Decisions, decisions, decisions

Today was suppose to be a great day. It started off great. Lunch with family at KLGCC celebrating Father's Day. Performed with my band at Fete De La Musique Festival at the Curve, Damansara which was awesome. One of the best shows we've had in a while. Some minor mistake made during few of the songs we played due to the fact that the current lineup only been practising together at the start of the month of June. Nonetheless, I feel we were one of those unique bands. I realized that bands nowadays tend to be the same. So many bands out there trying to be like Avenge Sevenfold or Breaking Benjamin or Yellowcard instead of trying to be original and unique. Anyway, we rocked the stage and the fans loved us. To make it even more special, almost every member of my family came. Mom, Dad, two of my brothers and their family, three of my sisters came, also with their kids. It made it even more special.

Then came the sad part of the day. I got back home, feeling very tired but still stoked about our performance. I decided to have a talk with my mom regarding the path I want to take in my life. I told her that I'm quitting my job. I want to get a job that's nearer to home and with flexible time. I told her that the band is finally taking off and I have to consider doing something that won't jeopardize my commitment to the band. She got really upset. We argued. I won't go into detail what was said but it saddens me to know that she still won't let me be who I want to be. She still won't let me go and experience what the world can offer. Yes, its true that the world is a cruel place. Its true that the world is full of people with bad intention. But sometimes, every once in a while you meet wonderful people along the way. You get to meet up with people with a genuine heart. Good people. Sometimes, you gotta take the risk. I know every parent just want the best for their child but stopping them from pursuing their dream is not thinking whats best for them. Is it so wrong to be different than everyone else in the family or ancestors? Is it so wrong trying to be a musician? Life as a musician is hard. But then again, who said life was easy? You gotta work hard to survive, regardless of what occupation. But to do what you love to do, not many can say that. And here I have the opportunity to do it. To think about it, everywhere you go, there are people out in the world just want to hurt you. So it's pretty irrelevant that just because I want to be a musician, bad things will happen to me. That applies to every job, every position, everywhere. So why she won't let me? Am I doing something haram? The money I get from making music, haram ke? I'm trying to make an honest living. Something that at the same time is something I love and worth doing. The money is there. Its up to us to know where to look. And again, that applies to every job in the world. The most important part is that its an honest living. I'm not selling drugs. I'm not soliciting sex. I'm not selling booze. She's worried about all the bad influence the world of music brings. I've been playing music for 10 years now. I've never use drugs, I've never drank alcohol before and I don't have sex orgies. All I want to do is perform and share with the world our music. I don't party hard like how my brothers and sisters did when they were young. My idea of a good time is chilling with friends, have a drink and have a good laugh. After 26 years in this life, I would guess that my family would know who I am by now. And yet, they still don't know who I really am. Every single advice my parents gave me, I still listen to those advice. Yes, I did make a lot of mistakes 5 years ago. I was too in love and I did things I wished I never did. But we learn from our mistakes. I learned it the hard way. I just wish my family can see that I am no longer Adik Boy. I'm Iriz. I love music and I love performing. I love my family, my friends and most importantly, I love Allah SWT. Even though I am far from being a good Muslim. I try my best to do things the right way. I try my best not to stray from the right path.

Down but not out

Its been quite an up and down kind of day today. I found out that my band Tashya's Ink did not make the cut for the semi-final spot in the Redtix + MTVAsia RedAMP competition. Kudos to all the bands that went through but I have to be honest about something. Not to diss anybody. Cos everyone has their own opinion of how to play music but....I felt that some bands that got through didn't deserve to be in the semi-final. It makes me wonder about the taste and mentality of some people. Is it the glamour that they are looking for or true talent? It looks to me that this competition really has nothing to do with ASEAN'S best band. The worst part, some bands sent in their submission without really complying with the competition's Terms and Condition. The competition required all bands to send in a video of them playing live at a show or jamming session. And we did just that(even though we took 6 different shots, we still used live audio). But the bands that got through really made a music video. There's even one band that had full warrior costumes and shot in a rubber plantation...I mean, WTH? And we're not in it? Talk about class and taste. Bad, really really bad....What is the world becoming? To be fair, not all the bands were awful. there are some bands that were good enough to be in the shortlist. But I find it very hard to accept that my band got overlooked for some bands...I'm not saying that we are the best band ever to grace the earth but seriously, I know in my heart (and I hope my friends/Tashya's Ink fans) that we are better than half the bands in it. I'm sure of it.

