new blog

everyone, new website is now http://rayhanmustafa.tumblr.com/

New jamspace

So, for all the diehards who wonder where we practice, we usually go down to Dufferin and Dupont at this place called the Rehearsal Factory. It's a nice studio with great equipment like Marshall halfstacks and Mesa Rectifiers. I enjoy going there because it's cheap but in the long, it's still expensive.

So I'm gonna try to re-create the experience in my basement. So today I asked my parents if they don't mind, and so I'm gonna start cleaning up and moving things around and bring in the drums on Monday to see how loud it really is. So I'm really excited for that because then we can practice more often with the band and it'll be easier to work on songs with no pressure of time or anything.

So we're still looking for a bassist right now. I've talked to a few people but haven't really found anyone ready to commit just yet which is understandable as we haven't had any shows yet. But hopefully once we get someone, we'll be able to go live as soon as possible.

As for songs, well you've already heard Wasting my time, the first balad type song. And you've heard So long. We're finished another old one called Top of the World, that you may have heard from the Check Stuff Out myspace. Then we've got a few covers from Steve Rushton, FaberDrive, Marianas Trench, Mitchel Musso, and 7th Element, which is kind of our band anyways, since me and the drummer are from that band.

But yea, things are starting to happen, and now it seems all we have to do is take it one step at a time. We've got everything under control, we just need to do it, and hopefully you guys will stick around to see what'll happen.

Also, I cleaned my room and moved things around, so when i record another acoustic song, you guys will see the difference , it should be better, more light from the window, and its more comfortable cuz now i can rest my legs on my bed.

Ait guys, im gona keep writing some songs, stay tuned!

Coming together

So I know you guys have been waiting for this. So I just want to let you guys know some good news, I have found a bassist and a drummer who I will announce to you guys very soon. I know you guys are excited (haha yea rite, thers no one reading).

Anyway, tomorrow is gonna be the first rehearsal with the bassist and it's really exciting for me. This will mark the first time I have my own band, and it's a good feeling. I see a bright future, not tryign to brag or anything lol, but im just saying, you guys will be impressed when you see these guys live, they really kick ass.

We have been working on some covers just to get started, and will continue to write the rest of the demo. If you guys havn't heard the first demo, go to facebook.com/rayhanmustafamusic and listen to "Wasting My Time".

We're gonna be rehearsing a lot in the coming weeks that way we'll be ready to play some shows by the end of the month and hopefuly can start making funds to pay for the recording studio, (shit is expensive).

Stay tuned,
Rayhan

Rehearsing

So in case you've been wondering what I've been up to these days, I've been rehearsing. We've been rehearsing a couple of covers and 3 new songs that we're plannign to use for our setlist. We're still looking for a bassist so once we get the full lineup ready, we'll be ready to plays shows by the end of the month so look out for that. Till then, just stay tuned, and feel free to comment on our fb page, we're always checking it.

Update July 2

Hey guys, how's it going. Just wanna give u guys a quick update as i've been really busy right now.

My good friend and bassist, Saadi Khan, has moved to Bangladesh. He will be greatly missed, and so now we are currently looking for a replacement. Also, Satnavania has begun plans to record our EP, as well as our music video which we have begun writing.

But outside from Satnavania, I have also started to work on the solo project. IT's coming a long nicely as I have found a few drummers and bassist interested in working with me. I will announce their names to you guys soon. Until then just stay updated by checking me on facebook.com/rayhanmustafamusic .

Cya guys, i gotta go to rehearsals rite now!

May 6

Hey guys, so in case you guys haven't been following on twitter, i had a pretty busy weekend with the band just working on new stuff, and rehearsing old songs we haven't played in a while. On Sunday, I got a call from Anton, because he works at a guitar shop in Jane and Finch Mall, so he asked me to come over and we jammed a bit outside the booth.

