Bio

[b]I am a MUSICIAN. I play guitar and create music on FL Studio on my computer in my projects Band of Asians and Pretendo Box (both music pages are on MySpace). Been promoting my music online since 2002. I also enjoy video games, WWE and reading books along with buying Electronics. I am 23 years old and I am Taiwanese/Chinese who is NOT your typical Asian and I love music more than any other of my interests. I love Alternative Rock, '80s Metal and Classic Rock. Anyways, if you want to know more. You can read my website or ask me. Other information I can say about myself is I am finishing up 2-year college at City College of San Francisco hopefully by the summer of 2008 with an Associates Degree and transfer to a 4-year school at California State University, East Bay to study Sociology and Music. I been through a lot in my autobiography, so I create music. I might have been playing Rhythm Guitar in my 2 former BANDS, Band of Asians and Silent Minister. I decided to exclusively create music as a solo Internet musician in Pretendo. Check out my music from Pretendo Box and Band of Asians on SoundClick! The BEST music page for unsigned bands and musicians possible on the Internet! Pretendo Box. Video Game Music REMIXES. Why this name? Well, I wanted to CREATE Video Game Music because of my recent hobbies in playing PlayStation 2 and XBox 360 games. I wanted to bring MUSIC from games and remix MIDI versions of various Video Game Music from the #1 game musician page VGMusic.com and then use my Electronic Music Lab skills remixing the MIDI files on the PC program FL Studio. I had a fun time doing these Video Game Music remixes as music is a BIG reason why I play video games on PlayStation and XBox other than the Puzzles. The bandname for my project came from this Game Musician book. I got the name Pretendo from a Video Game Parody storybook of the '80s cartoon Muppet Babies and Box came from Microsoft XBox except dropping the "X" and Pretendo Box serves as my Video Game Music as an Internet musician remixing various music from games off Sega, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo and Microsoft XBox that I am familar with and I just CREATED my own Video Game Console sold at GameStop and Costco without going to the Wonderland Arcade in Vegas! Do you play live? Maybe not. I would like to do concerts for Pretendo Box with the BEST studio musicians money can buy from the music industry headquarters to present my long-time fans as an Internet musician, Video Game Music for the mass media in hobbies of music for everybody IN CONCERT. I made all the REMIXES on FL Studio and published all my musical work for Pretendo Box on music pages and game music remix websites but this serves as a hobby mostly. How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry? Local music community websites like this make it easy for local bands, musicians, rappers, songwriters and DJs to get known. DIY is GREAT. Would you sign a record contract with a major label? Definitely. Who wouldn't? We can't make MONEY if we don't finish college and our college education. Show me the MONEY first. I would sign a record deal with a music company actually. I would love to play shows. Love to create music in the recording studio. And get my MUSIC out there in the magazines and media. Sure is better than going to Grad School being isolated with no Asian girl, no kids and friends at SF State University or CSU East Bay. Don't wanna work at retail stores and Burger King restaurants forever you know. Band History: I'm a Video Game Musician. I'm also an Internet musician who promotes my musical work off my various projects on the Internet through music pages like this for the undiscovered MUSIC ARTIST. I can play 5 musical instruments which I got at Guitar Center and I often nowadays make Video Game Music on my computer laptop using FL Studio 6, which I got on eBay. I am 23 years old and I am a Taiwanese American guy who attends California State University (East Bay). I used to work at a comic book store and Tower Records as a teenager. Working at Tower Records, R.I.P to that record store...Gave me more knowledge and education on music and how music is created. I turned my attention to those Recording and EQ magazines I got to find out the juicy details on how those SOUNDS were created either on digital or analog music creation tools. Recently, I jumped ship from making Alternative Rock music in Band of Asians to 8-bit Video Game Music on FL Studio on my computer laptop. More recently, I've been playing XBox and PlayStation 2 games often at home and I have been very fascinated by the music in games I get at EB Games which I play those PlayStation 2 games NOT JUST for FUN but the music keeps my interest in playing a RPG like Final Fantasy. I've been very fascinated by Video Games and the