THE STEEL LIONS BAND BIOGRAPHY

We are a rock and roll garage band from Taiwan. Creating adrenaline fueled and testosterone pumping Instrumental hard rock. No, we won't change America or become poster boys for the scene. But we will rock you.
Our music career can be summed like this: Patrick started out as a fan of rock music and then he went out and bought a guitar and amp. Then he began playing music with a few friends in a garage band. Making a bunch of random sh*** and recording some actually decent songs on a computer. And because everything is all digital now, we put ourselves out there on the Internet. If they were lucky and have it all together...They would get to play a show at a bar/club here in the Bay Area.

Basically, we're a garage band making some ratchet noise here in San Francisco. But with the power of social-media, there's people from Hong Kong all the way to Latin America who listened to Patrick Lew Band and The Steel Lions on Spotify.

In Patrick's words... I started doing music equivalent to what kids do with backyard wrestling. Playing punk rock music untrained on an instrument in my garage. Mimicking the sh*** I heard on the radio in a bad way. That was in high school. I'm mostly a hobbyist when it comes to music but to a certain extent, I could be semi-pro now as of last year.

What I mean by semi-pro: Playing live in front an audience at a local venue that features local music, having a CD sold in a record store, winning an award related to the music business. And etc etc.

THE STEEL LIONS

Active: 2010s
Formed: 2012 in Antioch, CA
Genre: HARD ROCK

Group Members:
Patrick Lew: lead vocals, guitar, bass
Madeline Lew: virtual drums, electronics

Former Members:
David Arceo: drums, electronics

Discography
Taiwanese Rebels (2012)
Voyager (2013)
Unfinished Relics (2016)

Why this name?

Patrick: The Steel Lions name is a hybrid of two hair metal bands I grew up listening to: Steelheart and White Lion.

Do you play live?

Patrick: I've had some experience with live performing as a member of Patrick Lew Band between 2009 to 2012 and filling in on bass for the SF punk band The Tortured for two gigs in 2016. But 95% of my musical output and creative process is at my home recording studio in good ol San Francisco. Where me and my friends is often jamming and throwing our own garage band party. And of course, we would be recording here too as well. Most of the time, I'm the type of artist who focuses solely on recording and putting myself out there on social-media. Guess I got that influence from The Beatles.

David: I think there's one show we did back in 2013. We played at the Mama Art Cafe.

Madeline: We don't really play shows much, but we do jam and play music a lot in our garage.

How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?

Patrick: You're hearing us right now. That's how! But the little fish in the little pond can finally get themselves heard and put themselves more out there than they could have imagined. A lot of my friends know more about good music now because of the Internet.

Would you sign a record contract with a major label?

Patrick: I will never sign with another label again. Ever! I'm keeping myself independent as a musician. Seeing where it goes from here since technology opened up many different possibilities to put ourselves out there. That's why we created our own label, The Promised Land Recordings. To have 100% ownership over everything we do and do the business ourselves.

David: No. We're keeping ourselves underground.

Madeline: It depends. Maybe. We'll see!

Band History:

We created The Steel Lions originally as a side project for Patrick's ideas that were rejected by his ex-bandmates from the old Patrick Lew Band when Greg was the band's co-leader. It eventually evolved into a reboot of PLB later on, with Patrick and David involved. Think of Steel Lions like Foxboro Hot Tubs is for Green Day. Then in 2015, our friend from the band Neverfade Erick began producing and helping out with our music in the studio. After we had a hard time trying to complete the album Unfinished Relics at Erick's studio, he sent us the files via email and we began finishing the album at Patrick's home studio doing all the self-production, engineering, overdubbing and everything else on our own time. Kind of like how Patrick Lew Band would record their album Murder Bay in separate home studios.

The Steel Lions, which is us of course! Would put ourselves out there online and release the album Unfinished Relics on May 12, 2016 through CDBaby, iTunes and Spotify. 

Your influences?

Mother Love Bone * Nirvana * Pearl Jam * Guns N Roses * Green Day * Blink 182 * The Sex Pistols * The Beatles * The Rolling Stones * The White Stripes * Marilyn Manson * Tesla * Def Leppard * Silverchair * Metallica * White Lion * The Sex Pistols * Oasis *Beyond (Hong Kong Band) *The Fall * U2 * Bon Jovi.

Favorite spot?

Our home recording studio in San Francisco. Where we run our band and business.

Anything else...?

The audience is listening. 

“Hey Patrick! Props for doing what you do and not ignoring your dream. I'm still trying to figure it all out on my end as I'm pretty new to being an artist and am terrified half the time. It can be quit an adventure at times with all the highs and lows that come with carving out a path as an artist. All the best to you, Olivia”
- Olivia Cheng (Chinese Canadian Actress), Email (Feb 18, 2009)

“Punk mojo with a positive message. Whodathunk it? Well done dood! (commenting on "Love With a Spell")
- Mark Wilson, Soundclick Critics Corner

“I initially subscribed because of? your Junko Furuta video, then I looked at some of your other videos, and you're extremely talented. I'm surprised you don't have more subscribers.”
- TheOwlKing1996@YouTube.com, Patrick Lew's YouTube (Nov 09, 2011)

“PLB - Love With A Spell (Demo) More tight and confident than some of the entries last year by Patrick Lew, but still with a raw punk attitude. Some of the words are hard to understand, but the message comes through strong.”
- Bill, Soundclick Critics Corner (Jun 10, 2013)

“You are unique and that's good. Keep trying you can only get better. There's room for every genre of music. No one genre is better than the others. I think you could make this unique genre but try to consider making your backing track ( chord progression) more connected to your melody or the opposite. I suggest reading : How Music Really Works by Wayne Chase You'll find it on the internet I read a good part of it and experimented some of the things it covers when I came back to music after I had quit for 30 years +. For the genre of music I'm favoring it helped me and it might help you with your own genre of music. It dont mean you have to follow a given formula but knowing about some basic things help.”
- Densyl, Soundclick Critics Corner (Jun 14, 2013)

“I am quite familiar with the music of Patrick Lew (Steel Lions and various other names) and I welcome him back to the showcase. I find it amusing to get the take of others who are not familiar with his brand of ‘disconnected’ music. It is true that each element in his music is never aligned with another … it is almost amazing that he can do it (try it yourself and you will fail). But this is Patrick and his approach is purely straight ahead pouring out his feelings while pouring out his instrumental segments which are from some other part of his consciousness. Strange that it works for me because I just concentrate on his message which is here one of contentment. I don’t know that you can listen to Patrick for pleasure, but he will always let you know how he feels which is often a good purpose for anyone’s music. ”
- Larry Ludwick, Soundclick Critics Corner (Jun 12, 2013)

"The phrase, guitar hero has been tossed around lately with an almost casual disregard, but Patrick Lew embodies many of the qualities one needs to have to truly be a guitar hero. Through the years hes worked his way up from being a young Taiwanese boy with a passion for music, to a one-man, garage, punk, grunge, hard rock band. By always remaining true to himself, true to his music, and true to his artistic vision, Patrick Lew has created in the Patrick Lew Band and Heavy Sigma, a dynamic sound, unparalleled in the burgeoning music industry." - Heath Andrews (Reviewyou.com - Spring 2012)