Then on Monday we jammed as a band, playing all our old songs like Painted heart and Uh-oh, which sounds really amazing now on acoustic because Darryl got this doom tech drum thingy.

Afterwards, we went to a bar called The Hideout where we saw My friend's band Asleep at the Switch. they were really amazing, had a great performance filled with lots of energy, hot girls coudln't even resist the urge to start dancing, and drunk guys were forced to headbang by some inevitable force, it was amazing.

Now we're just writing more, and gonna reherase again next Tuesday, gettign ready for our show June 19th at the Sound Academy. It's been confirmed and so we're gonna plan it to be our best show ever. Hope to see you guys there!

Back to Work

Hey guys, I'm finally done with school so now i'm back to workin on this band like a full time job. I missed you guys, it's been a while, like 3 weeks since our last show which sucks. We're still working on new material, but havn't had a chance to get together.

This weekend though, I'm gonna be getting together with the band to get our goals back on check and see what we can do with the new songs we all wrote individually.

We're actually working on some designs right now for our logo so that we can update our myspace layout and also Im' planning to put some attention into merchandise, which we plan to have ready by June.

I'll talk to you guys next time about some of the inspiration for the new songs so stay tuned.

Don't want this

Apr. 15 update

Hey everyone, so I'm just updating you guys again on the status of Satnavania.

We had a great show last Friday at El Mocambo, playing bands like Supertest, Cold Coast, and Ruckus. We wished we could've stayed longer to see the other bands but unfortunately, we were on a tight schedule with rides and stuff.

But we played a new song in our set, Uh-oh, which me and Saadi wrote. A lot of ppl have been asking about who its dedicated to, and well, to be honest, its not just one girl, at least for me personally, wen i wrote the 2nd verse, there were like 4 different girls, and the song is basically just about having a crush on a girl, and not acting on it, and just waiting until its too late and she suddenly leaves.

Writing the song was really fun cuz it just came so easily, when Saadi told me what he was going for, right away i was like "oh shit, i know wat ur talking about" cuz it happened to me haha. lots of times in high school, I wasn't very bright, and u know, i was rlly good lookin haha but just never had the confidence or self-esteem, and totally blew a lot of chances, and so this song for me was to all those chances i missed out on.

One of the best parts about being in a band and writing music is that you can make it as personal as you want, but you can also write about fantasies and anything that goes on in your head. I was thinking of actually re-writing the verse, and i made somethign else thats a little dirtier haha but i'm rlly torn i think i mite stick with the original verse cuz its more real and close to the heart.

As for the band, we've decided to focus on our EP now, we wanna at least record some demos before our big show in June at the Sound Academy in Toronto. It's gonna be an awesome show cuz not only are we gonna be playing but all the best local bands in Toronto that have won in Supernova shows are gonna be playing with us.

We just wanna see you guys cuz itll really give us confidence and it'l be more fun of course, i love being able to sing and see you guys smiling back at me haha. We also did a little photoshoot, If you guys check out the pics on our facebook page. i got a really crappy haircut the day before so im not so proud of my appearance. Hopefully it'll grow out and i can redo the haircut that i wanted to get.

Anyways, i'm gona go back to workin on writing new songs about my past and future fantasies, and you guys just keep checking up on us, post on our facebook page and my twitter and just remind me that you guys actually care about our music!

keep on rockin

-Raylow

Hey guys, so its April now. Schools' almost done so I'm doing a lot of planning to make the best out of this summer for the band. We just wrote a new song and so we now have 3 originals for our upcoming setlist.

As you all know, we have gig this Friday, April 9th at the El Mocambo in Toronto. I'm really excited to play and have a great time with the crowd. Hopefully this summer we can start to pick up the band and move on up

Right now, our first plan is to get the demos done. We're still working on some new tracks that we wanna include. What we plan to do is just record the drums first at the rehearsal studio, and then add everything else at home individually. It should come out pretty great because we've got some good equipment already.

