PLB (JP) BAND EPK

Jump, Rattle and Roll to our rock and roll freak show.

Patrick Lew Band (better stylized as PLB) is a music project with roots in San Francisco, Japan, and Taiwan. Inspired by artists as diverse as The Beatles, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones, Patrick managed to come up with a melodic, yet energetic songwriting style that feels absolutely one-of-a-kind. From brit pop, to garage and punk, but also some dreamier textures, the possibilities are truly endless! Patrick has a diverse approach as a songwriter, and his trusty band is there to help him make his vision come true, one song at a time!

PLB is one of the most interesting, eccentric and critically successful yet polarizing bands within the annals of Asian-American music history.

The group's principal members were all born and raised in San Francisco, California. Singer, composer, guitarist and bandleader Patrick Lew Hayashi started making music and putting himself and his band on the Internet since high school. His younger "fictitious" sister Madeline later joined the band on bass. They began making strides in the scene in 2016 by accumulating a series of bragging rights, patents and titles under their name.

Between 2016 and present day, PLB achieved stellar regional and independent success accumulated from their credentials in the underground rock music scene, alongside Patrick and Madeline's moderately influential public personas on social-media. The band is also very active on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook and their music also can be easily accessed on the Internet.

Patrick Lew Hayashi is also a 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame Class of 2019 inductee at his alma mater California State University, East Bay, being the first Japanese-American male and second Taiwanese-American male to achieve that honor for his respective services and contributions to Bay Area's music scene and the Asian-American community with PLB.

Don’t miss out on their most recent releases, including an full-length album and a handful of EP, detailing their journey through music and creativity!

Find out more and listen to Patrick Lew Band:

www.facebook.com/patricklewband

www.twitter.com/lewnaticjp

www.instagram.com/patricklewband

www.soundcloud.com/patricklew

patricklewband.bandcamp.com

soundclick.com/patricklewband

www.youtube.com/djaudorage66

open.spotify.com/artist/76q8rnKceHx3HaGlcospDA…

open.spotify.com/artist/7bBAEOueuwjLbBKD39q73a…

PLB (JP): Facebook Behind The Music

PATRICK LEW BAND (PLB)

FORMED: 2001 in San Francisco, CA
YEARS ACTIVE: 2000s, 2010s, 2020s
GENRES: Hard Rock, Grunge, Britpop, Pop Rock, Punk Rock, Heavy Metal, Art Rock, Japanese Rock

BAND LINE-UP: 
Patrick Lew (劉冠達): Guitar, Compositions, Lead Vocals 
Madeline Lew (劉 凛和): Representation

RELATED BANDS: TheVerse, Crazy Loser in a Box, The Steel Lions, Pleasure Gallows, The Tortured, Benigneglect

PATRICK LEW’S EARLY LIFE (1985-2001)
Patrick was born on November 15, 1985, in San Francisco, California, to Winson Lew (born 1948) and Winnie Hayashi (1951-2017). He has two siblings, Ricky (born 1981) and Madeline (born 1985; fictional twin sister). He was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by his parents.
Patrick had a slightly difficult childhood and upbringing, caused by the death of his paternal grandfather Wayne at the age of four and furthered, when he was battling a disability as a child and getting into trouble in school and outside with his peers and elders. Patrick Lew’s interest in music began with his mother Winnie introduced him to 60’s and 70’s British rock bands and acts such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart.

To overcome a slightly difficult childhood, Patrick often traveled with his family for vacations and turned to pro wrestling, video games and cable TV as a source of comfort.

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In his pre-teenage years, Patrick Lew’s interest in music shifted to hard rock, heavy metal, J- Pop, alternative rock and eventually punk. He began playing guitar at the age of 13, after his maternal cousin Andrew was living with his family during the Summer as a foreign exchange student at a community college. His cousin Andrew was a guitar player and a huge fan of Jimi Hendrix and blues music. And he would often play the guitar and amp that Patrick’s elder brother Ricky left sitting in the closet.

His mom quoted him saying, “I’m gonna make it one way or the other by playing guitar and singing writing weird rock and roll songs!” He often practiced 45 minutes to one hour every other day.
Patrick Lew attended Raoul Wallenberg High School and graduated in 2003. He would later attend City College of San Francisco, before transferring to CSU East Bay. Graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy in 2011.

EARLY MUSIC CAREER (2001-2007)
Patrick joined his first band Samurai Sorcerers in 2001. Which would later be retconned and rebranded as Patrick Lew Band/PLB in August 2008.

They would often play music on the weekends in their garage as a hobby away from their studies. Patrick Lew would begin recording home demos on a 4-track Tascam and began uploading his work on the Internet as early as 2001.