“Punk is still alive! There's something youthful and energetic about it that I've got to admire, but I've probably grown out of it myself, having discovered major sevenths and other stuff. Nice lyrics with a kicking tune. Kids having fun. That's how rock and roll was born. (commenting on "Build and Wash Away" by Heavy Sigma)”
Tim - Soundclick Critics Corner

“A very different take on the Patrick Lew Band; it’s good to see Patrick return.”
Bill @ Soundclick.com - Soundclick Critics Corner Showcase

“Haters are going to hate, People are going to say shit. F*** them. Don't let them get to you. Be this man. continue making more music. Be the musician you know you can be. do it for you. If you need/want to, do it for fans too. who gives a f*** if people talk? They are jealous of your creativity. I love you man. Thanks for being a friend and brother. i have a life so do you. Let's continue this road trip.”
David Arceo (Bandmate/Friend)

“Patrick Lew is the coolest rockstar I know, he's the f***ing most rad Japanese/Taiwanese person ever and I'm glad he's my brother. If you don't like his bands than you're just a dumb lil cat lackin glands. HE RAWKS!! much love.” Joe Chiodo - Fan Messages via Facebook

“Compared to older tracks by Patrick, and you can't really compare him to anyone but himself, this is a shade or two more sophisticated, especially the drums. On the surface it sounds like angry protest music but the lyrics are quite the opposite. For some reason the term Surf Metal comes to mind. As far as the general sound goes I'd say it was phat enough.”
Ralph Atkinson

PATRICK LEW BAND STORY

PATRICK LEW BAND

Active: 2000s, 2010s
Formed: 2001 in San Francisco, CA
Styles: Hard Rock, Alternative Rock, Grunge, Punk

Group Members: Patrick Lew (2001-2012; 2015-Present), David Arceo (2006-2012; 2015-2016), Eddie Blackburn (2001-2005; 2007), Jeremy Alfonso (2009-2011), Greg Lynch (2009-2012), David Hunter (2009-2012), Tommy Loi (2001-2005), Madeline Lew (2015-Present)

Related Bands: Nocturnal Rock Turtles, Distorted Harmony, TheVerse, The Steel Lions, OC Bay, Band of Asians, The Tortured

Discography:

Studio Albums:
Psychotic Love (2003)
Curb Your Wild Life (2009)
Let It Rise And Against (2009)
Murder Bay (2011)
To the Promised Land (2015)
Bubblegum Babylon (2015)
Oakland (2017)

Home Videos:
Live, Tonight, Not Really Sold Out, LMAO (2016)

EPs:
Fire in the Sky (2016)
Shortcuts to Fame (2016)

Demos:
Live! Like a Garage Band (2002)

“Be Yourself. Imitation is suicide.”

This is one of the creeds that 31 year old singer, songwriter, and guitarist Patrick Lew has lived by in his life, and his music. Born in San Francisco CA, Lew is a second generation Asian-American of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese descent, now based out of Antioch, CA. Whether by fate or coincidence, the eclecticism of Lew’s heritage is mirrored by the path his music has taken. Sometimes it’s credited to his Patrick Lew Band, and other times to his musical pseudonym, The Steel Lions, but the music is always a raw and loose mix of garage punk, grunge, and no nonsense rock and roll. Lew has been spending well over a decade practicing his craft, perfecting his sound, building an internet fan base, and putting himself into a position to take the music community by storm.

The Patrick Lew Band’s story doesn’t start off too atypically, it’s the age-old tale of a young thirteen year-old boy that picks up the guitar and finds out that rock & roll makes life a whole lot cooler than what it was. Flash forward through the years of friends, start-up bands, school, life in general, and eventually Lew found himself playing with his group, Band of Asians before having to invest his energies fulltime into college. Once he enrolled in California State University, going for his B.A. in Philosophy and Music, Lew found himself too busy to keep performing live. His musical talent still flourished in his writing and self-recording, especially partway through college in 2009. It was around this point that he began investing time into the Patrick Lew Band.

While primarily a rhythm guitar player, Lew’s been able to self-record much of his own music with a larger band sound by picking up the bass and programming some drum and percussion tracks to accompany him. Through the magic of the internet and home recording equipment, Lew’s also been able to collaborate with a lot of different musicians over the last ten years, each of them contributing to the library of songs in Lew’s arsenal. The legion of talented performers has included drummers David Arceo and Tommy Loi, basisst David Hunter and guitarists Eddie Blackburn, Greg Lynch and Jeremy Alfonso.

Amongst the reasons why so many musicians have been willing to lend their skills to the Patrick Lew Band and its various forms are the uniqueness and the sheer quality of the music Lew creates. With influences that span four decades worth of music, Lew has developed a sonic blend, inspired by some of the best guitarists and songwriters in the history of popular music. Musicians like Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac, Paul McCartney, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and songwriters like John Lennon, Joe Stummer of The Clash, Eddie Vedder, Noel Gallagher; they all have impacted Lew and elements of their work show up in his.

Most of Lew’s material is instrumental, and self-described as well as described by others as “garage punk and grunge meets 70’s classic rock.” When Lew does sing, his voice has been compared to Kurt Cobain’s and Liam Gallagher’s, a compliment held in high esteem by Lew, considering his love for those musicians. Regardless of vocal comparisons, Lew defines himself as an “unconventional yet interesting punk rock musician.” He fully acknowledges that some of his east coast contemporaries may be making music that’s more “radio-friendly,” but stylistically, Lew would, “If presented with the choice, I’d rather be an artist than an entertainer.” Ever since leaving Band of Asians, this is the direction his music has gone in, and the results have been very impressive.

Patrick Lew Band and Steel Lions has steadily been gaining popularity due to the entrepreneurial efforts of Patrick Lew and David Arceo. Popular independent music website, ReverbNation.com ranked the band as the #1 group on the Punk genre charts from the Contra Costa County section of the Bay Area in 2012, and again, in 2016 in Taipei, Taiwan. Similar distinctions have been earned from the continued success of Lew’s music on other musical websites such as SoundCloud and SoundClick. Full versions of several of Lew’s songs can be found on these sites, and the reviews coming in have been stellar:

“I swear when it comes time to hear a tune by Patrick in our Critics Corner contest…I have an odd tingly feeling like you get when you realize the unexpected is happening.” Larry Ludwick – Sounclick.com Critics Corner

“Patrick is a great believer in free music, free thought, and his music reflects that; so it’s best not to expect too much in the way of conventional structure or any of the rigors of ‘normal’ music standards.” Steve Gilmore’s Rebel Riffs (Indie Music Reviews)

“Patrick has good form, direction, energy, and an ability to beautifully convey organize chaos. Great stuff!” Howard Billington’s Indie Music Podcast

“Patrick stands firm in his relationship with his style and nothing anyone can say will sway him. For this, I applaud him.” Gabriel – Soundclick.com Critics Corner

In Patrick’s own words, “I want to be successful in my music career by playing gigs across America and overseas, while making great and interesting rock & roll music in the studio. Then I can help give back to the local music scene that I found my muse in.” That success may have originally been coming in fits and spurts, but the last few years have seen a consistent string of album releases. 2009 brought about the releases of Curb Your Wild Life and Let it Rise and Against. These were followed up by 2011’s Murder Bay, 2015's To the Promised Land and Bubblegum Babylon and 2017's Oakland. And if you want to hear the progression of Lew’s music, you can also find the albums he released with Band of Asians, Band of Asians, Live!, Revenge, and The I Product. All of Lew’s catalog can be purchased through iTunes.