Also, next on our list is a photoshoot. We've got a photographer lined up for our next jam on Wednesday, but we're also planning a shoot out in Toronto sometime when the weather's nice to update our myspace layout, and to use as a promotional tool :p haha.

But right now we're just focused on doing this show and writing songs, If you guys want tickets let me know, and be sure to check out our youtube blog. Pz!

Wildcard vote

Wow, so what a stressful day it has been. It started of last week after our show. we began getting people to vote for our band in the wildcard competition. but we weren't gettign many votes so we didn't really care much.

But surprisingly, a lot of ppl started voting for us. even the other bands were supporting us, which was such an incredible honour. So we began our campaign to win. We managed to climb up to #1 on numerous occasions, only to fall back down to rivals, Turtle Cove.

Last night we decided to go full blast and made an events page on Facebook and msged everyone we knew on facebook, twitter, msn, everything, just to make an account on the supernova website and vote for us.

So today, which was the last day to vote, we were all very stressed out calling ppl and spreading the word. And we went to 1st place again at noon, only to fall back down by 0.5% 2 hours later. By 5pm, when the poll closed, we unfortunately did not manage to catch up.

We did our best and appreciate what everyone has done to get us this far, and we are still proud of what we were able to accomplish. We owe the fans so much and we are no in talks of trying to find a way to really give back to everyone for supporting us so much.

We're getting together again tomorrow to discuss some plans and hopefully we can do some kind of a free show for you guys to enjoy, on us.

Anywho, later that night i went to my gf's house to see the Pacquiao fight with their family and friends. It was a pretty fun night, everyone was having a great time eating and laughing, just chillin basically.

Cotti, was pretty strong, but he didn't really take as many chances and relied mostly on defence. He knew if he let his guard down he would've gotten knocked out, so I can kind of understand his strategy, however, he was no match for Manny's agility. Pacquiao ended up winning the match, but I really would've loved to see a knockout though haha.

Anyways, keep checking out my twitter and facebook for up to date info as its much quicker than to write a new blog entry. We're currently writing right now and hope to have some shows by April so stay tuned guys!

Awesome show

Hey guys, so last night was our show at the Poor Alex Theater and it was amazing. The place was packed and the crowd was really great, they cheered for us and laughed at my jokes hehe it was a pretty good show. I just wanna thank everyone that came out to support us you guys are the best fans ever and you're gonna help us go far with your motivation.

As soon as the first song hit, wen i jumped, my leg got a cramp and it was shaking lol i was so scared. And then during one of our solos, my string broke. but luckily we made it through the gig. we took some videos and I hope you guys wil enjoy it. we're gonna post them one by one to tease you guys haha it'll be on our facebook page so stay tuned maybe on Tuesday!

First Show this Saturday

Hey guys, so the new band Satnavania's got our first gig this Saturday. We're extremely pumped for this. we've been practicing for so long and we're ready to let the public see us.

We'll be playing the Poor Alex Theater in Toronto at about 7ish.

If you can't make it, don't worry, we will have some HQ vids for you guys on our facebook page.

Air Hostess acoustic cover

Hey guys, so we've been really busy lately just working on our songs and covers.

The first song we've written is called Painted Heart, and I just finished the lyrics last night. We have the instrumentals mostly done, and so now we're just gonna work on writing the solo's. The song is very heavy and sludgy instrumentally, however, still has some punk elements in the chorus. Once we get the videos for that, you guys can check it out.

As for now, we've got a video of us just jamming to Air Hostess. It's not a really good version, we were just jamming and took a rough take, we went off time and missed some notes a lot but hope you guys enjoy watching us. Our drummer had to improvise with a cardboard shoebox hehe, which was interesting because, as you will see, it likes to jump around.

Also, on our facebook page there is a cover of Damned if I do ya, Damned if don't by All Time Low. You guys can check it out, link is on the side bar

So without further ado, here is Air Hostess by Busted as played by Satnavania.