In 2004, his band landed a record deal with a small indie label at the age of 19. However, they were soon dropped from their record label. Patrick Lew also roadied for the New Jersey based Asian-American rock duo FANTASIA for their San Francisco shows.

While attending City College, Patrick Lew played rhythm guitar and electronically composed for the deathcore band Band of Asians. Which also featured future former Patrick Lew Band drummer David Arceo.

PATRICK LEW BAND (2008-2012)
In 2008, Band of Asians called it quits and Patrick was without a band to play music in.
He was contemplating where to go next and what to do with his free time while not resuming his college studies and acting in community theater.
He decided to take his original concept and ideas for his first band Samurai Sorcerers but rebrand it as the Patrick Lew Band. He would also use some of his college funds to buy musical equipment and began recording many ideas in his bedroom.

2/5

He began using the Internet as a format to put Patrick Lew Band out there. He also began playing guitar more, learning the tricks of digital home recording and began composing and putting out what would become his signature work as a composer, guitar player and artist. Needing some assistance to carry the band to its potential, Patrick recruited a few former schoolmates from CSU East Bay and his bandmate from Band of Asians, David, to finalize the Patrick Lew Band lineup initially.

Patrick then relocated to live with his mother in Antioch, California. This would become the location for where Patrick Lew Band would record and self-release their albums Let It Rise and Against (2009) and Murder Bay (2011) online. Dubbed “3700 PIETA”, this would also become the location for some of Patrick Lew Band’s live onstage performances.

Critical reception towards Patrick Lew Band were initially very lukewarm on social-media and in the scene, stemming from the band’s first controversial hit single “Azn Girls.” Which was written about wanting to finding a place to belong in a closed-minded community and circle. For unknown reasons, the song’s original message was misinterpreted, leading to some polarizing reactions from the public.
Patrick Lew also got into a common-law marriage with his former partner Faith. They got together on Halloween 2009 and would eventually divorce on July 17, 2014.


THE STEEL LIONS (2012-2017)
Eventually, the Patrick Lew Band wouldn’t function well long-term as a huge creative and personal conflict led to the band’s initial demise during September 2012.

In the meantime, Patrick retreated from playing music and pursuing his passion seriously and decided to work a full-time day job as a visual merchandiser for a tech start-up. Which was his first time working a traditional paying job outside of playing music. He would record on-and-off during his break and would secretly self-release new music under the name The Steel Lions.

The Steel Lions was intended as a modern day homage to 80’s and early 90’s American hard rock, influenced by bands such as Bon Jovi, Metallica, Nirvana, Mother Love Bone and even bands like Oasis.

The Steel Lions would sporadically record at Patrick's newly built home studio in San Francisco during this period. And performed at Mama Art Cafe on September 13, 2013. The band would work with former Distorted Harmony drummer Erick Salazar in his personal studio to record the album Unfinished Relics. After several delays, The Steel Lions would self-release Unfinished Relics digitally on May 12, 2016.

3/5

Patrick would discontinue the Steel Lions officially in early 2017, feeling that the project “served its purpose.” Patrick Lew also lated stated that Steel Lions was actually a “stop-gap band” and a “precursor to PLB’s second run” in the indies. He also later stated that Steel Lions was one of his biggest flops in his indie music career, and the band will never reunite.

SECOND RUN WITH PATRICK LEW BAND AND OTHER BANDS (2015-2019)
Patrick eventually returned to the local music scene and social-media as Patrick Lew Band on January 2, 2015. Continuing where he left off. The Patrick Lew Band would still remain predominantly a home recording solo act. With some assistance from David until mid-2016 when he stepped down from the band to pursue other things in life.
Some time around that same period, Patrick Lew introduced a female alter ego into Patrick Lew Band named Madeline Lew. Which was created from cutting-edge modern technology and editing. Intended in storyline and social-media marketing purposes, as a fictional twin sister and Guardian Angel for Patrick Lew. Madeline plays a prominent role in the current era of Patrick Lew Band as the brand ambassador and has been credited on the recordings as a bassist and DJ.

Eventually, Patrick became close friends with his long-time acquaintance Janny and founded the post-punk/shoegaze duo TheVerse. Janny was initially an EDM producer under the stage name GEM JEWELS. His collaboration with TheVerse also gave Patrick Lew his first success and major exposure in music for the first time in his life.

TheVerse helped Patrick truly pay his dues finally in the local music scene and indies, which also included an intermittent tour across the Bay Area which lasted from May 2016 up until their most recent live performance at El Rio in San Francisco, California, on August 22, 2018. TheVerse digitally released their first EP on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music in January 2018. TheVerse was initially at work in the studio on a new EP while enjoying a well deserved off-season. But a long grueling period of inactivity and the band procrastinating led to Patrick Lew getting frustrated creatively and pursuing projects outside the band to keep busy.

