Patrick Lew's Band is a rock band from Antioch, California active making music since 1999. While mainly a one-man project for Lew, it also consisted of other musicians before. In this news article for the Patrick Lew's Band fanzine, this will summarize a quick story of the life, music and times of Patrick Lew's music and time.
Patrick Lew's Band Statistics
Origin -- San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA
Genres -- Hard Rock, Alternative Rock, Pop Punk, Punk Rock, Alternative Metal
Years Active -- 1999-present
Labels -- Unsigned
Associated Acts -- Dexter Rotten, Band of Asians, Silent Minister, The Nocturnal Rock Turtles, Eddie Blackburn
Website -- www.patricklewsband.com
(Members)
Patrick Lew - Everything Almost
(Former Members)
Tommy Loi - Drums
Eddie Blackburn - Lead Guitar
Mayumi - Bass
Zack Huang - Keyboards
Cory Gaitan - Bass
Dave Arceo - Drums
Origins and Psychotic Love (1999-2003)
Because it is a solo project mainly for Taiwanese rock musician and guitarist Patrick Lew, the one-man rock band is called Patrick Lew's Band. He started making music with the group in the summer of 1999. When he was taking a few guitar lessons at his Chinese school, where he met original Silent Minister drummer and his musician schoolmate Tommy Loi, in the music department at the Chinese school. He began writing his own songs and recording his ideas on a tape recorder soon after learning basic chords and elements on playing guitar.
In 2001, Patrick Lew's Band recorded a demo tape on a Portastudio which was sent to his schoolmates and social-networkings in his former hometown of San Francisco. And hopes of finding another band to play music in. These demo tapes are rare, since only 25 copies were reportedly manufactured. And these home recordings were the only ones to feature original drummer Tommy Loi. Early on, Lew was a busker playing his music in public where ever he could locally. And his high school girlfriend Amy Sean, created the first Patrick Lew music page around that same time. His first gig was a busker at Vans Warped Tour in his hometown on June 30, 2001.
From 2002 to 2003, Lew and his other band Silent Minister were playing local shows and recorded a handful of demo tapes during their rehearsals. And began promoting their music online. Their biggest gig around this time, was at a regional "Battle of the Bands" in a club. Although they didn't win the contest, but some of their performance was bootlegged by a friend who snuck in a tape recorder.
Patrick Lew's Band released their first album "Psychotic Love" in April 2003. Lew's other band Silent Minister at the time, alternating high school with music, landed a small promotion deal with indie record company Statue Records. Resulting in the high school band's bootleg "Tokyo Pop Princess" sold in independent record shops.
High School Band (2003-2005)
Following the release of Silent Minister's bootleg album "Tokyo Pop Princess" Lew devoted most of his musical and artistic adventures in Silent Minister. Leaving his solo project inactive at times. His high school band began playing many local low-key shows in the Bay Area, mainly in high school talent shows and bars. Although the then-teenage musicians were underage at the time, their parents mainly carpooled the band and their equipment to their shows. The band spent much of 2003 touring and doing public promotion appearances to advertise Silent Minister, and sometimes Lew's solo work. They played 27 concerts that year, before taking a break to pursue their high school education at a reliable pace. In May 2003, Silent Minister made a Soundclick music page and account (although Lew began advertising Patrick Lew's Band around August 10, 2005). The public and local music scene became aware of Silent Minister, and Lew became a notable Internet celebrity. Reportedly, his Findapix webpage attracted thousands of views for 24 weeks. Leading to Lew's indulgent affairs with groupies and female fans.
Lew eventually graduated high school on June 3, 2004. Earlier that year, Lew had a minor acting role in the local teen play "Picking" from his high school's theater department. After graduating, Lew went to City College. Painfully estranging himself from his high school friend Amy Sean, whom created the first Patrick Lew website online, Lew focused on music. In the summer of 2004, Lew took guitar lessons at a local music store near his former house in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, because he felt his guitar playing was very poor. Returning work with Silent Minister, they recorded a second album "Blizzard of Sound" at their lead guitarist Eddie Blackburn's home studio in October. And began a short tour across City College and a few San Francisco public high schools. A main weakness of this fruitful period was, no pictures exist of this time frame. Due to Lew not owning a digital camera until the start of 2005, to use as historical reasons to film his music and bands. On February 13, 2005, the high school band Silent Minister played a gig at Balboa High School. The last concert the high school band would play. Eventually, Lew would focus on music as a solo musician and took part in extra projects with other musicians and schoolmates.