The phrase, “guitar hero” has been tossed around lately with an almost casual disregard, but Patrick Lew embodies many of the qualities one needs to have to truly be a guitar hero. Through the years he’s worked his way up from being a young Taiwanese boy with a passion for music, to a one-man, garage, punk, grunge, hard rock band. By always remaining true to himself, true to his music, and true to his artistic vision, Patrick Lew has created in the Patrick Lew Band and Steel Lions, a dynamic sound, unparalleled in the burgeoning music industry.

Written by Heath Andrews (www.reviewyou.com)

PATRICK LEW AWARDS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Sexy Asian Guitarist (MySpace, 2005)

Up-and-Coming Artists (with Band of Asians) (DMusic, 2007)

Soundclick 10th Anniversary Songwriters Contest Quarter Finalist (with Band of Asians) (Soundclick, 2007)

Most Hated Artist of the Year (Soundclick, 2008 and 2010)

Number 1 Local Punk Artist (with Patrick Lew Band) (Antioch, CA - ReverbNation, 2011)

Number 1 Local Punk Artist (with Steel Lions) (Antioch, CA - ReverbNation, 2012)

Celebrity Endorsement (Antennas Direct, 2015)

Distinguished CSU Alumni Nominee (CSU East Bay, 2015)

2015 Comeback of the Year Nominee (Unknown Source, 2015)

Number 1 Local Rock Artist (with Patrick Lew Band) (Taipei, Taiwan - ReverbNation, 2016)

July 2016 Akademia Music Award Winner ("Game Changer" with Patrick Lew Band) (Experimental Rock - Akademia Music Awards, 2016)

Number 1 Alternative Rock Cover Song ("Slipping Away" from Sum 41 with Patrick Lew Band) (Soundclick, 2017)

Number 1 Local Rock Artist (with Steel Lions) (Taipei, Taiwan - ReverbNation, 2017)

Why this name?

Before 2008, Patrick Lew Band was known as Samurai Sorcerers.
Around the Summer 2008, when we became an online collaboration with friends from school at first. That's when the name was officially changed to Patrick Lew Band. Not to sound conceited, it does have a ring to it!

Do you play live?

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 to put myself out there. Like I would sit in my home studio, record some songs and put it out there on Spotify and iTunes to supplement my income along with my 9 to 5 job. I have toured with Patrick Lew Band sporadically between 2009 to 2012.

I also have filled in for the local San Francisco punk band The Tortured a few times as a bassist for a few shows in 2016. Their bass player left the band and moved to a different State and they asked people on their Facebook page if anyone played bass, so I contacted them and I got to do a few shows with them filling in. I also played at The Stork Club in Oakland, CA with TheVerse, the same venue that Green Day had performed. The audio recording for TheVerse's show can be found on my YouTube.

But my main focus as a musician is through home recording. And making my records look like a HUGE art project for the most part. If I have to play another show and can't find touring musicians to either be my sidemen (AKA mercenaries) or form a stable lineup which I'm willing to give up my rights to my music. I'm just gonna say F it and use backing tracks from my BOSS Dr. Rhythm machine or laptop and just play the guitar. If it makes it any easier no matter how tacky it sounds. Lol. That's if. I play live again. Eureka! I've honestly never thought about that until now.

PATRICK LEW BAND CONCERT CHRONOLOGY
Date / Venue / Location
Oct 07, 2016 Red Hat in Concord, CA
Oct 02, 2016 The Honey Hive Gallery in San Francisco, CA
May 18, 2016 The Stork Club in Oakland, CA
May 10, 2016 The Blizzard of Sound in San Francisco, CA
Jan 11, 2016 The Blizzard of Sound in San Francisco, CA
Oct 28, 2015 Music Touch at Shops At Tanforan in San Bruno, CA
Aug 14, 2015 Cafe International in San Francisco, CA
Sep 13, 2013 Mama Art Cafe in San Francisco, CA
Feb 04, 2012 Dolores Park in San Francisco, CA
Aug 05, 2011 Chichibu Park in Antioch, CA
Jun 25, 2011 The Blizzard of Sound in Antioch, CA
Jun 12, 2011 Barnes & Nobles in Antioch, CA
Jun 04, 2011 The Blizzard of Sound in Antioch, CA
Feb 09, 2011 California State University, East Bay in Hayward, CA
Sep 01, 2009 California State University, East Bay in Hayward, CA
Oct 10, 2007 City College of San Francisco in San Francisco, CA
Aug 11, 2007 Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA
Aug 10, 2007 Bazaar Cafe in San Francisco, CA
May 25, 2007 San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, CA
May 02, 2007 City College of San Francisco in San Francisco, CA
Apr 13, 2007 Glen Park Recreational Center in San Francisco, CA
Mar 25, 2007 City College of San Francisco in San Francisco, CA
May 08, 2006 Vibo Music in San Francisco, CA
Feb 13, 2005 Balboa High School in San Francisco, CA
Sep 12, 2004 Patrick Lew's House in San Francisco, CA
May 27, 2004 Raoul Wallenberg High School in San Francisco, CA
May 04, 2004 Raoul Wallenberg High School in San Francisco, CA
Jun 16, 2003 Ocean Beach in San Francisco, CA

How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?

The lesser known can finally get heard and put themselves out there.

Would you sign a record contract with a major label?

Preferably with an indie label. As long as they provide me the right accommodations as far as creativity and salary. everything else.

I started my own indie label called The Promised Land which is a digital multimedia venture where I release anything Patrick Lew Band or Steel Lions related such as music, YouTube videos, photos and everything else. I also run Promised Land Inc exclusively as a home recording studio for my bands and solo projects to rehearse, jam and record.

After many problems with getting my music out there through more traditional forms of distribution and exposure in the music business, I created this indie label as a way of getting my body of musical work with Patrick Lew Band and Steel Lions out there today in the digital age. I am basically running an indie record label and music business in my own home for the most part and being my own boss.

The Promised Land Inc is a limited liability company ran solely by Patrick Lew and is based out of San Francisco, California.

Your influences?

Nirvana * Pearl Jam * Green Day * Blink 182 * Mother Love Bone * Guns N Roses * Tesla * U2 * The Beatles * The Fall * Def Leppard * Bon Jovi * The White Stripes * Silverchair * Dead Kennedys * Metallica * The Sex Pistols * Oasis * The Stone Roses * Jim Johnston * Steve Vai * Coheed and Cambria

Favorite spot?

San Francisco, Boston, New York City, London, Toronto, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Taipei.

Equipment used:

Epiphone Les Paul * 2008 iMac * 2014 MacBook Air * Apple GarageBand * Apple Logic Pro X * Vox AC30 * Line6 TonePort * Digitech RP50 Multi-Effects * Boss DS-2 * Fender 25 Watt Frontman

2016: Year In Review

2016 was an infamous year for many reasons: Celebrities dying and hardships that my close friends were dealing with.