Patrick Lew left the band TheVerse on September 21, 2019. He however remains very close with his former Verse bandmates.

In October 2016, Patrick Lew became a fill-in touring bassist for the San Francisco skate punk band The Tortured for two live performances.

Patrick also played guitar and joined his then-girlfriend and close friend Sigyn’s band Crazy Loser in a Box. Often contributing guitar parts in separate studios with the band as collaboration. He can be heard on a few tracks off Crazy Loser in a Box’s 2018 debut album such as “Freckles”, “The Lie” and “Have You’ve Met My Friend?” Patrick Lew is still officially a member of the band under his stage name Satoru Hayashi. They are currently working on a 4th album in the studio!

4/5

In late 2019, Patrick Lew began collaborating with Filipino rapper A.K.AYE with the rapcore/nu metal band Benigneglect. They would become once a month residents at San Francisco’s historic DNA Lounge.

Approaching closer to the end of the 2010s, Patrick Lew entered the annals of history when he was named the recipient for the 40 Under 40 Awards from his alma mater Cal State East Bay for his work with the Patrick Lew Band on June 7, 2019.

By the end of 2017, the Patrick Lew Band was no longer a full-time project for Patrick Lew as a recording artist and semi-pro musician. Patrick stated on his social-media, “The Patrick Lew Band will now be a sporadic part-time thing and it will always be there.” Whilst still active, the band was now a part-time responsibility for Patrick in the studio and all over the digital age of punk rock music. The Patrick Lew Band’s most recent albums were released all over streaming services digitally in 2017: Oakland and Cold Sirens.

Upon entering the CSU East Bay Hall of Fame, Patrick Lew announced publicly by June 2019 that he will be discontinuing the Patrick Lew Band. He felt that he accomplished all that he could with PLB and felt that he made and left his mark. And he personally wanted to disband Patrick Lew Band at its highest and at its zenith rather when it was at its lowest.

THIRD RUN WITH PATRICK LEW BAND (2020-PRESENT)
However, retirement of the PLB wasn’t meant to be! On March 17, 2020, Patrick posted on Instagram confirming the return of the Patrick Lew Band in the indie music scene and the Yay Area. Because of the COVID19 pandemic and resurgence of racism towards Asian people, further affecting his activities and live performance schedule with his band Benigneglect, Patrick decided to revive PLB for sporadic appearances in the Internet music world. Working a lighter schedule with PLB in case Benigneglect is cleared to tour again. He began throwing empty house shows at his home studio Lewnatic HQ, beginning the COVID19 Lockdown Tour. He also became very active on his YouTube channel. Because of the pandemic affecting his professional indie music career and day job at Pier 39, he decided to keep busy with his PLB! There’s only more to come in the unpredictable, wild and out world of Patrick Lew Band!

CONCLUSION/MORAL OF THE STORY
Let music be the labor of love! Patrick Lew's goal is to become bigger, better and badder in rock music despite his ethnicity or shortcomings. He will always be what he is, what he does and will continue to try and rock a million faces on the World Wide Web. And of course, the Bay Area.

"Details surrounding Patrick Lew Band's 2020 return?"

"Details surrounding Patrick Lew Band's 2020 return?" 

Don't expect the PLB to become a full-time priority again or any time soon. 

Since the end of 2017, the Patrick Lew Band was no longer a full-time band of mines personally, professionally or creatively! A lot of my work and widespread attention has shifted to other bands: Benigneglect and Crazy Loser in a Box - Band. Even with the HOF ring at CSU East Bay last year, that pretty much meant that my time in Patrick Lew Band was cemented!

What this comeback could mean perhaps might not necessarily mean a brand spanking new Patrick Lew Band record. And throwing a big tour or public events to support a new album. That was not my original strategy why I brought Patrick Lew Band back for the year 2020. 

My original reason for bringing back PLB had little to do with regaining my youthful touring days and underground teen idol status during the MySpace heyday. It was something more deep and meaningful than that! 

First off, the demand for Patrick Lew Band was at a fever pitch after I discontinued PLB in June 2019. And, I thank the fans and cooler population for that. Secondly, PLB meant a lot to me and plays a large part of who I really am today. It might not be pop music glitz and glamour. It's about true integrity and authenticity. 

I wanted to test the waters and come back to my PLB whenever everything else was currently on the bottom of the totem pole on my to-do-list in my music career and responsibilities. Like every now and then, I'd make a sporadic appearance as PLB in-house, in the studio or even in public for music related stuff! 

