Facebook post, Patrick announced the first breakup of the Patrick Lew Band.
Patrick decided to build a new band around him without using the name PLB, going under temporary band names such as Heavy Sigma and The Steel Lions. The original plan for this project was to busk all across San Francisco with Patrick playing guitar and singing in street corners and open mics spontaneously.
Some music made during this period, was initially going to be released on Bandcamp some time in 2013 with PLB. But due to strained relations with Greg and David Hunter and pending issues, this album would be delayed until January 1, 2021 and would later be released worldwide as the album No Sleep Till San Francisco! on all streaming platforms via CDBaby.
2013 & 2014:
PLB was inactive during this period. Patrick would periodically make music during these two years under the pseudonym The Steel Lions. This band idea would include Patrick and his drummer David from PLB as the tentative lineup. They performed two songs together at the Mama Art Cafe in San Francisco on September 13, 2013.
Much of his period is rather very dark and personal, as Patrick Lew was in the process of ending his six-year relationship with his then-girlfriend as things grew extremely complicated.
Patrick also begins working a traditional day job outside the music scene for the first time during this period.
Two months after his divorce from his then-girlfriend, Patrick did a personal televised interview on his YouTube channel to explain the matter and his intentions to return to music full-time on September 11, 2014.
During late 2014, Patrick was announced as a celebrity endorsement for the brand Antennas Direct. By this point, all personal matters were cleared with PLB and Patrick finally ended his personal and business relationship with both Greg and David Hunter from the Patrick Lew Band.
Which leads to...
2015 & 2016:
PLB returned full-time to music on January 2, 2015. Uploading several new demos online on their website. They begin building hype surrounding their return to music on social-media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
This time around, The Steel Lions band idea was merged with the newly rebranded and rebooted PLB with Patrick and his then-drummer David. This version of Patrick Lew Band that returned to music after a 2-year hiatus was a rebranding and complete overhaul. Patrick also booked studio time with his friend Erick Salazar (ex-Distorted Harmony drummer) at his San Francisco recording studio during 2015 to work on new music for the group.
PLB begins a very productive period during their 2nd run in the music scene. Making music, becoming online content creators and making public appearances. On July 3, 2015 during his Ambassador role with Antennas Direct, Patrick Lew was interviewed by a local K-Pop music television station. This would be his only televised appearance related to music on traditional media.
Patrick's long-lost relative Madeline Lew (created from cross-dressing and digital special effects) officially joined the Patrick Lew Band on October 31, 2015 as a bassist and full-time virtual band member. PLB drummer David's role in the band diminishes due to interests in other pursuits. Patrick originally intended to bring a female cosplaying alter-ego into the band as early as 2009.
By the end of 2015, Patrick began branching out of the Patrick Lew Band by playing guitar and bass for other local bands.
During 2016, PLB began selling their CDs (in limited quantity) at Amoeba in San Francisco and Berkeley. They would later be interviewed and guest featured by punk rock Internet radio station The Splat Radio by the end of the year. David Arceo would mutually part ways with the Patrick Lew Band in mid-2016 to pursue other endeavors.
After the sessions at Erick's recording studio, PLB began taking their work-in-progress via Dropbox in their own home studio to finish making their new album.
The band PLB also launched their own label Lewnatic Records (formerly known as The Promised Land) in their own house in San Francisco.
Once often derided by the press and audiences, the public began to take PLB more seriously by 2016 upon Madeline joining the group. Subsequent reception regarding Patrick Lew Band became more positive onward.
2017:
PLB's long-awaited album OAKLAND was released worldwide on all streaming platforms and on CD on Valentines Day. It was their first album to feature contributions from Madeline from PLB, and the final album to feature input from their drummer David.
Patrick and Madeline planned to promote the album publicly shortly after its release. Tragically, their mother Winnie passed away on April 8, 2017. Which postponed any future plans and events for PLB. Patrick was later hospitalized in the Summer, but was cleared medically to return to performing and touring with PLB before Summer ended.
During the Spring and Summer of 2017, PLB quietly worked intensively on new music at Lewnatic Records (also PLB HQ) in San Francisco. They would turn those sessions into a new album Cold Sirens, which was released worldwide as a digital album on August 20, 2017 on Spotify, Apple Music and every other major streaming app.
The band PLB began working with their booking agents MyAfton in mid-2017, and was tentatively scheduled to perform at Brick & Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco on August 6. The show was also advertised on-air by San Francisco classic rock radio station 107.7 THE BONE. Low ticket sales pushed their show to-be-rescheduled on October 8, 2017 instead. This live performance was filmed and later uploaded on both Patrick and Madeline's YouTube channels.
It would also become PLB's final public appearance in almost three years.
The band PLB would take a lengthy leave-of-absence caused by the passing of their mother. For the next three years, Patrick would play music with other local bands. Madeline would often make prominent appearances online during this period on social-media despite the sabbatical.
2020 - Present:
PLB would make their shocking return to music full-time on March 17, 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the entire world.
Patrick's plan and reasoning for bringing back PLB was to finish unsettled goals from where they left off three years prior. And to make the Patrick Lew Band bigger, better and badder than before. The goals would be realized successfully. This was PLB's most successful and profitable period to date.
During 2020, PLB was featured in numerous press and music related blogs online. On June 13, 2020, Patrick was interviewed via FaceTime in Japan from the Baka Broadcast on that week's edition of The Bantercast.
The band PLB was also heavily active on YouTube and social-media. By this point, their algorithms and fan base skyrocketed slightly online. By the end of 2020, at least 43 countries worldwide heard Patrick Lew Band either through YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music or elsewhere. The band PLB also performed a couple live-stream concerts in 2020 and two live-stream performances in early 2021. By this point, technology has advanced well enough to do PLB under these conditions.
Madeline would also be heavily involved in PLB's creative process, lending her vocals on some new tracks. Breaking the 4th Wall: Her singing voice was created through VOCALOID 5 and her likeness was now being created through Gender Swapping and Reface apps on iPhone.
During 2020, Madeline Lew from PLB would begin releasing her own solo material via A.I. With a more Video Game Music type of sound.
The band PLB would release a large quantity of new music between 2020 and 2022 digitally. And expanded their online content and community outreach worldwide.
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