The Pretendo Box

The Pretendo Box Bio:

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.

BIO
Taiwanese punk musician and guitar player Patrick Lew has been involved with music as a hobby and sometimes, serious pursuit, since 2001. Having played guitar and bass in a few unsuccessful local Bay Area rock bands, and promoting his music on the Internet while studying and going to high school and college. Lew began playing guitar he got from a pawnshop at the age of 13, and met his childhood friend and schoolmate from Raoul Wallenberg High School, drummer Tommy Loi. And Lew and Loi while had little musical experience or skill at the time playing their instruments. They would often jam at Patrick's bedroom playing chaotically unusual Hard Rock music on their guitars and drums. Between 1999 and 2001, Lew and Loi were serious about making music and playing in a real Rock band with other musicians. Some time in January of 2001, Lew was formally introduced to lead guitarist George "Eddie" Blackburn through his schoolmate's social-networking. Eddie would join Dexter Rotten, which was notably known as Patrick Lew's Band since then. But also wanted to play lead guitar in a 2nd band with Lew and Loi to pursue the music. The 2nd now defunct band was called Silent Minister, but also later renamed Band of Asians during Lew's college years. Soon drummer Tommy Loi left the field of pursuing and making music, to focus on getting into a good college or university.

Lew would begin promoting his one-man punk band online, alongside his defunt garage band with Eddie. By making a website and signing up for band accounts on indie musician places. This all happened in 2001.

After he began promoting their music online. Lew focused his attention on getting noticed with his 2nd band he played rhythm guitar in, by finding anywhere or any place they can play a show locally. And playing and jamming on some music with Eddie Blackburn at his house. Whenever his other band wasn't doing anything, he would write songs alone and record his solo music at home. As far as musical influences are concerned, Dexter Rotten was influenced and inspired by initially 80's Hard Rock such as Tesla, White Lion, Guns And Roses, Warrant and Motley Crue. But when growing up as a kid in the 90's, Lew was really into the Seattle grunge sounds of Nirvana and Pearl Jam and Punk Revival bands such as Green Day, AFi and The Offspring. Lew was soon introduced to underground music, when he was in middle school. Which made him realize, there's a place for unknown primitive musicians to get heard to. Which was locally. By the time, Patrick Lew began pursuing and making music in 2001. He was a high school freshmen, and was a fan of some Nu Metal such as Korn and Limp Bizkit. Which the Nu Metal fad was popular in the mainstream music scene back when Lew was a high school freshmen.

Patrick Lew for most of the time he was a solo artist, referred to his one-man band as Patrick Lew's Band. He got the band name Dexter Rotten, taken from the names of two notable punk musicians. Dexter Holland from The Offspring, and Johnny Rotten from The Sex Pistols.

While often doing 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, Lew had mainly became a home musician project alone as a hobby and serious passion. 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.

While this solo Punk band and music is very unique and unorthodox. It has some chaotic musical performance and arrangements on Guitars, Bass and Drums. But, Patrick himself is NOT the best at mixing and producing the music he created on his laptop and using Apple GarageBand. However, while not technical or knowing little music theory or fundamentals. IT STILL ROCKS. This is music and art, people's. So shut your f***ing mouths up! Regardless of the bad reviews, bullying and etc. Patrick Lew is the one and only outsider musician.