So the return of Patrick Lew Band in the year 2020 is basically an OG from the scene who is "resting on his laurels" and making them one-off sporadic appearances for the indie music scene whenever and where ever I want to. I feel I've already cemented what PLB was and took Patrick Lew Band as far as I possibly could. But it's deep down always going to be around! 

Like a legend in professional wrestling signed to a WWE Legends contract with creative and non-exclusive professional control, I just do Patrick Lew Band whenever I want to. Where ever I want to. Whenever I feel like it. Especially, when my other bands are on the lower etch of responsibilities at the given moment. 

I'm 35 years old this year. I feel like I've came a long way personally and creatively in underground music. 

Most of my accomplishments came from my very own PLB, and most people out there will probably not disagree with that. I feel like I could definitely branch out a little more now as an artist! And not be that same 22 year old Asian scene kid singing Everyone Loves Ashley Tisdale every night at the dive bar with his former band!

Patrick Lew Band EPK

Jump, Rattle and Roll to our rock and roll freak show. 

The Patrick Lew Band (stylized as PLB) is a music project with roots in San Francisco, Japan, and Taiwan. Inspired by artists as diverse as The Beatles, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones, Patrick managed to come up with a melodic, yet energetic songwriting style that feels absolutely one-of-a-kind. From brit pop, to garage and punk, but also some dreamier textures, the possibilities are truly endless! Patrick has a diverse approach as a songwriter, and his trusty band is there to help him make his vision come true, one song at a time!

Born in San Francisco CA on November 15, 1985, Patrick Lew is a second generation Asian-American of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese descent. 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.

Flash forward through the years of friends, start-up bands, school, life in general, and eventually Lew found himself playing full-time with his group, TheVerse. Once he enrolled in California State University Hayward, going for his B.A. in Philosophy and Music. 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 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, each of them contributing to the library of songs in Lew’s arsenal. That was just the beginning of the story!

Don't miss out on their most recent releases, including full-length albums and a handful of EPs detailing their journey through music and creativity!

Find out more and listen to Patrick Lew Band:
www.facebook.com/patricklewband
www.instagram.com/officialpatricklew
www.soundcloud.com/patricklew
store.cdbaby.com/artist/patricklewband
store.cdbaby.com/artist/lewnatic
patricklewband.bandcamp.com
soundclick.com/patricklewband
www.youtube.com/djaudorage66
open.spotify.com/artist/76q8rnKceHx3HaGlcospDA
open.spotify.com/artist/7bBAEOueuwjLbBKD39q73a

CURRENT:
Patrick Lew: Guitar, Vocals (since 2001)
Madeline Lew: Bass, Sound Design, Ambassador  (since 2015)

ALUMNI:
David Arceo: Drummer  (served: 2006-2012; 2015-2016)
Eddie Blackburn: Lead Guitar  (served: 2001-2005; 2007)
Tommy Loi: Drummer  (served: 2001-2004)

FILL-INS & FOOTNOTES: Jeremy Alfonso; David Hunter; Greg Lynch; Zack Huang; Augusto Hernandez.

BAND BIOGRAPHY & EPK WRITTEN BY: Andrew (Fivver.com); Heath Andrew (ReviewYou.com)


Products: 
Streaming Video & Audio, Digital Downloads, Band T-Shirts, YouTube, Photography.


What equipment do you use?
Epiphone Les Paul * Fender Telecaster * 2008 iMac * 2014 MacBook Air * Apple GarageBand * Apple Logic Pro X * Apple MainStage 3 * Vox AC50 * Boss DS-2 * Zoom R8 * Marshall CODE50 * Boss Dr. Rhythm Drum Machine * PreSonus Audiobox iOne * BandLab.com (for mastering services) * Rogue Bass Guitar


Anything else?
Like my page on Facebook! And subscribe to my YouTube channel too!

Who is Patrick Lew-Hayashi?

PATRICK LEW BAND - Artist Profile
Patrick Allan Lew (born 劉冠達 / Liú Guān-Dá / Ryukan Satoru on November 15, 1985) is an American musician, songwriter, actor and Internet personality of Japanese and Chinese-Taiwanese descent best known (albeit numerous sabbaticals) as the only constant member and sole singer-songwriter, composer and guitarist who fronted the Patrick Lew Band. In addition to his work and career with the Patrick Lew Band, Lew is also well known for his work with TheVerse as a lead guitarist and with Pleasure Gallows as a fill-in bassist.

Born and raised in San Francisco, California. Lew is also known for his raunchy non-sequitur sense of humor, socially conscious lyrics, his stage presence as a live performer and Internet personality and also his youthful East Asian physical appearance, influenced by modern day twenty-something Japanese and South Korean actors alongside donning an 80's and early 90's street rocker fashion incorporated from bands such as Guns N Roses, Metallica and among others.

