Right now. I'm taking an off-season from doing music full-time.
I work a day job at Safeway. Unlike my previous day job at Chocolate Heaven, they are not as flexible when getting time-off to go on tour with the band! There's dates I can't request off from work as mandatory on-the-job. I know for a fact, my promoters and booking agents are going to reach out to me once the pandemic winds down a little to do a gig again at DNA Lounge. I usually perform there on a Sunday evening, of course. It is something I would have to work out and arrange with my boss lady Alice at Safeway in order to perform onstage again. When that time comes and we cross that line!
So far, only one of my co-workers knows that I do YouTube and music on the side. None of my co-workers at Safeway knows about my double life as a micro-rock star in San Francisco and on the Internet. As a matter of fact! None of my co-workers are even on my Facebook friends list, and I prefer to keep it that way! I'm also taking an off-season from doing music full-time and rigorously for a major reason: "I am burned out."
From 2015-2021 before I got hired at Safeway, I was doing music full-time rigorously with many different local bands: PLB, TheVerse, Crazy Loser in a Box!, The Tortured, Pleasure Gallows, Benigneglect and so forth. When I came back to doing music in early 2015 after I got divorced from my then-partner at the time, I wanted to pick up where I left off and continue doing what I love to do and what I was born to do! I've cemented myself during those 6 years alone, and became so-called prolific at what I do. In 2018, I toured with TheVerse and Pleasure Gallows. In 2019 up until before the COVID got hella bad, I was doing once-a-month residencies at San Francisco's DNA Lounge with Benigneglect. Then when Quarantine happened, I brought back PLB (Patrick Lew Band) because I still have mileage left in the PLB gas tank to become better at what I do and where I wanted it to be.
2020 was one of my most greatest years as an artist. Some people are now even saying, 2020 was Patrick Lew Band's best year in music in general. It was also one of the biggest comebacks ever made by a still-unknown and still-underground artist from San Francisco in rock and roll. It renewed people's minds, interest and wallets to what I've been doing for 20 years pretty much!
But I also got very burned out because of that. I did a lot of press last year with PLB. And did the live stream concerts. And got my band more out there than ever before. Even a music magazine in Denmark wrote about me! And I just got very overwhelmed and exhausted, and lemme say this, I was already doing music non-stop for 6 years up to that point. I needed to refresh and take a short break!
In the meantime, I am making music sporadically with PLB. I've been working at Safeway, like I've mentioned. But I've been also making new music on my phone on one of those apps. Lol. That's all I really can do for now. I mean, I put out 4 albums with PLB in both 2020 and 2021. That's enough to keep the stans satisfied in the meantime, I hope! My last major performance happened on January 7, 2021 with PLB, minus Madeline. After that, I was like, man. I need to take a break dude. Lol.
Next month in May or possibly in June. I should return to film a music video for the song "Live For A Dream" with PLB with my videographer and good friend James. There's been talks about getting another drummer in the Patrick Lew Band as well! I'm in contact with him as we speak and trying to work something out. Right now. Music is still what I was born to do and I won't quit it until I'm dead really. Just being more sporadic with it right now. And taking a much deserved off-season after 6 years of busting my ass rocking with the band(s). You know!
I should return to music full-time or on-call probably before the year is over with. It might not mean another gig, considering COVID is going on still. But I got ideas and plans to carry PLB into the 2020s like never before!
Up the wazoo, Love,