Overall, I had an easier time in 2016 than I did in 2015. Mostly due to the fact that I bought my first car, continued my friendships with the right people from the year before and I accomplished things with my music. As far as the music goes:

I played with SF punk band The Tortured as a fill-in bass player for two shows.

I had my album with Patrick Lew Band sold at Amoeba Music in Berkeley.

I won the July 2016 Akademia Music Awards for Experimental Rock with the Patrick Lew Band and our song Game Changer.

I played a show at Stork Club with my band TheVerse in May.

Aside from music, I felt that this year was more laid back than 2015 was overall. But the shitty thing about this year aside from the celebrities dying is not having a steady girlfriend or feeling under appreciated for my efforts. And not recuperating the money I lost that my ex girlfriend Momo caused me to lose. But it is what it is.

I now live with my best friend Kurt as my roommate in the City by the Bay. Which has been an awesome experience!

I did have a strange feud with my former fiancee Faith behind closed doors which was brought on by her negativity which never got conclusively settled. But Karma’s inevitable someday!

Despite my accomplishments in 2016 with music, which I think no matter what people say or think about Patrick Lew Band, this was my first breakout year in independent music. There’s only more to come in 2017!

If there was one thing I would change about 2016. Not much really. Except the celebrities dying and that former fiancee Faith from talking shit behind closed doors you know I mean?

But I feel like 2017 has a lot to offer for me. I’m done with the negativity of course, and I’m gonna march into 2017 as a stronger better person and achieve more things with my music of course and make that bread and butter as always.

Until then, peace be with you. Let’s hope your 2017 will be glorious!

The Roots and Origins of the Patrick Lew Band

The roots and origins of the Patrick Lew Band lie at Raoul Wallenberg High School in 2001 with a few teenagers making ratchet noise in their own garage in an amateur punk band called Samurai Sorcerers...

Samurai Sorcerers (also known as Famiglia) were an American garage punk band, formed by Patrick Lew in San Francisco in 2001, which eventually evolved into the Patrick Lew Band in 2008. Originally consisting of Lew and several schoolmates from Raoul Wallenberg High School and City College of San Francisco, the Samurai Sorcerers took their name from Lew’s fascination with his Japanese heritage and culture, particularly Anime. Lew began playing guitar at the age of 14 and began taking a few guitar lessons before shortly self-teaching himself how to play music.

Lew started a one-man punk project briefly under the name Famiglia, but changed the name to Samurai Sorcerers upon meeting his close friends and schoolmates Eddie Blackburn and Tommy Loi from high school. Some sources credit Lew coming up with the name Samurai Sorcerers, while other accounts credit his close friend Blackburn with the new name. The Samurai Sorcerers would mostly jam and play music at Blackburn’s house in the Marina District in San Francisco, record demos and song ideas using a four-track cassette recorder and would play at house parties, school, amateur local events until Lew began collaborating with his friends Zack Huang and David Arceo from City College in 2005, looking to take the local music scene seriously by forming the post-hardcore band Band of Asians while Blackburn began playing lead guitar in a variety of other projects with friends, including touring locally with his band Nocturnal Rock Turtles. Lew graduated from Wallenberg High School in 2003, while Blackburn graduated in 2006.

The group would record a large amount of amateur material in Blackburn’s home using a four-track cassette Portastudio. This included Patrick Lew Band’s official debut album Psychotic Love, which was later rechristened as Patrick Lew Band’s first indie recording featuring jam sessions, fragments of song ideas and rehearsals of raw material, which included Blackburn performing a cover of the Peter Frampton song “Baby I Love Your Way”. The band Samurai Sorcerers would get their start in the music business by posting their music on the Internet on several different websites, including MySpace and Soundclick.

Eventually, Lew would place more focus on Band of Asians during the mid 2000s in the studio and performing locally. Eventually, Lew and Blackburn would drift apart by 2007 and following a short tour across park and recreational centers in San Francisco and a dwindling lineup of band members, the Band of Asians would amicably break up in April 2008. This left only Lew and Arceo to still collaborate together creatively and to remain close friends, which they decided to perform under a variety of names, including Your Audio 2 Riot, Dexter Rotten and even playing music together under the Samurai Sorcerers name for a short while. Patrick Lew began putting his music more out there online, in hopes of becoming more recognized for his hard work.

In August 2008 through a personal blog, the Samurai Sorcerers group officially changed their name to Patrick Lew Band, and went onto have an interesting recording career in the local Bay Area music scene. The Patrick Lew Band would slowly but surely move away from their lo-fi garage punk sound to attempt a more new and fresh take on late 80’s and early 90’s influenced American hard rock. As of 2017, the Patrick Lew Band has released several home-recorded studio albums, EPs and a concert DVD independently through their own label The Promised Land Recordings and managed to achieve some minor success in the independents.