Satnavania

Hey Guys, So I just came back from practice with my new band. And we've finally come out with a name Satnavania.

We just started working on 2 new songs and it looks like things are going pretty well. We were rly tight together with covers, so we're gonna try to come up with about 10 more covers for our catalogue and hopefully start playing shows by the end of Feb.

I just started making the facebook page and im' gonna start getting the Myspace up and once we get some tracks recorded, u'll be the firs one to know through my blog and through my twitter so stay tuned guys.

Damned if I do ya, damned if i don't

Hey guys, we made a silly little cover, just having some fun after a writing session. Hope you guys like it. I'm the loser dancing, i hope u guys dont mind that i messed up the lyrics and couldn't hit the high notes in the backup vocals!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=440441500223&ref=mf

So I'm just writing some songs right now. It's pretty fun to write cuz playing songs are great, but when its something that actually means something to you, its an amazing feeling to see the finished product.

This Saturday the band is gonna meet up to discuss a few things and start to write some songs. And so im trying to plan it out, maybe write something to start off with rather than come unprepared. We've all got such diverse musical tastes so im excited to see what will come. When we started the band I mentioned a pop-punk sound, but we'll see how it goes, cuz we have a lot of hardrock, alternative, and metal inside us as well.

Some bad news, my guitar has stopped working again!. Im gonna have to get the wires soldered again next week. But some good news, I got a new part time job, so hopefully once i start working within the next few weeks , i'll be able to get a new guitar. I'm thinking Gibson or Epiphone SG, or a Les Paul. I'll see how my budget works out.

Sunday we're gonna jam again and hopefully by the end of the month we'll be ready to play live and i'll start booking us some gigs.

Before you get over it, save some for the band

As a songwriter I find that the best lyrics, come from the most painful moments in life. The times that I felt so much emotion were the times where I had the best song ideas. However, since these feelings are so real and raw, obviously, it's not easy to get into the writing spirit. Its probably the hardest part of being a songwriter. You have to fight and discipline yourself to be able to keep standing even though you want to lie in bed and cry.

There was a time when I was just in such a bad place, so hurt, and all i wanted to do was just talk to someone about it, and maybe I could get it off my chest and get over it or at least to just lie down in bed and think myself into getting over it. And eventually I did, but only now do I realize that I actually took the easy way out. Crying is the easiest way out but theres no honour in choosing that path.

I found a technique that helped me out, was simply writing in a journal or diary. You can either simply write the story of what happened, your thoughts, or notes, anything that symbolizes how you really feel. I tried to find the root of the problem and used brainstormed ideas that would help me feel better. Eventually I had a list of points that I couldn't have thought about just in my head while its all clouded with flashbacks of a memory.

By being able to sort out problems on paper, you're able to clear your head. You dump everything in your brain on to paper, then you can pick what you want to put back in your head, what you want to think about , and jsut keep reading it to yourself.

Once you get over it, you at least have some evidence of your success in case you have a relapse (which happens a lot), but also you have some notes that can help you out when you want to write a song about it without forgetting your true, real, raw, original feelings and emotions that you expressed in your writings.

So guys next time you're in a bad situation, don't cry about it, instead, try to capitalize on this moment, as a chance to write a heartfelt song, and just hold on, be strong, and try to write down as much as you can about the situation before you go to bed and cry it all away!

Happy New Year

So it is now 2010, and i am back. I got a new band this time. I pretty much merged my two bands. We had a meeting the other night and talked about our plans and are gonna start rehearsing this Sunday. Things are looking good for the future adn hopefully by next month we can start doing shows.

Also I just saw Sherlock Holmes. It was ok, but i foudn it knida boring i dono, maybe its jsut me, im into more of like action packed movies. I rly wanted to see avatar in 3d, but it was sold out again.

man im so tired, schools back so i have to change my sleepign schedule. i'l see u guys