Patrick Lew. The underground rock star from the Bay. And living legend. Making music since 2001! And promoting his punk rock on the Internet on many websites!
I'm not the best at what I do. I am a home musician, recording and sketching out chaotic Punk and Hard Rock song ideas on my laptop and guitar. And posting it online. I haven't played a gig in a long time, not since when I was playing in a Garage Band with friends from high school and college.
For me, my music is not for everybody. It's sloppy Garage Band punk rock kind of music which borrows from my hometown influences, the Bay Area, from the Punk and Underground Rock subculture here. I can't mix my music as recordings on Apple GarageBand very well either, I try my best to make my music OKAY for everyone to hear. I can play guitar very well though, depending what you consider a GREAT guitar player. For me, I'm a rhythm guitarist, songwriter and outsider musician. And of course! An artist.
I don't know music theory, universal musical approaches and fundamentals for any genre. But what I do, is a place for everyone regardless of musical expertise and experience to get heard.
I play Fender guitars. Use a Marshall JCM-800 amp. And record all my music on my laptop using the PC version of Macintosh's GarageBand. I use drum loops and other electronic sounds to give my Punk and Hard Rock music something unique. And it gets bad or good reviews, but I've been told my one man "rock" band is UNIQUE.
I am 25 years old, soon-to-be college graduate at CSU East Bay. Living in the surburbs of the Bay Area in Antioch, California. Music is what I love doing, but I also am good at other creative things like Drawing, Photography and Writing.
I promote my own Punk music on the Internet hoping to get someone to hear it, and share it. And I do play guitar in uber primitive Garage Bands too. That's my musical expertise. Playing Punk Rock on my guitar alone or with schoolmates jamming in the basement.
Why this name?
My given name. My one man band.
Do you play live?
No. I mostly make music at my house in my bedroom. Playing guitar and recording Punk Rock songs on my computer and posting it online.
I mainly make music in my own bedroom using my guitars and other equipment for my enjoyment and the people who really, I mean really, appreciate it.
How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
Changes things for the better. Allows all independent musicians and bands to get heard, and no longer having to depend on record labels and music industry corporations. There's a place now for all indie musicians to get heard.
Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
I don't know. Because for one, I hate the music business. Maybe. If I got real benefits and opportunities from it. And I can have a BAND and play shows at clubs, and get help to improve myself playing music. And having my CDs sold in a record store. Then yes. If they keep ignoring me as an Artist and promoting other bands besides me. Than no.
Band History:
Patrick Lew's Band is an American hard rock band from Antioch, California. The band's lineup mainly consisted of its only band member as a solo project, Patrick Lew. Whom plays guitar, writes the music and records his songwriting ideas on his computer. Formed in 1999, the one-man band had achieved local success and Internet-created Rock stardom by making many websites for Patrick Lew's Band and hyping the music online as DIY. Although having been involved and pursuing Hard Rock music for over a decade, regardless of skill and experience. The band is currently a home musician outlet for MySpace-created rock star Patrick Lew.
Patrick Lew's Band was founded in 1999 in San Francisco, after Lew got a guitar for his 13th birthday and began teaching himself how to play basic chords on his instrument through books. When enrolled at a Chinatown music camp, Lew met drummer Tommy Loi and began playing music together amateurishly in Lew's bedroom. And soon after, began creating their own music. The two childhood friends and later high school classmates made an early version of Patrick Lew's Band, but also performed music under various pseudonyms such as "Goldenweasel." The band's first home recording was a four-track demo tape called "Live! Like a Garage Band!" which were early songwriting and musical ideas Lew had written and composed when he first began playing guitar. However, it wasn't until May of 2001 when Lew began promoting his music and bands he played guitar in online, by making a website or setting up pages on indie musician places.