The Patrick Lew Band Story

The Patrick Lew Band Story

PATRICK LEW·SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2016

2001-2005: Early Years Known under names such as Famiglia and Samurai Sorcerers until becoming a full-fledged project in 2008, Patrick Lew Band formed in May 2001 and quickly became the bread and butter for Patrick Lew on social-media. Mainly being the solo project for the Taiwanese rocker and artist, but with sometimes contributions from his friends. Around this same time in 2001 when Lew and Loi were high school freshmen, they began promoting their demo MP3’s of songs they wrote and recorded on the Internet. In the summer of 2001, Patrick Lew played his first concert as an Internet and Bay Area rock musician as a busker and attendee at Vans Warped Tour 2001, playing guitar with his schoolmates at a tent where musical equipment was free to test out for the punk music festival’s attendees. At the time, the band was known under the names Famiglia and Samurai Sorcerers, because Lew and the rest of his band couldn’t figure out an official band name for themselves at the time. They returned to their priorities in San Francisco during 2002, although drummer Tommy Loi dropped out early in the year to focus on his college prep studies and getting a good education. Blackburn settled on lead guitar, and Lew played rhythm guitar and sang most of their music. There was a problem however, they didn’t had a live drummer for recording and live performing. So to solve the problem for the time, they went to a store and bought a drum machine or used drum backing tracks off Lew’s laptop onstage for live performing. In mid-2002, Patrick Lew (minus Loi) made his first recordings for his solo band. The music of Patrick Lew had barely developed at this stage, and these recordings were sloppy originals and amateur-ish tape recorded Rock And Roll music at best. And Lew’s songwriting at the time dealt with more fiction such as early songs such as “Drug Commercial” and “Mr. Gullible” These recordings were done on a 4-track, and became Patrick Lew’s first demo “Live! Like a Garage Band!” Only 25 to 50 copies of this demo tape were made reportedly, to hand to their schoolmates and family. Samura Sorcerers received an opportunity off an email through their Soundclick.com music page by Statue Records. Signing a record deal (though it was later to be revealed as a SCAM by Statue). In 2003, Patrick Lew followed the same avenues as they did the year before. Alternating between playing music and high school. During band practices, they began recording Patrick Lew’s first album “Psychotic Love” as a musician, albeit with poor mixing, producing and engineering on a 4-track. It was released via Internet as a free download on their website. Though the musicianship and skill-levels vary between every musician making the music, there was a sense of uniqueness and strange deviant vibe to Patrick Lew’s Band. Which made them stood out from their contemporaries from the Bay Area underground. Though not always popular or appreciated, they developed a cult fan base which still exists today for Lew’s music outside of the norm. Mastering his promoting skills online by making everything accessible, and translate concepts and ambitious ideas into what seems possible, through recording technology, and widening sounds and instruments through newly available digital technology for musicians. Just as crucially, as limited and primitive as they can be, Patrick Lew’s Band was never the ones to give up during hard times or oppression, and is strong-willed to determine their success and future the way they want it or whatever pleases them. In 2004, Patrick Lew graduated high school and began attending City College of San Francisco. Just like he did with high school, Lew alternated between music and education when going to a 2-year college. He played a few shows sporadically, and his other band Silent Minister jammed on occasions every Saturday night. Lew and Blackburn briefly regrouped in May 2005 for practice with Silent Minister before that band would remain dormant until becoming rechristened as PATRICK LEW BAND three years later. On February 13, 2005, Patrick Lew played his only concert during 2005 at Balboa High School. By this time, Patrick Lew’s Band and Silent Minister withdrew from Statue Records after it was learned they were scamming musicians and unsigned bands on various indie music websites for “fake” record deals. An unauthorized recording was published and sold to retailers from Patrick Lew, called “Tokyo Pop Princess.” But Lew claims he hates the recording for butchered sound quality from demo tapes and live recordings taken from that time. Eddie left the band in the middle of 2005 to focus his energies on his band Logic’s Enemy and other projects. However the two would reconcile a year later and become friends again. Patrick and Eddie would not play music together again, until May 2007, where Patrick joined Eddie’s new band Logic’s Enemy onstage for a gig at Civic Center. 2005-2008: The Power Trip Era Patrick took a year-long break from college to focus on his music career and to figure himself out. Patrick Lew and his friend from City College, Zack, formed a new band called Band of Asians and Patrick took his new band seriously. Looking for a lead guitarist, Lew tried social-networking website MySpace.com by placing an ad. But the guitar player they jammed with twice whom was met online, never went long-term as a musical project. Instead, Lew began to be determined to get better and improve as a guitar player to play guitar leads in Band of Asians. He even took a three-week guitar lesson at a school near his house called Vibo Music. Lew began going to Skyline College in early 2006. He meets his closest and greatest friend and Band of Asians drummer Dave Arceo and bassist Augusto Hernandez, finally creating the Band of Asians official lineup. They began upgrading their musical equipment, buying a lot of digital technology such as synthesizers and computer programs to record on. On February 10, 2006, Patrick Lew’s Band began a short leg of gigs in Skyline College and some house party in Daly City. On May 8, 2006, the Band of Asians played a live electronic recital at Vibo Music. Which Augusto and Patrick could be heard arranging their instruments and parts when playing their music live. This recital, featuring tape loops, samples, electronic elements along with amateur-ish rock band performances became a Band of Asians live EP. Much of 2006 was a turbulent time for Lew and Arceo, who became very close friends but dealt with personal problems separately in their personal lives. But 2006 was also a controversial year for Patrick’s personal life. One of the first was Patrick Lew’s failed relationships with the opposite sex, had a major impact on Lew and sent him to a major depression and worried about his role in society. Whether it was Lew’s fault or not, it was one of the other few bad experiences he went through in 2006. Lew also began experimenting with drugs and alcoholism with schoolmates at SF State University’s dorm rooms reportedly. Amidst other hardships. But however, music was in fact very important in his Patrick’s life . Even for a serious long-term ambition and goal. The Band of Asians began recording their “Revenge” CD in a friend’s personal recording studio with the latest and expensive recording and musical equipment. Lew and Band of Asians’ intentions for this album were to let their RAGE out at the society and enemies that this local band experienced and rock hard as much as possible. Using digital technology, electronics and what they read to make better music. They released their Instrumental Rock album “Revenge” through CDBaby.com on Lew’s 21st birthday on November 15, 2006. The appearance of singles “Revenge,” “War!” and “Night Vision” shown hints of artistic progression in the Band. Lew was voted by Dmusic.com as one of 2006’s “Artist Picks." When "Revenge” was released by the end of 2006, the Band of Asians were asked by a local concert promoter KLC to play some gig dates opening up for their peers and Lew’s high school friends Screamo band Scarlett Bombs. The concern was that the music from “Revenge” was very difficult to present live without backing tapes or without a whole live ensemble playing certain parts because 60% of the record was done on a computer. So instead, Lew and the Band of Asians chose to write new songs to perform on tour, during band rehearsals. The Band of Asians however, lost their original bassist Augusto Hernandez, who’d left to join another local Bay Area band and focus on his college studies. Arceo and Lew were however, attending City College again, and met their schoolmate and close friend Cory Gaitan. Whom replaced Hernandez on bass and also, became the group’s 2nd singer. Patrick Lew as a solo artist, also jammed with his some of his bandmates and other musicians he met through networking. The Band of Asians toured San Francisco with Scarlett Bombs through recreation centers and their school, City College from early 2007 until October of that year. It seemed as if, life was ambitious and experienced with less drama at that point. However, musically the progression and creativity would continue. Personally and socially, not so much. The Band of Asians began to unravel at a very quick pace just as they began putting themselves out there. Lew and Gaitan sent their demos and resume to A&R people in the music industry, but came up short on receiving an answer. Band of Asians co-founder, Zack Huang, was absent on occasion during 2007 to avoid foreclosure with his family’s house and working a daytime job. Gaitan, who joined the Band of Asians several months earlier, left the band to re-locate overseas briefly due to a personal tragedy.. Leaving Lew and Arceo to perform and make music under the “Band of Asians” name. Lew began trying to improve as a songwriter, and the years he played in garage bands, he began developing as a solo artist musically and creatively. But was not always met with a positive reception from music critics and sometimes, the underground scene. Arceo, suffering from a personal setback, would have a more limited role in Band of Asians by late 2007. Although the group recorded two songs which made the 2nd round of two Soundclick.com contests, “No Music, No Life” and an amateur-ish cover of “Jingle Bell Rock.” When the Band of Asians finished their tour on October 10, 2007 at City College, Lew and Arceo were debating the future of the group in the press and on their blogs. By this time, the Band of Asians were originally supposed to play club gigs in early 2008. But with the dwindling lineup and personal problems the musicians were experiencing separately, forced a cancellation of those prospects. Overtime, Patrick Lew was experiencing discrimination from music critics and third-party music industry people as a solo artist. Lacking focus, and more focused on their own long-term goals alone, on March 29, 2008, Band of Asians disbanded amicably with Lew announcing the band’s split on their MySpace page. Unsure what to do and where to go, Lew would lay low for awhile. Composing remixes of Chiptunes on his computer until August that year, where he decided to revive the intermittent Patrick Lew Band that he created in 2001 as a full-time musical priority. Lew’s family however, purchased a new house in Antioch, California. Lew left City College in the summer of that year and he transferred to CSU East Bay. And resumed his studies more seriously. The latter part of the year, Lew was in a short-term relationship with former girlfriend Jenny Mintz, met on a free dating website. 