Aside from music, Lew has also contributed small acting roles in theater and recently filmed a cameo for the critically acclaimed Amazon TV series Man in the High Castle.

GENRE: Garage Punk / Electronic / Rock

AUDIENCE: Punk, Fans of non-formulaic music

LOCATION: San Francisco, California, USA

YEARS ACTIVE: 2001 - present

STATUS: Home recording / Occasional live shows

MEMBERS/ALUMNI: Patrick Lew (guitar, vocals; born November 15, 1985), Madeline Lew (DJ; born November 15, 1985), David Arceo (drums; born March 15, 1987), Eddie Blackburn (guitar; born July 12, 1988), Tommy Loi (drums; born April 22, 1986)


To describe Patrick Lew Band is to describe a phenomenon in the unsigned music world that many musicians have experienced but that this one artist exemplifies. It is the world of the underground celebrity. The presentation of a musical vision to a smaller audience, but with no less heart then that of a rock legend on a world wide stadium tour.



We spoke to the titular front man, and today we'll be taking a closer look at a singer/songwriter with an online following, lots to say, dedicated musical collaborators and a somewhat relatable story. There may not be paparazzi hiding in the bushes, but Patrick Lew Band has found it's very own brand of celebrity along the way.



The sound of “PLB”, as it is more easily referred to, is immediately and obviously routed in Californian garage rock. From the jangling, frantic guitars that seem to channel the Beach Boys and Grunge in unison, all the way to the punk era vocals that swoon with more heart and feeling then concern for the stricter rules of melody.



On the musical side PLB has some interesting features which we will delve in to more later, but firstly let's look at the “who” behind the “what”.



Patrick, himself, is an Asian American living in San Francisco and recently put out both the album “Oakland”, the latest in a considerable discography, as well as an EP “Cold Sirens” and a compilation of 16 years of studio room floor cuttings and demos titled “HiStory”. The only thing as prolific as his musical output is his social media statements, usually talking about both his feelings on music and about his ethnic heritage, an important part of the “Patrick Lew story”. As he has even gone as far as DNA testing to demonstrate, he is proudly 100% east Asian, breaking down to 66% Chinese, 25% South East Asian and some other assorted elements. This being said, it's more of a social thing than a musical one as there is no doubt that his style is very American, and very Californian.



Veering heavily away from the sharp precision and possible over-efficiency of many Asian groups (even the punk ones), Patrick approaches from a more chaotic stand point that avoids the rules as much as possible in favour of experimentation. This both gives him a unique sound and possibly an alienating quality to many listeners who are hit with waves of experimental reverb production and a flavour for chaotic pacing over strict tempo adherence.



We asked: You have been quite outspoken about being a self made musician and not steering towards any formal training. I do agree that often the "university student" school of music writing is rather formulaic, but you seem to have gone for the antithesis, a very rough and ready sound. Do you feel that's an important part of what Patrick Lew Band is? I didn’t really have formal training as a musician. Just a few guitar lessons from a guitar teacher when I was 14 and that’s about it. I mostly taught myself how to do everything in regards to music. I’ve read books, magazines and watched YouTube to learn how to do the things I do. Whether it was intentional or not, that’s a good question. But I wasn’t intending the way the things sounded generally speaking. It all came by trial and error. It just so happens some time during the mid 2010s, things caught on for Patrick Lew Band. I started playing more shows and some people began putting the music out there online. And that’s how I’ve managed to achieve the small things I did. Blood, sweat, tears and hard work I’m assuming?



It's a modest answer but one that speaks to most unsigned musicians. Learning is something any musician does in there own way and with the intention of getting them to a place that they are happy with. As Patrick said, PLB also perform a slow but steady list of performances at bars and clubs to average size crowds. Despite having backing members in PLB previously, the band now operates either as Patrick alone on guitar and vocals and with the song backings, or him playing with his collaborating members from sister band “The Verse”. Still, there is always a feel that when Patrick is on stage, it is the Patrick Lew Show.



PLB obviously carries your name at the helm. Do you feel a pressure in being very much underground but also trying to be a stand out front man? No, not at all! I try to blend a perfect marriage between the two for sure.



So, many of us have passed that dreamy age of wanting to be TV friendly 20 something celeb rockers, so what do you think the priorities are when you find your place instead as a solid member of the underground scene? I’m basically at that age where I’m like fuck it! I’m doing what’s good for me and I define success as something totally different from what the traditional music industry portrays it as. The Internet definitely made it easier for many bands to sustain a music career outside of the traditional music industry that’s always been cliche so to speak.....I just ask for the simple things when it comes to accomplishing my goals in music. These days in the age of streaming, digital and the internet, you can be your own rock star online and locally on your own terms. It all boils down to how much drive and determination you guys have!