SOUNDS of Video Games more recently, so I delve deeper to finding out how they created those sounds. And that became "Pretendo Game Project." My 8-bit music and Nintendocore project. I've been playing Video Games since I was a baby when I owned an Atari 7800 at my house. Though video games back then were very primitive back then in technology. Every other weekend, my mother would take me and my older brother Rick to WonderLand. Which was an Arcade Game Factory down at Pier 39. Such games I remember playing were Double Dragon and the original Street Fighter. In the mid-to-late 1980s, those Gamemasters in Japan working for Nintendo Headquarters shipped out the VERY FIRST 8-bit Nintendo game console. Remembering it even as a 2 year old, it was COOL to own an original Nintendo. It practically saved the gaming industry from the Video Game Crash of 1983. I remember in Christmas 1987, my parents went to Toys R' Us to purchase me and my older brother Ricky the big ol' GRAY box which came with Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. Back then, when you look at it. Those video games were considered state-of-the-art because the quality of the software titles for the NES. We would save our lunch money from nasty ass Cafeteria food at school to purchase the GOOD Nintendo games at Walden Software and I loved playing Double Dragon and Castlevania in their ported versions. I think what made me play the games weren't just the PUZZLES. Remember before Video Games we had to play Board Games? I loved the music and sounds that were on Video Games and it kept me playing Double Dragon 2 for hours at home. I realized recently, OLD monophonic synthesizers were USED in order to create the sounds advertised in Nintendo and 8-bit gaming consoles. Those were the technologies MOST video games (hardware or software) had in those days. Music is my big hobby/interest other than Video Games. I was wondering how did those Video Game Musicians and Gaming Headquarters created those SOUNDS. Up until the 16-bit era of video gaming, MIDI music was common for the creation of sounds and music for 16-bit Video Games. Let me inform you, in 1983. MIDI was introduced by the COMPUTER INDUSTRY and MUSIC CREATION COMPANIES to make Electronic Music Lab a broader way of CREATING music. On an Apple or PC Computer along with the Synthesizer. When Sega Genesis was launched in the NEXT GENERATION Video Game Industry in August 1989 (followed by Super Nintendo in 1991), most sounds and music you heard in games from GameStop and EB Games used MIDI and digital soundchips inside the hardware of a Sega or Nintendo gaming console. Arcades were still pretty HUGE at the time because back in those days, Video Games at home on PORTED versions couldn't duplicate the technologies that Arcade Games had. It wasn't probably until when Video Game Consoles began using CD-ROM instead of Cartridges in 1993 when the 32-bit generation of the gaming industry with 3DO, PlayStation 1 and Sega Saturn. Do you guys even remember when 3DO, the $700 video gaming device and its copies were shipped off to GameStop and EB Games in 1993? Well it only had ONE game worth getting which was Capcom's "Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo." That's also the time, Video Game Music used CD quality sound and the MUSIC in games started sounding more COMPLEX with Electronic/Computer and REAL musical instruments. I'd say because of the 32-bit gaming era, Arcades began to decline in popularity because around this time...Ported versions of arcade games could strongly duplicate EVERYTHING technically that the Arcade version of a variety of video games can have. After I got bored of playing 8-bit video games such as Nintendo, my parents purchased me and my brother Ricky a Sega Genesis on his 12th birthday in 1993 at Costco/Price Club. This was around the time, me and my family would OFTEN go to Blockbuster Video to RENT video games for our Sega Genesis. I played the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy. And I played a variety of ported versions of different Arcade games such as Revolution X and Mortal Kombat 3 on Sega Genesis. For me, the quality and technology of 16-bit video games surpassed the limitations 8-bit gaming consoles like Nintendo had. Sound was more digital and broader. Graphics were more polished. But this was still during the time of 2D Video Games. It wasn't until when CD-ROM based Video Games when we saw the evolution of gaming from 2D to 3D environments in games such as Final Fantasy VII, Duke Nukem and Resident Evil. I also enjoyed playing computer games too. My father Wilson purchased my family an OLD Microsoft Computer from IBM Computer Headquarters during the Christmas of 1992. I played many computer games I purchased at a variety of video game and computer stores. This was before