2008-2012: Critical Jackpot From 2008 to the end of 2012, marked the second era of Patrick Lew Band. A way of bidding farewell to his adolescence, and starting the studio band years of Patrick Lew’s music as a solo artist. Earlier in the summer, Lew began his often tinkerings in the studio. He first began doing music solo by remixing well-known Video Game Soundtracks. Lew, based on sympathy from his former music critic and later sometimes Soundclick.com supporter Steve Gilmore, decided to put his old demo tapes and anything related to his past work and experiences in a box and locked it in a closet. But he decamped himself in his home studio, strong-willed and confident to improve as a musician and songwriter regardless. Composing a lot of songs and recording a slightly big amount of musical ideas. Regardless, of what criticisms might bring or how he might be perceived musically and personally. That being said, by the end of 2008 saw significant changes and personal maturity and growth in Lew. He released his third major album, “Curb Your Wild Life” independently. While, described as a very “indulgent” and “messy” record. It featured the artistic progression in Lew’s music, and shown Lew as all grown up through this sprawling disc. However the album was musically disjointed and disorganized, and the album was met with negative reactions online. Lew, now with longer hair and wearing glasses, despite negative reviews had maintained his audience and music through status updates on networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. In 2009, IStardom.com reported Lew to be the #10,144 most famous musician online. He was also #432 most famous band from his hometown of San Francisco at the time according to the same website.In 2009, while attending CSU East Bay majoring in Philosophy, Lew began putting together a new version of the Patrick Lew Band. Band of Asians drummer David Arceo, who composed their track “Night Vision” was enlisted as the band’s studio drummer. Eddie, who was no longer an official member of the group began performing with the Nocturnal Rock Turtles, before ultimately disappearing from the music scene and from the public eye shortly after. Patrick became friends with former Distorted Harmony guitarist Jeremy Alfonso while attending college and offered him to participate in a virtual collaboration musically. Through collaborating online, each musician would share songwriting ideas and individually record their parts in their own home studios. Disappointed by the reaction Curb Your Wild Life received on the social-media, the Patrick Lew Band began recording their third album Let It Rise And Against through online musical collaboration. Around this time, the Patrick Lew Band was beginning to gain appreciation in some circles, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area. By the end of 2009, their third album Let It Rise And Against was released on iTunes through CDBaby. Initially, the album was a musically uneven and disjointed affair and wasn’t received well by the public. Complaints about the uneven track list had an effect on the quality of the record. Many of the best music that was recorded during that period did not make the final mix for the album. Aware of the inconsistency with the original version of the album, the band released a revision of Let It Rise And Against almost two years later. The revised version of the album was slightly more cohesive and musically balanced than the original issue. Patrick initially described the revision as a primitive rock opera. The revised version of Let It Rise And Against now stands as the official release, although the original cut is still available through iTunes. The album also showcased a new sound for the band. Much of the Satriani-like technicality of Eddie’s guitar leads were replaced with more emphasis on dirty riffs, raw vocals and a more anthemic rock sound. Musically, it was described as an eccentric homage to old school British punk, grunge and arena rock. Lyrics were now more focused on social issues and the introspective. Patrick began a serious long-term relationship with Faith Kruse nee Lambright, a woman he met online around his 21st birthday. For the first time after many years of failed relationships with the opposite sex, he finally found a partner who bonded well with him. However, several of Patrick Lew’s friends were not happy with the relationship and were being very unsupportive of it. As it later turned out, his relationship with his then-fiancee Faith would prove to be rather toxic in the long run. Patrick returned to making music, forming a new version of Patrick Lew Band with college friends Greg Lynch and David Hunter alongside Alfonso. While jamming with the Patrick Lew Band, Patrick, Jeremy and David began recording their follow-up to Let It Rise And Against via online collaboration once again. After the music for the album was finished being recorded, Jeremy parted ways with Patrick Lew Band as their lead guitarist. The Patrick Lew Band’s fifth album Murder Bay was released in June 2011, the same month that Patrick, David Hunter and Jeremy graduated from college. Musically, Patrick attempted to make a record reminiscent of the music he was influenced by growing up, but with the purpose of making it his own style. The album’s title was a tribute to a late 80’s and early 90’s San Francisco hair metal band of the same name. He began touring locally in East Contra Costa County with Patrick Lew Band. Performing stripped down unplugged covers of their favorite bands such as Green Day and Oasis. When David had conflicts with committing to the project, Patrick took his role as the bass player while Greg sung and played guitar. Patrick at this point hasn’t performed live in over three years, maintaining his audience through the absence of live performing through creating videos of himself playing music on YouTube. When he returned to live performing, Patrick began receiving slightly better reception from the public. He was ranked #2 most famous band/musician locally on ReverbNation under the Rock genre briefly. And was subsequently interviewed by Absolute Punk and online music journalist Leicester Bangs. By 2011, Patrick Lew Band’s presence began increasing slowly but surely on the Internet. Later that year, Patrick moved back to San Francisco and began creating music with David Arceo and then-fiancee Faith under the pseudonym Heavy Sigma, releasing three albums in less than two years. During late 2011 and early 2012, Greg became appointed the co-leader of the Patrick Lew Band. The original idea for Patrick Lew Band was to move away from being an online collaboration type of project with friends cutting and pasting parts together in their personal studios and become an actual band. The proposed line-up was rumored to be Patrick, Greg, David Hunter, David Arceo and Patrick’s soon-to-be ex fiancee Faith. However, creative and personal differences, different priorities and traveling issues became too much for the group to get involved in the creative process and the Patrick Lew Band would announce an indefinite hiatus on September 5, 2012, the same day Patrick and David’s EP Taiwanese Rebels with Heavy Sigma would be released on social-media. 2013-2015: Years of Struggles By the beginning of 2013, Patrick’s relationship with Greg and Faith soured and declined considerably and during the remainder of Patrick’s relationship with his then-fiancee became a very difficult and complicated situation. Lew would not play guitar or create any music on-and-off during this period. Patrick Lew and David Arceo, close friends for seven years, had a brief falling out and didn’t speak to each other for half a year. When Patrick and David reconciled, friends and supporters encouraged the duo to perform at Mama Art Cafe on September 13, 2013 under the HEAVY SIGMA name. A former friend saw video footage of their performance and invited Patrick and David to play in his new band Kings of Malevolence. However, the project fell through due to creative reasons. The remainder of 2013 and most of 2014 was a quiet period for Patrick Lew musically. When Patrick and Faith ended their six year relationship and engagement during the Summer of 2014, Patrick Lew decided to return to the music scene after being stifled from pursuing his passion from his former significant other. Patrick also cut ties with his former bandmate Greg because of remaining tensions during the final years of their friendship. On New Year’s Day 2015, Patrick revived the Patrick Lew Band as his solo project and began working on new music. He would put himself out there often on social-media websites such as Instagram, Facebook and others and released his first single since 2011 - “Cut the Cord.” The track was heard by TV antenna makers Antennas Direct and they quickly appointed Patrick as their Ambassador. On July 3, 2015, Patrick would participate in a free TV antenna giveaway in San Francisco’s Chinatown and was later interviewed by a local television station. In the Summer of that year, Patrick Lew Band released their first new album since 2011’s Murder Bay titled To the Promised Land digitally. He also returned to live performing, playing a show at Cafe International on August 14th that year. However, Lew experienced many detractors on social-media in 2015 such as a failed relationship with his then-girlfriend and reportedly was conned from a woman named Monique he acquainted with on his Facebook page. He also would engage in a strange yet bitter feud with his then-fiancee Faith over her reckless actions behind closed doors on social-media, sabotaging Lew’s interpersonal relationships and attempts to sabotage his reputation on the Internet. As of October 2016, his tumultuous feud with his then-fiancee remain unresolved. 2016-Present: The New Era Patrick Lew Band Undeterred, Lew’s main focus was to become a better musician and put himself more out there. By the end of 2015, the Patrick Lew Band would self-release two more albums digitally: Bubblegum Babylon and Fire in the Sky. The latter, would get sold at Amoeba Music in Berkeley, California on CD. He would collaborate with Neverfade and former Distorted Harmony drummer Erick Salazar, who contacted him through his Facebook page, co-producing new ideas in Erick’s home studio. Lew would later complete these musical ideas in his own home studio because of his grueling schedule with Patrick Lew Band and would release his collaboration with Erick under the psuedonym THE STEEL LIONS on May 12, 2016 through worldwide digital distribution. Long-time drummer David parted ways with Patrick Lew Band on good terms in mid-2016 to focus more on other life avenues, remaining close friends with Patrick still in the process. Patrick Lew is now the only surviving original member left in the Patrick Lew Band since their formation in 2001, and is solely responsible for the PLB’s direction and business in the indie scene. Patrick Lew would unveil an LGBT-friendly crossdressing alter ego, Madeline “Maddy” Lew. Which is a female version of Patrick in a parallel opposite world. In July 2016, Patrick Lew Band would win the Best Song Award with Akademia Music Awards under the Experimental Rock genre. From December 2015 up until October 2016, Patrick Lew and his close friend David Arceo began jamming and collaborating with Bay Area local DJ Gem Jewels AKA Janny in the band TheVerse. They would record a few tracks at Patrick’s home studio. TheVerse would play a show at The Stork Club on May 18, 2016, an audio recording of the band’s live performance could be found on Patrick’s official YouTube account. Patrick would play guitar, co-write songs and co-produce material for TheVerse until October 19th of that year when Patrick announced his resignation from the band to focus more on other projects. Around this same time, Patrick would fill-in as a bass player for San Francisco local punk band The Tortured for a few live shows. Patrick continues to make music at his own time and freedom, without adhering to the music industry. Playing guitar and recording for the sake of quality music rather than focusing on the worldly matters when it comes to the Patrick Lew Band.