In a world where the traditional music shop and the record companies of old have, all but, faded in to the background, Patrick makes a very good point. Everyone is a celebrity on their own level if they want to embrace it.



So we had a look at some of the albums which brought Patrick on this journey



Digging through the myriad of recordings by Patrick and his various affiliated artists, the oldest full recording I could find was 2010's bizarrely named “Let It Rise And Against”. The sound is pure garage punk experimentation but with that new generation feel that, rather than a tape deck, this was recorded on a basic computer set up. The album is peppered with samples and loops that sit between Patrick's central contribution of thrashing riffs and unrestrained vocals. Like with much of Patrick's work, the parts of the music sit together in the loosest of ways and what you really get is more of a wall of sound than individual songs. It's not the easiest listen, but the lyrics remain consistently heartfelt, leading to something of a problem. On the less effective side of the album there are tracks like “Free My Soul” where the message in the lyrics is somewhat overshadowed by the music being disjointed and never really setting out a clear melody. On the better side though, songs like “Little Miss Preppy” have a feeling a chaos but also direction. Honestly, for an album in which Patrick is trying to work out his direction, it's just simply a bit too long and a bit too low on consistency despite some highlights.



When most artists start, it's that experimental phase that often yields some of the best and the worst work, and that seems to be a phase Patrick Lew was still passing through with this album.



2011 sees the PLB experiment move on to their “Murder Bay” record. The front man explained this is the most favourable with many of his listeners and I can kind of see why. The sound is still the chaos which I suspect provides much of the enjoyment for his listeners, but there is more of a solid backbone to the songs now. The drum sampling is solidly used, the vocal melodies make more sense with the rhythm guitars and the PLB signature solos are as often in time as they are avant garde. The experimentation becomes more productive with dabbling such as pitting his free spirited vocals against an autotune filter to interesting affect on “The Social Network”, shifting tones mid song on “Let This Change Ignite” and going for jangly 60's guitars on “Compromiser”.



Once again, the PLB taste for non-conformity and chaos will alienate some, but this is a much more palatable album even if you skip through some tracks and favour others.



Continuing the one-a-year album cycle, 2012 saw “The Fall And Rise Of An Anti-Hero”, which Patrick recorded with his backing arrangement The Steel Lions. Patrick explained to me that this project was a reaction to something of a fracture in his usual circle of contributing musicians.



It certainly was a great chance to get back to experimenting in new sonic directions and has that exuberant unrestrained air about it all over again. Presented as a single 26 minute track washed full of samples, heavy atmospheric production and total non-formula, it's something you would never expect to see on a record store shelf. That said, you can imagine being urged to put it on by a friend in a smoke filled room, if you know what I mean.



Along with the rock vibes that underpin your sound, you do often incorporate elements of electronic music and heavy production as well. Are you a fan of any electronic music and do you want to experiment more with this in future? I think the future is in digital music. And electronic instruments definitely made up for the lack of a live band putting parts together in the home studio. I do listen to electronic music, especially video game composers from the Chiptunes era and Jim Johnston. You know who Jim Johnston is right? No actually, can you tell me? He composes all the theme music for WWE wrestlers. I think electronics definitely did help augment and polished up my sound as a musician. I use Logic Pro X to compose on an old iMac. I am pretty sure, I might experiment more with it. Not too long ago around 2012, I was in a one-off band called The Steel Lions and me and David from the band put together an avant-garde dubstep/prog-rock sound collage called Taiwanese Rebels. I believe David from PLB had something to do with the direction into using electronic instruments considering the absence of a live band of good players. He was into the whole EDM and rave thing, so that definitely did help too!



Patrick explained that this album was constructed partly from original recording, partly from googling license free samples and partly from picking at songs he knows and loves. This totally home made approach leads to what is probably the best of his works in my mind. It may not necessarily by a “PLB” album so to speak, but what it instead does, is cut through to who he is as a person, and shows all home studio musicians that one thing that is often forgotten in their attempts to make a commercially viable “product”. Patrick is showing here, simply, how to enjoy making sound. No songs to make in to singles, samples that probably make it uncopyrightable, a total disregard for genre. It's a refreshing listen, if, as ever with PLB, you can stomach this much chaos.



So we jump forward to early 2017 and the “Oakland” album. By this point we see him comfortable as the sole member of the band which carries his name.



A totally instrumental guitar number starts us off, it's notably rather unexperimental in nature, pushing ahead with simple strumming and pounding drums but no lead or vocals. When the second track hits we're in a totally synthesiser arranged electronic piece however. It's already clear that each songs has been given it's own very separate identity. “Oakland” is a more designed and deliberate album then the ones before it. There are punk songs like “Fuck Boy”, there are interludes like “Autumn Shade!” there are electronic numbers like “Little Seoulja”.



