PLEASED TO MEET ME: Beta Trip
Photo: Colin Medley
Multi-instrumentalist Steve Lewin delivers his musical reincarnation with the new moniker Beta Trip. After several years touring globally Lewin’s recalibration to his musical roots comes together in Superette, a collection of ten memorable songs taking influence from Elbow and other seminal British acts infused with rumblings of nineties grunge and alternative rock.
Introduce yourself… (Where are you from, what band do you playin etc..)
SL: Hey I'm Steve Lewin from Toronto and have a new project called Beta Trip. I'm part multi-instrumentalist, part songwriter, and part producer, I'm a bit of a one man rock band.
Why do you play music?
SL: Music is my life. Always has been. Playing is just part of it for me. It's a great outlet for creativity and energy and truly is a universal language.
What was a major influence on you as an Artist/Band?
SL:I came of age as a music fan listening to a lot of UK acts and 90s grunge. If I had to boil it down to two mainstays I'd say Radiohead and Pearl Jam.
What’s a favourite book or film?
SL:Book: Post Office by Charles Bukowski
Film: The Big Lebowski
Do you prefer the recording process or performing live?
SL:It's hard to choose, they both offer different things. Recording is more creative, but live is more in the moment and emphatic... hmmm, I'll go with live.
What would be a dream collaboration?
SL:Nigel Godrich.
Describe a favourite album.
SL:Ok Computer is a brilliant album. For an alternative rock album, it really doesn't get much better than that. Especially considering how inventive it was at the time and still holds up.
What's your favourite local haunt?
SL:Sneaky Dee’s
What's your strangest experience while performing live?
SL:I don’t know if I’ve had any particularly strange moments happen on stage, but I did play a private house concert once and met some interesting people - years later I’d read about some of them in a page-turning non-fiction thriller that really blew my mind.
If I were pursuing anything other than music it would be…
SL:Something else devoid of the nine to five.
What are some of your favourite aspects of being a musician in Toronto?
SL:The varied music scene we have. There's no shortage of genres and bands. While the city struggles with music infrastructure there remain a lot of great venues and places to get inspired and entertained.
If you weren’t playing music in Toronto where would you be ?
SL:London, UK
Any sage advice for young musicians?
SL:It's a grind. Stick with it if you love it and are ok with doing it for the rest of your life without any success. Only then can you really grow as an artist and success in some form will follow.