Internet and myself CREATING music on a computer through music creation software as U was either unaware of technologies like that or they weren't INVENTED yet. I often played Doom, Wolfenstein and Heretic on PC. I was also learning how to play Piano at the Chinatown Music School, just before I got my first guitar kit at the department store and other guitars at Guitar Center at age 13. Hell! This was even before I began my career occupation as an Internet musician creating music at home with Band of Asians or my high school band and promoting the music on MP3 files on the Internet through websites like this! I first purchased the Sony PlayStation on my 12th birthday in 1997. I personally thought this was the BEST video gaming console I owned and experienced with. There's EVEN a PlayStation retail store in San Francisco where I live! Speaking of Final Fantasy VII, that was the first game I played on PSone. It also had the MOST awesome SOUNDTRACK to any video game I ever played before. It wasn't just the storylines and the gameplay drama of FF7. It was the music and sound that blew me away in playing a video game and being an Internet musician. I never heard Game Music this great before, this later inspired me to CREATE music on a computer through various softwares trying to figure out my fascinations with those sounds. I purchased a PlayStation 2 around age 16 at GameStop and I recently was able to purchase USED copies of the original XBox and Sega Dreamcast gaming consoles at a Video Game Store. I OWN 3 gaming consoles officially NOW - Sony PlayStation 2, XBox (original) and Sega Dreamcast. My Sega Genesis and Nintendo were later given to Goodwill thrift store/pawnshops for charity. Up until recently, I been CREATING music with Garage Bands and doing Alternative Rock music in my solo project Band of Asians. But I had a vision and ambition. I wanted to CREATE or REMIX/REFURBISH video game music. Since then, I got FL Studio to HELP me remix versions of video game music from FF7 into the video game console that got me into this hobby. The 8-bit Nintendo. You betcha! Your influences? I dunno. I mostly listen to Alternative Rock, Metal, Punk and Classic Rock bands and musicians from the Record Store of CDs and music I own on my Walgreens MP3 player. But I do love all kinds of music. Like JPop, Electronica and Video Game Music obviously. Favorite spot? Being with a HOT Asian girl with big boobs and good for SEX on a romantic date in the City watching a movie at Metreon. Being with her playing video games at GameStop. And going to Lollapalooza watching Pearl Jam do their music in concert! Then in bed having SEX at Motel 6 filming a sex tape sold at Chinatown! Equipment used: Programs: FL Studio 6 Instruments: Game Music MIDI files off VGMusic.com I'm a Video Game Musician. I'm also an Internet musician who promotes my musical work off my various projects on the Internet through music pages like this for the undiscovered MUSIC ARTIST. I can play 5 musical instruments which I got at Guitar Center and I often nowadays make Video Game Music on my computer laptop using FL Studio 6, which I got on eBay. I am 23 years old and I am a Taiwanese American guy who attends California State University (East Bay). I used to work at a comic book store and Tower Records as a teenager. Working at Tower Records, R.I.P to that record store...Gave me more knowledge and education on music and how music is created. I turned my attention to those Recording and EQ magazines I got to find out the juicy details on how those SOUNDS were created either on digital or analog music creation tools. Recently, I jumped ship from making Alternative Rock music in Band of Asians to 8-bit Video Game Music on FL Studio on my computer laptop. More recently, I've been playing XBox and PlayStation 2 games often at home and I have been very fascinated by the music in games I get at EB Games which I play those PlayStation 2 games NOT JUST for FUN but the music keeps my interest in playing a RPG like Final Fantasy. I've been very fascinated by Video Games and the SOUNDS of Video Games more recently, so I delve deeper to finding out how they created those sounds. And that became "Pretendo Game Project." My 8-bit music and Nintendocore project. Pretendo Box. Video Game Music. 