“Oakland” shows Patrick hitting that phase many musicians do when they become aware of the formula they have made for themselves and start to use it more mechanically. This is not to say it is a bad thing. It is refreshing that this album has several instrumentals and a tighter sound overall, but it certainly serves up less big surprises.



So it seemed like a good idea to get to know a little about how Patrick felt about his position in the music scene.



You've committed a lot in to being a long standing member of the underground music community. What first made you feel this was what you wanted to do with your life? I came from a nurturing yet slightly difficult upbringing. Growing up in the 90’s, I was mostly interested in professional wrestling and TV as a source of comfort. I was always into rock music growing up, my mom grew up in the 1960s as a teenager listening to The Beatles, Rolling Stones and all that. Since I was a huge TV person as a kid. Keep in mind, I didn’t have very many friends growing up and I was always indoors on my days off school because my parents were often working on the weekends to support me and my brother. I often watched MTV and VH1 on cable, back in the days where they actually played music related things. That’s how I got into rock music pretty much. I grew up listening to a lot of the 80’s and 90’s hard rock and alternative such as Nirvana, Guns N Roses, Metallica, Pearl Jam, U2, Green Day, Oasis, Van Halen and many many more. I also grew up listening to Vinyl records from my mom’s favorite rock bands from the 60’s and 70’s as well. When I was in middle school and 11 years old, I met a fellow punk kid in my class named Spencer and he turned me onto the punk thing. I was a dedicated athlete up until I was 12 or 13 years old. Injuries kept me away from playing sports. One day, my mom began taking me to rock concerts like Limp Bizkit and Silverchair. Watching those bands play onstage was like the coolest thing ever! I’ve read the success stories of all my favorite bands growing up. And when I was in 8th grade or beginning of high school, I got a guitar for my birthday and music became what I wanted to ever since!



In your writing online, you've shown your love and understanding of the rock music scene and your musical inspirations. What do you think sets you apart from the artists you admire and gives you your own identity? I try to blend all the things I was inspired by. In the old Patrick Lew Band records, I was mostly playing a lo-fi brand of punk rock and indie music. As I got older, I’ve grew to appreciate more of the music from my youth because I was so jaded about what was going on at the time. My goal for the Patrick Lew Band was to blend the 80’s and 90’s rock music that I grew up loving with the lyrical themes and attitude of punk rock. But I get a little versatile when it comes to playing and making music. I invested my money from college into home recording gear and basically taught myself how to do everything! That’s how I experimented the way I did on the recordings. I think how The Beatles concentrated on studio recording inspired me to do the same. In the age of social-media, I felt whenever I didn’t need to play a show or go on tour, records and putting myself out there would be the key to keeping my fans updated.



If you could have played in any of those acts which you admire, which one would it have been? That’s a tough question. I would have loved to played as a side man for Guns N Roses or even contributed to grunge bands like Nirvana or Pearl Jam. A tough question to answer indeed!



Now, you speak a lot on social media about your complicated ethnic background. Do you think that this is something that exists in you to the point that it styles the music you make, or do you feel it is more of a social barrier which may stop people taking your music the way that you intend it to be taken? It’s hard to say. I’m second generation Asian-American of Japanese and Chinese-Taiwanese descent and some of my struggles ethnically and socially does interplay with the music I make. There’s not really a lot of Asian-Americans in mainstream music in the United States, unless you mean Steve Aoki. Being both Japanese and Taiwanese had its ups and downs growing up for sure. And there’s also a lot of society pressure in Asian-Americans to fulfill the status quo and what is expected of us. A lot of the lyrics I write deal with the pressure and struggles of being this Asian kid from San Francisco but it could also mean more in a universal level. My intentions was to make music that anyone who has ever felt awkward and out of place can relate to supposedly. The music industry is pretty cut throat, but sometimes you just gotta make the best of it and do what makes you happy and rest on your laurels once you’ve start accomplishing something!


