Leicester Bangs - Features Q&A Patrick Lew

Patrick Lew
A few words with Asian-American guitarist Patrick Lew.

Leicester Bangs: Tell us a little about yourself, and your band.
Patrick: I have been around the Internet indie music websites for almost 10 years already. I started advertising my own music when I was 15 years old and a freshman in high school. And most of my recognition came from either the Internet or DIY'ing my own one-man band, or former bands I played music in, around the San Francisco Bay Area.

But other than that, I am a 25 year old Asian American male of Taiwanese descent, going to college at Cal State East Bay in Hayward, California. I am working to get a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy, and I'm planning to graduate college finally in the Winter of 2011. Not sure what I'll be doing afterwards but we'll see!

I'm a pretty complicated young man, but let's not let my problems get in the way of my music! I'm happily engaged and soon-to-be married to my fiancée and future wife Faith, who is currently living in Texas. And, I guess you can say I'm a pretty unique and artistic kind of person. My talents outside of music range from writing, digital art, acting and social activism. I acted in a few plays locally here in San Francisco doing minor roles.

So, onto the music, I am basically a one-man band operating as a homemade Rock N' Roll franchise and factory called Patrick Lew's Band. I write songs on my guitar, get the ideas of how to record and arrange them onto my laptop and Cakewalk software, and express myself lyrically, whatever the thought that's going on in my mind or current situation

When I stopped performing with my former band (Band of Asians), I took college more seriously, and went into this solo thing under my real name, and began recording a bunch of musical ideas at home and advertising them on the Internet. Posting the mp3's on my page, and, keeping fans and friends updated on Twitter, Facebook and other networking websites. You know.

Musically speaking, my style has been described as hard rock, contemporary punk and grunge influenced.

LB: How did you start out making music?
Patrick: I began playing guitar when I was 13. I got a Fender from a pawnshop as a Christmas present, and I soon began taking two weeks of guitar lessons at some Chinese school in San Francisco. I developed pretty fast when writing my own song ideas, and I had this 4-track Portastudio I bought at the Guitar Center. I began doodling and sketching the power chords I learned, and singing along to poetry I’d written as I recorded my own song ideas as a songwriter and home musician onto this Portastudio thing.

I met my childhood friend Tommy at the same Chinese school I took guitar lessons at, and we formed a Garage band called Goldenweasel. As we went into the same high school together here in San Francisco, we met a friend who hooked us up with her 12-year old younger brother Eddie. He was an amazing lead guitar player for his age! We began taking music seriously and pursuing our ambition by forming, a high school band. Trying to get gigs locally and often jamming at home!

LB: Who did you grow up listening to and how do they influence what you’re doing now?
Patrick: Mainly Hard Rock and The Beatles when I first started listening to music. I was into a lot of 80's hair metal and early 90's Seattle grunge and alternative rock. I soon moved onto contemporary punk music as soon as Green Day came out with their album "Dookie." From the time I started making music and my high school years I listened to a lot of bands like Blink-182 and Sum 41, and some Japanese Pop.

But the music I grew up with, punk and hard rock influenced what I do now because I have a tendency to mix the two genres in together in my own music as best as I can. And The Beatles!

LB: Tell us about your latest release.
Patrick: I have 4 albums on sale currently on iTunes. And 3 of those are being sold on CD Baby. Those recordings are mainly digital MP3 albums

There's basically Patrick Lew's Band and my former nu-metal band, the Band of Asians. Those records can be found on iTunes and CD Baby.

LB: Do you get out and play your music live, and if so, what can an audience expect at one of your shows?
Patrick: I don't really play my music live, although when I was playing in my former bands, we did.

LB: What aspects of playing and recording music do you most enjoy?
Patrick: Everything pretty much.

LB: Where can people find (and buy) your music?
Patrick: Well. Just go on your computer and Google "Patrick Lew's Band". But if all else fails, check out my websites as I give you the links to both my one-man band, and my current side project, Your Audio 2 Riot.