Patrick Lew Band will release a new album titled OAKLAND in 2017...

Oakland is the upcoming seventh album from the Patrick Lew Band. It will be released as a double album digitally on social-media through CDBaby in the near future, possibly during 2017 through the band’s indie label The Promised Land Recordings. It will be the Patrick Lew Band’s first album without long-time drummer and collaborator David Arceo involved, and will be the first album to feature Patrick Lew as the sole surviving member of the band.

OAKLAND

Release Date: TBA

Recorded: 2015 - Winter 2017 at the Blizzard of Sound (San Francisco, CA) and the Salazar House (San Francisco, CA)

Producer: Erick Salazar, Patrick Lew

BACKGROUND

On January 2, 2015, the Patrick Lew Band officially partially reunited with long-time friends and bandmates Patrick Lew and David Arceo performing, recording and promoting themselves under the PLB band name. Two and a half years prior to the band’s reformation, the Patrick Lew Band went into an indefinite hibernation due to the lack of progression with the band’s final lineup during the rebuilding process prior to the band’s near three year hiatus. During this period, Lew built a home recording studio with a factory of musical equipment, computers and electronics. Between 2012 and 2015, Lew would sporadically record in his home studio known as the Blizzard of Sound in San Francisco, CA. During the hiatus of Patrick Lew Band, Lew and Arceo would sporadically play music together in The Steel Lions (then known as Heavy Sigma) and was working on an album that would eventually become the first PLB album since 2011’s release Murder Bay.

The album that Steel Lions was working on during sporadic periods between 2012 and 2015 would become Patrick Lew Band’s first album of new material in four years, To the Promised Land. In the meantime, the Patrick Lew Band would perform two shows locally that same year. Patrick and David soon realized that they had an enormous amount of musical work kept in their computer’s hard drive which consisted of outtakes, Chiptune remixes, unfinished song ideas and etc since the Patrick Lew Band became a full-fledged project in 2008. Clearing the vaults for the public, the Patrick Lew Band would release their sixth album Bubblegum Babylon on Patrick Lew’s 30th birthday on November 15, 2015. By the time of that album’s release, Lew began working on several projects outside the Patrick Lew Band: being the Goodwill Ambassador for Antennas Direct and was working on other musical avenues such as making new music in a revamped Steel Lions with a more late 80’s and early 90’s hard rock influence with Neverfade and former Distorted Harmony drummer Erick Salazar in Salazar’s home recording studio based in San Francisco. Himself and Arceo would also form the Shoegaze influenced supergroup TheVerse with Daly City based EDM producer Gem Jewels, consistently practicing and creating music at the Blizzard of Sound and self-producing and self-recording the majority of their output there. While TheVerse became Lew and Arceo’s priority as musicians at that point, Lew was having trouble meeting the deadlines to wrap up the recording sessions and production of Steel Lions upcoming release Unfinished Relics.

The grueling schedule between playing music in three different local bands proved to be both intense and creative for Lew despite studio autonomy for Unfinished Relics at the time. Eventually, Salazar sent Lew files of guitar tracks and riffs that he recorded at his home studio via Facebook and Lew would finish the album Unfinished Relics at the Blizzard of Sound, laying down lead vocals, adding virtual drum tracks and doing the mixing and engineering at his own leisure. The album was tentatively scheduled for release in Winter 2016 but was delayed until May 12th of that year. In the interim, Lew would release an EP with Patrick Lew Band titled Fire in the Sky which consisted of outtakes, unfinished ideas and Steel Lions demos on New Years Day 2016. He would contact DiscMakers on the Internet at the Blizzard of Sound’s office computer and manufactured 50 copies of the EP on CD. He would later sell a few copies at Berkeley’s Amoeba Music, which was consigned to the Rock section at their record store. Johnny Lawrie from San Francisco punk band The Tortured would contact Patrick Lew on Patrick Lew Band’s official Facebook page through private message about performing a show at The Stork Club. He then insisted that his band TheVerse would play that night and get booked. On May 18, 2016, TheVerse would perform at The Stork Club in Oakland, California. Prior to the band’s show, the band would rehearse at the Blizzard of Sound for a week and purchased new musical gear at a guitar store to accompany them. Patrick Lew Band returned to the scene in June 2016, releasing another EP titled Shortcuts to Fame on CDBaby through digital distribution, which was again based off of demos that PLB was self-producing in their own home recording studio.

