The Patrick Lew Band, also known as PBL, is a Sino-Japanese punk rock band from San Francisco, California. They have been active on-and-off from 2001 to the present day. They play and compose in many different styles of music including Rock, Electronic, and Metal.
PLB has had a vast array of musical influences, however they accredit their pivotal influences in the music to Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Beatles, and many more. This all culminates in the Patrick Lew Band producing a musical experience that is not only enjoyable, easy going, and fun, but still seeks to provoke thought through storytelling and exploring various perspectives.
The band recently released a new album in August titled "Xclamation!", and a cover of J-Pop singer, Ann Lewis's, hit song "Woman". Listen to PBL's recent music on all digital streaming platforms now!
"It's the music that may not change the world, but can change the people in the world." - Patrick Lew
When did you first discover your passion for music?
Well, I was always into music since a very early age. I grew up listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and a lot of 60's and 70's classic rock bands from my mother's generation through the vinyl records and turntable.
I didn't have much stability growing up, but I wouldn't say that my childhood was super tragic though! I mean, I didn't have many friends in school and there was a lot of things from my upbringing that wasn't always on point. But going on family vacations, professional wrestling, video games and cable TV programming were what kept me out of trouble. By the time I got a little older as a pre-teen during the mid-90's, I was already listening to bands like Nirvana, Oasis, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Green Day, and I was also listening to J-Pop from my mother's culture and a lot of punk rock and metal.
When my cousin Andy was living with me from Asia as a foreign exchange student at a local community college here in San Francisco, he would always be playing guitar that my brother left sitting in the closet. Originally, my older brother Rick used to play electric guitar but computers, sports cars and video games was more his thing. My Sino-Japanese cousin Andy would play Hendrix, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple songs on that Fender guitar and amp pretty much on our days off school! That's when I knew, I found my true calling card in life!
I began playing guitar at the young age of 13 all those years ago back in the Summer of 1999. Took a few guitar lessons here and there, but mostly self-taught.
In 2001 at the age of 15, I started my first band which would eventually become PLB (Patrick Lew Band) with some friends of mines in high school. At the time, the Internet and indie "unsigned" and "DIY" music because of the Internet was still a relatively new thing! I just jumped right on it!
In my 21 year indie music career semi-professionally, I’ve been through some highs and some lowest of lows. Like a typical episode of VH1 Behind the Music about a band you liked as a kid. I played in many local bands in the Bay Area outside of PLB which includes Pleasure Gallows, TheVerse, Benigneglect, The Steel Lions and Crazy Loser in a Box!
When I was in college back in the late 2000s, I decided to take PLB (Patrick Lew Band) very seriously in the music scene and the indie music circuit for sure! After several years of turmoil, lineup changes and other stuff, my on-and-off girlfriend (cross-dressing alter-ego) Madeline Lew officially joined PLB as the bassist and occasional lead vocalist on Halloween 2015. Suddenly, we began our first serious run as a legit Sino-Japanese rock and roll project from San Francisco! The press was better, we began getting more stans on social-media and all our music spread to at least 38 countries worldwide on iTunes/Apple Music to thousands of listeners! That’s when my purpose with making music was reassured and getting those attention and good things made me happier and want to keep doing music and putting myself out there for sure!
Oh yeah, and Madeline’s good friend Madoku Raye just recently joined the band PLB last month in October!
What three words would you say best summarize your music?
I can honestly say the three best words to describe PLB and our music would be: Fierce, Empowering, and Dynamic.
Tell me about your latest music release.. what was the inspiration behind it?
Recently, we dropped a new single called, "WOMAN", worldwide on all digital streaming platforms. It’s actually a cover song from the 70’s and 80’s J-POP idol Ann Lewis!
Japanese culture is a common theme and is very strong in me and Madeline’s upbringing and personality. We were raised in a local Asian-American community here in San Francisco but still adapted to the American culture and society, we suppose. Me and Madeline from the band PLB are actually Sino-Japanese (Chinese & Japanese mixed heritage) and like the Hannah Montana theme song, we really do got the best of both worlds for sure. We grew up listening to J-POP, watching Anime and being immersed in our own culture back home. While at the same time, we are very much adapted to American culture and its people as well.
We also released two other albums this year worldwide in 2021. Our latest album "Xclamation!", and our first live concert album called, "IN YOUR HOUSE!". The live album was a long time coming, since we never did one throughout our 21 year run as PLB. We basically went into the archives in our closet digging through some live recordings we might have done, and finally put together a PLB live album!
Patrick Lew Band (PLB) is very different as a live band compared to our studio work and online content. We still got the punk rock in us for sure. Whereas, our records nowadays have more in common with K-Pop than punk rock these days!
Most artists say that through their art they learn more about themselves… in what ways has music helped you?
It certainly got me out of trouble, that’s for sure! Had it not been for PLB and the music, God only knows how bad life would have turned out for me pretty much! I had a lot of problems in my past related to a lot of things, such as crappy people and all. Tons of them. But making music, playing guitar and putting it out there worldwide on social-media, IRL and where ever always helped gave me more confidence to be myself and more reassurance with where I stand! I like to use my music in PLB to reach all nations worldwide and try and make people’s lives merrier and healthier, as long as they’re not bad people or have questionable motives and personality! That’s for sure! It’s what we were born to do. The Patrick Lew Band and our music, that is!