Band of Asians (2005-2007)
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. 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.
He took a year-long break from community college to focus on his music career and personal life to evolve. Patrick Lew and his friend from City College, Zack, formed a new band called Band of Asians and Patrick took music in 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. Lew was also a part-time band member of his schoolmate Gray Eser's Metal band TORM, whom had a few music websites on the Internet somewhere. And considered ambitions musically, but never recorded any music together and they, had only done three band practices for various "debatable" reasons behind the garage band.
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, which he protested against attending for cram school. Feeling he wasn't ready to go back to community college yet to focus on his new music. He did however meet his closest friend and Band of Asians drummer Dave Arceo and bassist Augusto Hernandez, finally creating the Band of Asians as a Rock Band. 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, and Patrick Lew's only live album to date. 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.
"Revenge!" and Bandalisms (2007-2008)
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. Although this was Patrick Lew's second major album (he later shared joint credits to the record with Band of Asians as both their project's recorded work). It was a stylistic departure from the early days of Lew's music as digital music technology and the tools and experience learned in later years, gave Patrick Lew's Band and the music a sound that remained unto themselves. 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 and Lew especially 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 big concern was, that the music from "Revenge" was very difficult to present live without backing tapes or without a whole ensemble of live musicians playing certain parts, 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.
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 various music critics and third-party music industry people and its audiences, as a solo artist. Lacking focus, and more focused on their own long-term goals alone, on March 29, 2008. Arceo announced his departure from Band of Asians due to personal and professional differences with Lew. Although the two remained friends sporadically, despite dissolving the Band of Asians on unfriendly terms.
In the middle of 2008, former bandmates Gaitan and Lew began a reconnected relationship when he returned from overseas. However, the two lost contact when Lew began attending a new school and the two schoolmates focused on their personal lives. And Lew's family however, purchased a new house in Antioch, a small town in East Bay, CA. Lew decided, after the years with the BAND ON THE RUN and ups and downs with his personal life and music. He would take an extended hiatus from playing live, and focus on finishing college with a Bachelors Degree. Lew left City College in the summer of that year, but did not receive his Associates Degree mainly for not finishing college-level math and algebra, a subject Lew disliked since grade school.
Solo Career and Subsequent Projects (2008-Present)
After the breakup of Band of Asians, Patrick Lew became a solo musician. Withdrawing himself from the local music community's spotlight from playing shows and doing public events to promote his music or varied projects. Lew decided he to take an extended hiatus from live performing for various reasons, mainly the lack of a live band to perform his music onstage. And little support from the music industry and other outlets. Thus beginning the studio band years of Patrick Lew's music solo.
Lew returned to his solo musician priority, but also took college seriously. He began attending CSU East Bay in Hayward, CA. And was now living in the Lone Tree Way suburbs of Antioch, CA. About 42 miles from his fomer hometown of San Francisco. Most of his leisure time was spent on recording music and making ART in his home recording studio at his KB Homes house. And using his laptop to advertise his solo musician output, or publish MP3's of songs he wrote online. Lew is currently ranked #730 most notable local band from his region, the Bay Area, as reported by local music scene stats from ReverbNation.com. IStardom.com listed Patrick Lew to be the #10,144 most famous musician online.
In 2009, Lew compiled recordings from his laptop and burned DVDs of various studio sessions at home making music, to put together his 3rd album as Patrick Lew's Band "Curb Your Wild Life." Released on iTunes and other digital shops in January, followed by an "Online Listening Party" event advertised and created on Lew's Facebook profile for fans and friends. In the summer of that year, Lew formed the "virtual" rock band Dexter Rotten. Which he collaborates with friends and other Internet musicians online, to make revisions to Lew's music generally. On Halloween 2009, Lew is currently engaged to his long-time female friend Faith.
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