After all this time, what is your proudest achievement as a musician and a songwriter? Well. I won the 2016 award for best Experimental Rock song with the Akademia Music Awards for the Patrick Lew Band song Game Changer. I’ve never won anything before prior to that in regards to music. Around this same time, I was starting to play shows again as a member of my band TheVerse and with Patrick Lew Band of course. Good thing was around that same time as well, I was able consign a few Patrick Lew Band CDs to get sold at Amoeba. Which is considered one of the best indie record stores here in California. I think 2016 was a turning point for my indie music career where things started working well for me in a small way. I was playing guitar, doing home recording and pursuing my passion for 15 years up to that point but 2016 and 2017 was really when things started looking up for me! I mean, during the early years of PLB’s run. I did sign with Statue Records when they emailed me about distributing my music through my old Soundclick page back in 2004 or 2005. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a legit thing. But yeah man, 2016 was considered the first time when Patrick Lew Band started getting out there and becoming sustainable. While that’s not MTV worthy or mainstream success in regards to the music industry, that type of indie success still sounds good to me! I’ve also recorded close to 300 tracks during my music career, most of which came from Patrick Lew Band. I’m just that productive when I’m in the home studio. Whenever I have an idea for new music, I just jump right on it! Like plug my guitars and microphone into my laptop and start making shit, you know! I think another big success as a musician was working with Janny and David in the band TheVerse. That was probably like the first stable and steady band I was a part of, and we played a couple shows so far. You can probably find the videos on YouTube! Speaking of TV, I was made an Ambassador for Antennas Direct some time during the mid 2010s. They make digital TV antennas and home theater stuff for America and Canada. I did one of their events in San Francisco Chinatown and made a few televised appearances in regards to my contributions to humanity! Giving free TV to the underprivileged Asian-American community where I’m from away from the cable companies. Hahahaha.


Well, you've made your mark, made your sound, released several recordings, where do you want to go next? What is the future that you want for yourself and your music? I’m pretty sure I will keep Patrick Lew Band going for sure. Until the day I die, that is. I still want to record and play shows with PLB but also continue working on music with Janny in my other band TheVerse as well. I just want to become more successful with what I do, make a sustainable living with what I love doing and make my mark in rock music once it’s all said and done. So I don’t have to work a day job from 9 to 5 again. Hahaha. I want to expand Patrick Lew Band globally and make sure it becomes one of those things that made an impact. Whether it’s rock music or with other people. I am not asking to become as famous as Green Day or Metallica were. But I can certainly be happy if I made some sort of impact with my music so to speak on a global level. I think despite what other people think or have said about me in the past, I’ve certainly done something with my life and with my music that accomplished something at least. Even if that’s a niche thing or on a smaller level. Hahahaha. Because of my mixed Asian background, maybe I can be a Goodwill Ambassador between foreign relations regarding Japan and China perhaps? I also probably want to act in a film or TV show as well maybe. But we’ll see what’s up!


This is where Patrick Lew is, and always will be, a positive sign of the condition of the unsigned musician. It's fair to say that he may never become a super star, as his sound is simply too personal and too far from the popular music formula, but he will always enjoy it. Patrick always shows signs of hope, and when hope fails he relies on ambition. Patrick is an outsider, but it is what gives him his purpose as well. I think those who listen to his music sees this above all else. The maddening passion for being a rocker, speaking his words, or just simply being the Patrick Lew he has created. This is one of the underground acts I feel most confident in saying, will always be around in some capacity and will have passion for it all the way.



Author: Howard Billington (https://www.inaspinmusic.com/reviews/patrick-lew-band-artist-profile)


QUICKIE Q&A ABOUT THE MUSIC...
"Do you play live?"

PL: The Patrick Lew Band has never toured outside of the San Francisco Bay Area even if I have some fans outside of NorCal. Lol. Most of the time. Live shows for Patrick Lew Band are often sporadic and intermittent.

Usually, I use a laptop with backing tracks and play guitar and sing to present PLB onstage.

The only reason I use pre-recorded backing tracks to play live as Patrick Lew Band is because of the shortage of a live band of real-life (AKA human) musicians. I would have tried to find someone to go along and play with me. But there's a shortage of that to find and there's not enough time before a show. Not many people are willing to commit and be dedicated to do the show with me. And that becomes a problem. And there is a shortage of finding touring members.

Now before you knock me saying "I'm fake and not real." I will address to you that I have actually played stripped down "raw" performances with the PLB before with just two guitarists onstage with me and my former friend/bandmate Greg.

As tacky as a rock band may sound with me singing and playing guitar alongside an iPhone or laptop playing pre-recorded backing tracks plugged onto a PA system/mixer with an AUX cord. At least what you hear onstage, I'm not faking or pantomining my guitar playing or what I'm singing. Lol. I'm trying to give everyone a glimpse of what PLB sounds like as a one-man rock show given the absence of a live band. I'm not lip-syncing either man!

So what you hear is a balance between real and artificial.

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

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

"Would you sign a record contract with a major label?"

PL: Preferably with an indie label. As long as they provide me the right accommodations as far as creativity and salary. And 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 *AFI * 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

"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 * Apple MainStage 3 * Vox AC30 * Line6 TonePort * Digitech RP50 Multi-Effects * Boss DS-2 * Fender 25 Watt Frontman