TheVerse began to head into a crossroads. Arceo left both TheVerse and Patrick Lew Band to focus more on other life avenues, however, he would remain a contributor to Patrick Lew Band on a sporadic basis. Lew then contacted Johnny from The Tortured through their Facebook page as they were looking for a new bass player. Lew began rehearsing with The Tortured, filling in for the band as their bass player for two shows in October 2016. Lew announced his resignation from TheVerse for unclear reasons on his personal Facebook profile via “friends only” status update on October 19, 2016 but insisted he would focus more on Patrick Lew Band and Steel Lions.

Since the Patrick Lew Band’s partial reunion in January 2015, the band recorded an enormous amount of musical output at the Blizzard of Sound. Some of this music would which be posted on the band’s ReverbNation and Soundclick page on the Internet. Lew insisted that the release of the EP’s Fire in the Sky and Shortcuts to Fame are a build up and were conceived as an ongoing studio album cycle leading up to the release of a conventional studio album, similar to the concept of Teargarden by Kaleidyscope from the Smashing Pumpkins. The band was now entirely recording all of their music using Logic Pro X and a 2014 MacBook Air and sometimes, a 2008 iMac. It is rumored however, that the forthcoming Patrick Lew Band album Oakland will contain all of the best songs from Fire in the Sky and Shortcuts to Fame alongside new music that hasn’t received an official big release yet through digital distribution on social-media.

The New Era of Patrick Lew Band

THE NEW PATRICK LEW BAND

THE BUILDUP

After the release of Murder Bay, Patrick Lew Band toured locally and the group began working on rebuilding their band and their business slowly. Lew, itching to work on new music in his home studio, began recording demos and kept them on his hard drive. When he presented his musical ideas to his then-bandmates Greg Lynch and David Hunter, they were turned down by his former bandmates. Instead, Patrick Lew recruited his long-time best friend and PLB drummer David Arceo and his then-fiancee Faith and formed a side project, The Steel Lions. Lew wasn’t willing to have nothing to do musically and creatively during a time where PLB was going through a huge rebuilding period. The original idea for Patrick Lew Band was to take away aspects of recording in separate studios and collaborating on the Internet and through social-media and to make PLB a real local band of competent musicians. However, there was an extension of miscommunication and tensions between the band members over creative and personal issues. Patrick Lew wanted to continue playing music and recording in his newly built home studio Blizzard of Sound (located in San Francisco, CA). In the interim, The Steel Lions would self-produce three albums during 2012: Oddities, Taiwanese Rebels and Voyager. All three albums consisted of purported demos and unfinished musical ideas intended for Patrick Lew Band.

On March of that year, The Steel Lions would sign a distribution deal with upstart indie label ANN. However, Steel Lions would not tour behind any new music due to huge discouragement and criticism from another musician from another local band who was formerly a friend of Lew and Arceo, social-media backlash, alongside Lew trying to rebuild his relationship with his on and off again girlfriend and former fiancee. Little work was complete with PLB by this time, although the band would sporadically rehearse during mid 2012 at Greg’s house in Pittsburg, CA. Hunter backed out of recording and performing commitments with PLB for unbeknownst reasons, later resurfacing as the bassist for the band OC Bay. Lynch and Lew would remain cordial until Lynch brutally critiqued Lew’s abilities as a musician, claiming he wasn’t “good enough” to be onstage or play guitar in a band.

Lew later revealed that it was very, very difficult to corral himself, Lynch and Arceo into working together in the same rehearsal space and recording studio. He also claimed that while there were grandiose plans for PLB in the future, he had little input over the band he created and felt nothing was getting done because of different priorities between all the band members. On September 5, 2012, Lew announced on the Patrick Lew Band’s Facebook page via blog that the group would be taking an indefinite hiatus. He concluded that he was open to working with Lynch and Hunter again musically in the near future. At the time, his relationship with his former bandmates were still cordial. Lew would continue working on his passion for being a musician and home recording artist in Steel Lions.

However, his relationship with his former fiancee declined considerably by 2013, which Lew described the last 18 months of their relationship “unbearable” and became frustrated and disillusioned with the state of his music career, the business and politics of the music business and tensions within the scene itself, resulted in Patrick Lew to nearly give up playing music for two years. By the time Lew ended his relationship with his former fiancee, Lew later sought legal separation from his former bandmates (with the exception of Arceo) to regain the rights to the Patrick Lew Band name and estate.

Patrick Lew Band returned to the indie scene on New Years Day 2015 and Lew intended to be “rather known as a digital multimedia artist as opposed to being a wannabe rock star.” He wanted to make PLB less thrusted into the spotlight and media and intended to create music in PLB on his own terms and put himself out there on social-media without having anxiety over how social-media or the public views him and the newly revived PLB. Lew then invested into newer technologies such as iMacs, synthesizers and other musical gear to create something different. He felt that the only way he could evolve his songwriting was through computers and at the time, didn’t knew how to do it efficiently. After legal battles were thrown out and Lew was granted full ownership over the Patrick Lew Band name, he recruited Arceo to join him in the recording studio. Many demos and ideas existed in Lew’s hard drive and the duo began preparations for new music and putting the finishing touches on older ideas that were on cloud storage on Patrick Lew’s computer hard drive. The duo began working together in Lew’s home studio, Blizzard of Sound in San Francisco. PLB would also play shows again during 2015, including an open mic slot at Cafe International on August 14th. Patrick Lew Band would self-release new albums during 2015 and 2016 respectively: To the Promised Land, Bubblegum Babylon and Fire in the Sky. Lew would also play guitar and sing in the Steel Lions, working on a record with Neverfade drummer Erick Salazar co-producing the music in the studio and began jamming with long-time friend Gem Jewels and formed the shoegaze band TheVerse.

COMPOSITION

Earlier PLB albums were recorded through online collaboration between former band members in separate studios on social-media, which every instrumental part would be copied, cut and pasted into Lew’s computer. During the album Murder Bay, Lew intended to become more adventurous with his music by delivering a wide range of styles. Lew was trying to broaden his amateurish garage-y punk rock past and was aiming for more dirtier and gritty arena rock reminiscent of the late 80’s and early 90’s while maintaining his 2000s era signature garage punk sound. Recent music from PLB however is a slight departure from past efforts, as more of Lew’s 80’s and 90’s rock aspirations becomes present in the songwriting and ideas. Instrumentation is somewhat tighter and while Lew retained most of his trademark guitar tones, vocal style and his style of guitar playing, the music itself is more carefully well produced in the studio and the musicianship is somewhat tighter and cohesive. 

Changes in musical and recording gear had a factor in the shift in style. 

Lyrically, a lot of the angst is still present in Lew’s music as Lew describes the lyrical content on his recent work as more or less the same. Lew’s friend from the scene, rapper Slab Gram, described the sound as “if pre-Dookie era Green Day and Nirvana had a baby.” Synthesizers also play a factor in recent PLB music, which Lew had began experimenting with using synths as early as 2012 on the Steel Lions release Taiwanese Rebels, which some newer tracks showcase elements of EDM. The result is a more broader and wider range of sounds, but maintaining Lew’s intention to sound like a modern version of a 90’s hard rock band.


Hear the Patrick Lew Band on Facebook, ReverbNation and more.