8-bit Nintendocore Band. Internet Musician. Patrick Lew! Band of Asians (2002 - 2008) In October 2001, borrowing a Tascam 4-track Portastudio from a music store. Patrick recorded a demo of his early music. Most of the demo versions of the music he created on his first recording was music he created when he first played guitar at age 13. The demo tape on cassette was called "Live! Like a Garage Band!" and Patrick manufactured 25 copies of the tape and duplicated copies and sold it to friends during lunch at school. He later claimed he disliked the recording since the music was created and played on his musical instrument live with no mixing or anything to make home recordings of music sound good. However, Patrick reissued the demo on his Blizzard of Sound music page in 2008 (damn you eBay!). Around that time, guitar wizard Eddie Blackburn joined Band of Asians during the high school yearbook careers of the still underage musicians. By then, they played "Battle of the Bands" in 2002 at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall and got a friend to use their tape recorder to pirate a bootleg of some of their live musical performances. The Band of Asians made it to MP3.com but were also lost in the shuffle. At the time, MP3.com was the independent musicians social-networking website. They debuted on MP3.com around August 2002 but mostly was in the indie music community webpage's very undercard roster of talents. Mostly getting their music promoted on the C-brand of MP3.com which was for the new musical groups who just begun their music careers but needed an extra music school training with other local groups that were very underground. MP3.com was later merged with SoundClick.com by the end of 2002, and Patrick Lew's music and art would be mainly published on that indie music page. They also published some of their music on Dmusic.com. Zack Huang, a college friend of Patrick's. Joined Silent Minister (pre-Band of Asians) on keyboards in May 2005 which resulted supposedly in creating music for the third studio album with the high school band in Eddie's private years later at the Chinatown Recreational Center. Eddie Blackburn mutually left Band of Asians to focus on a solo musician career. This would mark a change in the music and careers for Band of Asians for the next 3 years as they began experimenting music in the recording studio to create musical masterpieces. For any Internet musician in 2005 to not do music as a career for arecording studio. What followed was tension between the band members and musicians in the high school band and on June 9, 2005, Band of Asians played their final concert until 2 live musical performance wasn't unheard of. But this was days before Band of Asians owned digital photo cameras and 4-track audio recordings and writings were essential to Band of Asians music and home video and other forms of merchandise were still ages away for the young Internet musicians. Band of Asians' high school band lineup of Eddie Blackburn and Shawn Blacharski remained on good terms with Patrick but the 2 Internet musicians later formed the Funk Metal band Soundeater, whom toured locally in San Francisco as live performing musicians in 2005 to 2007. They do not have a music page on the Internet as Soundeater did not record any demos in the recording studio. Zack and Patrick would team on-and-off as musical collaborators and musicians to create music for Band of Asians by placing ads in the newspaper Craigslist to hire a new guitarist to replace Eddie. Zack and Patrick endorsed new musical equipment to create NEW music as Zack signed onto produce the NEXT Band of Asians album. Patrick also took a year off of college to focus on the project. Patrick and Zack hired a guitarist Mark Hawkins from a musician's ad in the paper to jam on some music but didn't produce much music. Patrick was a freelance Internet musician and was offered to join Gray Eser's metal band of Internet musicians, Original Tape Worms. In October and November 2005, the high school band played some house shows in Hong Kong. The high school band later evolved into Band of Asians when Patrick went to Skyline College and met Dave Arceo (drums/turntables) and Augusto Hernandez (bass guitar) in the school's music club. Due to Patrick's shambolic love relationships with women, Patrick grew intense and content to create better music and work his way up as a top independent musician on the Internet. On SoundClick, Band of Asians came onto the music community as the musical alternative forPatrick Lew with the help of his musician friends. Patrick turned rulebreaker. Being misogynist, malevolent and utterly misanthropic. This was well-documented on his blogs on the Band of Asians music page showing and convincing others that he wants to be a great musician and the king of Alternative music. Following one concert in 2006 at Vibo Music Center (also became a live album EP for Band of Asians). That unreleased and unfinished music intended for the third studio album Eddie, Shawn, Patrick and Zack planned for Band of Asians later became Band of Asians' musical masterpiece "Revenge." Recorded in a variety of small local recording studios and published around the world on SoundClick and other independent music community websites on Patrick Lew's 21st birthday. The Band of Asians debut CD showed a more Experimental and