When Lew and Loi began attending Raoul Wallenberg High School, they began looking for other schoolmates who would be interested in playing Rock music in a garage band with them. Given Lew and Loi's limited musical proficiency at the time, despite going to a music store for day camp lessons. They wanted and needed a more experienced lead guitarist in Patrick Lew's Band. On January 12, 2001, Patrick met up his schoolmate and friend Joey Fitz complaining about wanting to create a Real rock band of musicians and to play music with. Joey, formally introduced Lew and Loi to his best friend Morgan's younger brother Eddie Blackburn. Who was 12 years old at the time, but a wizard guitar player. Impressed by Blackburn's guitar soloing and personality, he joined Patrick Lew's Band but also, formed a secondary garage band to play Hair Metal music in. Owning inexpensive musical gear at the time, Blackburn had more accessible instruments for Lew to use at the time. Such as better guitar amps.
After Lew began promoting his music online. His main focus was, pursuing and playing music with Eddie and Tommy in a local garage band. But also, making music and writing songs alone at home. Such musical influences, that Patrick Lew's band were inspired by. Were 80's hard rock such as Motley Crue, Tesla, White Lion, Guns And Roses and Warrant. They also were heavily influenced by the Seattle grunge phenomenon such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana, and contemporary Punk music like Green Day, Blink 182 and The Offspring. Around the time, Patrick Lew began playing and making music. It was 2001, and he was also a high school freshmen heavily into Nu Metal bands like Limp Bizkit, whom were very popular at the time in mainstream American culture and the Rock music industry. An avid CD buyer, Patrick would often be seen at Bay Area record stores such as Amoeba looking for good music to buy. And Patrick has played music in a variety of garage bands jamming with friends from college and high school since. Although, he only had three serious local Bay Area rock bands he played guitar and made the music in.
While Patrick Lew's Band was a home musician solo project. He pursued music seriously in the local Bay Area rock/metal bands he played guitar or bass in with schoolmates and friends. Playing poorly recognized and attended live events at bars and local nightclubs. Traveling with their musical equipment on the BART train or Muni buses. Or even, carpooled by their parents or friends who had a driver's license with their guitars, drums, keyboards, recording software and computers in the car. While, Patrick Lew has somewhat stopped playing gigs as a live musician in late 2007, because he had nobody to play music with in a Rock Band and that his former local bands he was playing rhythm guitar in had disbanded. He invested time as an Artist, to build a home recording studio. Spending wads of cash on new inexpensive guitars, recording software and etc on eBay and Guitar Center.
Since 2008 onwards, Patrick Lew's Band had mainly became a home musician project alone for the 25-year old Asian American guitar hero and punk rock outsider. He would operate a home-made factory where he'd get an idea, record a bit on his guitar and laptop. And begin promoting his solo music online on many websites, and hyping it from there. Plus, keeping his social-networking and fans updated with the latest news stories on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. While, Patrick does music for a hobby because of many different reasons. Regardless of skill and experience. He wouldn't mind playing guitar in a Grunge band again with college friends at CSUEB, pursuing it and playing more shows. Or even, getting success in music.
11 years after he began making music and hyping it on the Internet, Patrick Lew's Band has independently self-released and promoted four albums. And experimented with new sounds and making unique music in every album after on CDR and Digital MP3 album files. As Patrick uses a vast array of different guitars, digital music-making technology and etc. To attempt to create new music in a unique way. There's probably, plenty of Patrick Lew's Band websites on the Internet right now if you Google it. Some never revised or updated. But the music is there, and it's his ART. And his music. And his one-man "rock" band.
Your influences?
Green Day, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone, Silverchair, Dead Kennedys, Tesla, White Lion, Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, Guns N' Roses, Soungarden, The Casualties, Motley Crue
Favorite spot?
My favorite hang out is the Bay Area. Need I say more? Mostly fun places in the East Bay though. I had a lot of fun living in San Francisco until I turned 23, but the Bay Area or NorCal always was a musician's playground and social-networking for me.
Equipment used:
My CHEAP guitars, Line6 TonePort GX, Apple GarageBand and chaotically insane ideas. And scant producing and mixing skills as a Punk/Grunge musician.
Anything else...?
Keep listening to underground music.
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