How do you want your music to help other people?
Interestingly enough, PLB’s music has reached 38 countries worldwide with thousands of supporters and listeners on Apple Music. People on their phones or computers be hearing us out on the Apple Music app! We want PLB’s music to reach larger audiences and as we said, make their lives easier and merrier in this crazy world we live in for sure!
My band PLB is also a certified and legitimate registered business in San Francisco. My house and my music in PLB is now a certified business in San Francisco, CA. I run a start-up as a musical entrepreneur in my own house with the Patrick Lew Band! We are a legit business pretty much, and I earn passive income whenever and pay taxes yearly because of my music in the band PLB.
My goal for my start-up and my own music is if it ever becomes more profitable and if I I ever do make a lot of money perhaps with my business/side-hustle as a musician and artist, I was gonna probably lease a mid-sized empty building here in the Bay Area with a small team running PLB HQ and expand PLB to other things besides just music and YouTube videos, like non-dairy ice cream, organic non-GMO soup and stuff like that.
I was also interested if I ever move my HQ for PLB outside my house to another building, I was gonna have a state-of-the-art recording studio inside the New PLB HQ and maybe, help other artists and musicians in a very charitable way. Like give back to the scene who gave me the tools to be me and my PLB. And help create a new generation of awesome indie music artists too. I also don’t want to pocket all the profits like a greedy evil man that I make through PLB if we have a small team of 10 people running the HQ. I want some of our revenue to be donated to charitable causes to make people’s lives better and benefit society too.
I’m thinking Madoku Raye and Madeline Lew are the best people so far to run the New PLB HQ if it ever becomes a reality someday! That’s my dream as an artist running my band PLB. If we ever expand and ever get to that level someday or whenever! I want to use my music in PLB to help other people and make their lives merrier and encourage their creativity and tell em', “Always do you, boo".
What is your songwriting process?
Me and Madeline used to date each other in the Alternative Timeline. We’re also in the same band together and we’re still very close to each other as friends after we stopped being boyfriend and girlfriend. We usually collaborate in our home recording studios separately through modern technology and as an Internet-based rock band.
That’s what PLB pretty much is mostly. An Internet type of rock band! Madeline doesn’t live with me, neither does Madoku. So we exchange our ideas through Facebook private messages or even LINE app on our phones. Like I would record my parts first at home through my old iMac running Logic Pro with the guitars plugged in and fiddle around with the electronic instruments too. Keep in mind! My house in San Francisco is a basic home recording studio! And where I do business with PLB! Then, Madeline sends her bass part to me via email or Dropbox. Then, Madoku sends her parts too. And they all record their parts for each new piece of music separately! Then once I got all the files needed for the new song, I observe each part meticulously. Once I’m ready, I will layer everything and do all the engineering and digital music production on my MacBook Air or iMac and put everything to place! I also am responsible for the mixing stage of each new piece of music we do.
Once that’s done, no matter how draining it can be, I send all the finished recordings online to get it Mastered. Then voila! There’s a brand new PLB song for everyone to hear! If the song is good enough, I would work with CDBaby and get it out there worldwide on Spotify and Apple Music. If not, I leave it on Soundcloud or Bandcamp just for people to stream. Maybe later if possible, we will try and get that song out there on Spotify while working with CDBaby! I usually text Madoku and Madeline about that before making any arrangements with that. Lol. The beauty of modern technology and the Internet allowed PLB to be what it is. Make music in a band with your closest friends who don’t live near you and have full-time jobs and other things going on in life. I’m a pretty busy guy too, I work at a grocery warehouse full-time doing graveyard shifts. And I got this and that going on too. But the Internet and its advancements definitely made it possible for three close friends separated by distance and other things, to come together and create music virtually via online collaboration!
Who were the first musical artists that inspired you?
I was always a huge fan of the bands Nirvana, X Japan and Metallica growing up. They’re the reasons why I started playing guitar and wanting to make music in a band in the first place! I’m probably one of the few Asians in my circle of friends in the Asian community who is a HUGE FAN of the band Nirvana! They really inspired me and without them, there would be no Patrick Lew Band or PLB for sure! I’m a huge fan of the band X Japan too, because they’re one of those “game changing” rock bands from my culture and they really set the standards as well in Japan and their music scene. They changed the game out there for sure! And they’re great musicians and have an awesome look too as an Asian rock band!
What is your favorite song you've recorded to date?
I’d say everything I’ve done in the band PLB pretty much. It’s what people will remember me for when it’s all said and done. When I’m gone someday and at peace back in Heaven with mom and everyone else, they can always go on my social-media and all over the Internet and my YouTube channel to check out Patrick Lew Band (PLB) and remember me for being the awesome and most coolest Sino-Japanese rock star and person in general! Doing those other bands outside of PLB too was also amazing. It made me have more credentials as an indie music artist. That’s for sure!