Music Fusion huge wall of sound for Patrick's 6 year musical career as he arranged, played 75% of the musical instruments, produced and recorded at the local recording studio. Endorsing new musical gear at the Guitar Center, they created a more interesting yet unique music with the "Revenge" album. Which later resulted in SoundClick independent music cross-promotions with other indie music websites like Muzie. This album also earned Patrick Lew "DMusic.com 2006 Artist of the Year" although the "Revenge" album was met with poor record sales and mp3 music downloads due to lack of funding to merchandise and publish the album. Augusto soon left Band of Asians to promote his music on Muzie with his JRock band. And Dave and Patrick became the Band of Asians tag team of musicians. By 2007, Patrick Lew made his 2nd coming and musical comeback locally and in the indepedent music community and media with Band of Asians by starting back from scratch with his new solo musical group. Playing small shows locally for live musical performances and the DIY of his music and SoundClick flyers across the villages in record shops. Patrick, formed an Alliance with musician and backyard wrestler Cory Gaitan (who became Band of Asians' substitute bassist for touring) along with Dave Arceo and declared rebellion towards the music community who wouldn't listen to their music and art. Such incidents included Patrick and Cory scuffling an Asian poser kid at the Goth Club, Diemaschien in 16th and Mission in San Francisco. But still, the music should do the talking not the autobiography as Band of Asians built a home recording studio called Band in the Box (as Patrick wrote on his SoundClick blog) with the musical gear from Guitar Center. Together in that bedroom, they recorded a whopping 70 to 80 songs and published them on the Internet on SoundClick! Playing a show with Scarlett Bombs and Tinkture on April 14, 2007 also saw Band of Asians playing music but antagonizing the audience if they didn't appreciate Band of Asians music. Not to mention Patrick, Cory and Dave partying at The Independent Club with Scarlett Bombs' Michelle Mingoa for her 19th birthday. From April to June 2007, Band of Asians recorded a demo at Bank Studios of musical improvisations. Some of these recordings were published on their website. On July 22, 2007, all 3 members went to a professional wrestling sports event for World Wrestling Entertainment at the San Jose Arena. Patrick also became an Actor. Acting in a couple theater productions by City College's theater/acting department. However, Band of Asians later evolved into Patrick Lew's OWN solo musician organization, Blizzard of Sound, in April 2008. The Blizzard of Sound then purchased all of Internet musician Patrick Lew's former musical work and catalog from Band of Asians (his Silent Minister musical work wasn't purchased because his former high school band OWNS the copyrights to all of Patrick's Silent Minister related works and music). Blizzard of Sound began revising many of their music pages online. However on April 29, 2008, Patrick accidently damaged his computer music studio equipment during his revisions for the Blizzard of Sound. That same time, Patrick put out Blizzard of Sound's third studio album (counting his Band of Asians work), "InVasion." On May 2, 2008, it is rumored that Patrick has been offered to join a Punk Band of Internet musicians and friends as either a Guitarist or Bass Player. Patrick later noted in his blog on Blizzard of Sound music page he will consider recording his NEW music on a 4-track Portastudio and outdated music making technology because of his damaged computer laptop. More recently, Patrick Lew and Blizzard of Sound entered the Youtube.com digital video age of technology by publishing and advertising his music for the first time as videos. Band of Asians HIATUS and Side Projects (2008 - Present) By late 2007 however, Band of Asians began to splinter once again after a successful 2007 local concert tour. Cory, moved overseas for the next 8 months until the day Band of Asians broke up when he surprised Patrick by visiting his home recording studio hours after Patrick and Dave parted ways on bad terms. Patrick and Dave were constantly in the recording studio creating music for Band of Asians until Dave's personality and attitude changed amidst personal problems. Patrick and Dave couldn't agree which songs they recorded were ready to be published on the Band of Asians music page on the Internet. Around this time, Patrick would record 97% of this musical parts for each recording while Dave contributed a drum machine track through overdubs. Confusion over who wrote what song or what part along with Dave's bitterness towards Patrick over personal issues with Patrick trying to set the record straight when writing blogs