Lewis (The Alter-Side)- An Interview With an Upcoming Musician

Published in

The Rise to Fame

4 min readNov 28, 2020

Lewis playing I Was a Teenager Teenager by Green Day.

Lewis (The Alter-Side) is a nineteen-year old musician from Scotland who has preformed solo as well as with the band Square Eyes, a Scotland based band. From interviewing him, I can tell that he is passionate about his goals of becoming a musician as well as ready to work and collaborate with other artists. Keep reading to learn what advice he has to offer and how he defines success as a person and a musician.

Q. “What instruments do you play? What is your favorite?”

A. “I play the drums, bass, ukulele, and I also sing. My favorite has to be the drums but it’s followed closely by the bass guitar.”

Q. “Who were your favorite musicians when you were young? From the ages of 10–18, I mean.“

A. “Oh, hmm. ‘When I was young’ was actually quite recent, haha. I’ve only just turned nineteen this year! These bands and artists are still some of my favorites: Green Day, Blink-182, Twenty One Pilots, My Chemical Romance, IDKHow, David Bowie, and The Cure. A lot of the music that I like, I’ve only discovered in the last couple of years. I like a lot of music and a lot of bands and artists.”

Q. “What bands influence your musical style?“

A. “Green Day, hugely; My Chemical Romance, Twenty One Pilots, Blink-182, The Ramones, and Yungblud. I would say these bands and artists have had huge influences on my music. It can be as simple as a sound or the fact that I like their lyrics. It could be the melody, guitar, or drums. These bands somehow have magically spoken to my soul. I am so grateful that my love for them and their influence on me has never left and I’m sure they never will.”

Q. “If you could meet one musician, who would it be?“

A. “Billie Joe Armstrong. Final Answer, haha.”

Q. “When did you start composing music?“

A. “I started making music quite recently, and I also just released some instrumentals earlier this year! It was probably around 2018 when I started writing lyrics.”

Q. “Do you play in a band? If so, are there any upcoming gigs that your fans should know about?“

A. “I am currently not in a band, but I’d love to play music with anyone who has a keen interest in music. I think, for me, I need to play with people who see music as one of the things they want to do in their lives- fully and completely.”

Q. “What role do comic books play in your artistic life?“

A. “Haha, they play hugely! Ever since I picked up my first comic book, it was an instant (even though I might not have known it) love that would last a lifetime. I get inspired by art, and when you get a good comic or graphic novel, for me, it’s the best thing.”

Q. “What’s your next step as a musician?“

A. “My next step as a musician is to get set and ready for next year! Once I have everything I need, gear wise, it’s gonna be all ready to go! Haha, I’m excited.”

Q. “What is the best advice that you have received from a fellow musician?“

A. “So, not really advice directed solely towards me, but I’m a big fan of Duff McKagen. I’ve watched his signature bass videos a lot. He says at the end of his videos (this might not be the exact wording) ‘I can play what I can play and that’s what I’m going to do, f*** everybody else.’ That’s in my head all the time.”

Q. “Is there anything that you want to say to your fans? Any parting words?“

A. “Thanks for the interview, straight off. Thank you to all the people who keep following my journey! I appreciate it a lot and I am so grateful for you all!”

Thanks again, Lewis, for taking the time to talk about your current journey on your rise to fame. For anyone looking to listen to Lewis’s work, click here to listen to him on YouTube and here to follow him on Instagram, where you’ll receive updates on his progress and latest covers. Scroll down to see my top five favorite covers by him, and come back next time to explore the life of musicians from underrated to overrated from obscure to famous.