and news articles on the Band of Asians website. Whether it was Patrick's fault or Dave's fault, it seems that no matter how close of a friendship the two had since the 2nd era of Band of Asians begun, things didn't seem obvious that something would lead to unfortunate turn of events. Patrick also faced serious personal issues with former girlfriends. Most notably on Facebook.com in which he experienced some negative letters from former girlfriends Amy Shawn (his high school sweetheart NOW enemy) and Yoshiko Kuwamoto. His personal issue with Yoshiko later led to a "thrown out" personal battle which did not solve the two former lover's problems. Patrick experienced a tragedy at home when his dog passed away on January 9, 2008. He returned to work with Band of Asians a week later along with Electronic Dramas with his community college and his applications to California State University schools. In early 2008, Band of Asians recorded a couple more of Patrick's ideas but Dave wanted no association with it. Although the two were very close and a band of brothers still, Patrick and Dave were the only remaining members left in Band of Asians' roster. Each Internet musician began pursuing their own Side Projects, Patrick Lew pursued a more Video Game Music sound in his side musician outlet Pretendo Box. Dave contemplated doing Hardcore Rap music under his MC name "Monoxide" by programming all the Rap beats on FL Studio 6 on his computer. Despite having endorsed Propellerhead Reason 4 to create musical masterpieces such as the song "Love and Tragedy." The democracy which once brought 2 friends and egos together was becoming apparent that Band of Asians ceased to exist as a band. Patrick was briefly in a long-distance relationship with former Rock Star groupie, Ivey Brown. They remained good friends since their split. Dave would email Patrick ProTools files on the computer at the school library. Little did anyone know, it could possibly lessen the quality of the entire music and albums Band of Asians had in plan. Frankensteining a CD with ProTools files in one's own recording studio meant collaboration was ceasing to be. Band of Asians was reported ON HIATUS on the first week of March 2008 on DMusic.com. Unfortunately, the last hurrah for Band of Asians was on Dave's 21st birthday on March 15, 2008 when Patrick and Dave happily hung out to celebrate. While things seemed fine. A few weeks later on March 29, 2008. Dave and Patrick confronted each other over an issue regarding the Band of Asians music page and Patrick accused Dave's overinflated ego of stealing information and documents off his website. Although Dave avoided further confrontation from his former friend, Patrick figured it was the final straw. Later on Midnight, Band of Asians issued a Press Release saying the Band of Asians officially was on HIATUS. Dave and Patrick has not spoken since and barely acknowledge one another in interviews or their websites. However that same day, Cory Gaitan surprisingly returned to the spotlight as Patrick's good friend. In April and May 2008, Pretendo Box which was Patrick Lew's side musician project which he creates 8-bit Nintendocore game music out of MIDI files off VGMusic.com on FL Studio 8 made their first public appearance in the Internet music network. Patrick created a few music pages advertising his NEW Nintendocore project, Pretendo Box. Patrick began creating Video Game Music after playing the video game Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation 2 which the music in the game fascinated him. He has no intentions of taking Pretendo Box to live performing as he is focused on school and working on music for this project before he graduates at California State University to work on the NEW Band of Asians album. [i]LAST NOTES[/i] Patrick Lew: I'm 23 years old. I am an Internet musician who CREATES my music in my solo project Blizzard of Sound and the REUNITED high school band Jam Garden. Since going to Music School at age 14 in 2000, I've had a career occupation as an Internet musician playing Guitar in a variety of local Garage Bands in Daly City and San Francisco. I went to community colleges at City College of San Francisco and Skyline College. Music is my hobby. Other than Video Games, Wrestling and Reading. I will go to California State University, East Bay in Fall 2008 studying Digital Audio for Musicians. This Jam Garden music page is a TRIBUTE to what I think is my BEST musical project I've done music in. The first band I ever played music in but with NEW sounds as Internet musicians. I worked at Tower Records, GameStop and a comic book store as a teenager. And I purchased all my musical equipment and guitars at Guitar Center and my former music school Vibo Music Center. Which also is a music store that sells musical instruments! Enjoy!