Nonetheless, life is just that no matter how it crawls under your skin you've got to move on. And I'm glad that today's jamming session went really well. We were bothered about the result and it did show during the practice but eventually, we ended the session strongly and uber-focused for Fete De La Musique festival happening this Sunday at The Curve. We'll be taking the stage at around 540pm and I hope to see my friends and fans there supporting us and dancing to our tunes. This will be our first ever show with the new and improved line-up. I dunno but I just have a feeling that its gonna be a blast. I hope to gain more fans and ultimately open up some more opportunities for us to go places. I pray to God that everything will go on smoothly.

Finally, to the England Team.....PLEASE WIN TONIGHT....

redAMP Competition...

i guess some might already know that my band Tashya's Ink just finished shooting 2 videos. One of them we are using for this competition called redAmp which is organized by AirAsiaRedTix and MTV. And the winning prize is RM50,000.00 to kickstart our career as musicians. The song we chose is called Run. Written by my vocalist Tashya Basir and her companion, Nina Zeddy, the song has that bossa nova kind of feel to it. Initally, it was a bossa nova song due to Nina's influence. But all of us wanted to escape from that feel hence we decided to combine a bit of rock in it. Nothing heavy, perhaps more like a pop rock feel and personally, I'm very proud of what i managed to give to the song. Kudos to my bassist, Ike and drummer, Wan for adding their excellent groove and chemistry. As i mentioned earlier in my other posts, I really hope this line-up would stick for a long time. And things have been looking pretty clear after a very slow start to the year. The future is there for us to write and its up to us now to make it to the big stage.

Anyway, I've been going on Youtube searching for videos of bands that submitted for the redAMP competition. I got to say, in the most humble way possible that I think our video is much much better than the others except Lab the Rat. Their video is very similar to us but the difference is that we did it live and to my observation, they shot a video and put their track over it. But I guess everyone else thought that it should be a video of them jamming or performing live during a show hence the low quality videos. But there's this other band called Systematically Avoided Disaster or better known as S.a.D, who really did a proper music video for this competition which actually reminded me of Karnivool's video of Lifelike. A video of them performing in various area of a warehouse with different camera angles. The concept is very good but I think the choice of song is not the wisest. Moving on, I'm kinda stoked about the competition and I pray we get through to the second round which requires the public to vote for us. I'll post where to vote if our band gets shortlisted.

So to all my friends, strangers, bloggers, surfers, music lovers, fans and family, please vote for my band Tashya's Ink. Thank you for all your support....

Here's the video:

Our very own music video

Hey everybody, finally my band's video clip is up in youtube. Not to brag or sound like I'm complimenting myself but I love it. Thanks to Fat Kats Studios, Adrian and Bari for making everything possible. Even though it was really simple, no story behind the song, basic equipments and time constraint, the video turned out sweet (in the words of our bassist, Ike). And during our video premiere party earlier today ( or perhaps last nite), everybody loved it. Special thanks to those who came to the party. Anyway, we managed to record 2 songs. The crowd favourite, HU and the band's personal favourite, Run. So please please, anyone out there reading this, please check it out and give ur input. Oh btw, the reason we did these videos was for this competition called redAMP (a collaboration between AirAsia and MTV). We decided to submit Run for the competition. So to those out watching the video and wondering why we asked you guys to vote in the video, its for this competition. Hopefully, we'll get past the preliminary round. Once we are through, the public voting starts. And that's where we need your help. So please check out this link here and vote for us when you see Tashya's Ink. So, without further a do....presenting our videos Run and HU.

See ya!

IT'S A WRAP!!!

What a day today. Sometimes it amazes me that in one day, things can change from really fucked up to awesomeness instantly. Life is unpredictable, like the ocean. No one can really tell if a wave or a tsunami is coming. Anyhoo, my band Tashya's Ink just finished up our video shoot at Daikanyama Restaurant. It went really great. Better than great actually. It was awesome. And kudos to everyone involved in the project, my bandmates, the production crew and their leader, Adrian, Mani, Nina Zeddy and a special mention to Bari for making this work. Without his input, enthusiasm and trust in us, we would never had this opportunity to do this. I can't wait to show our fans the video. Initially, we only wanted to record one of my favourite songs from Tashya's Ink called Run but because we were so ahead of schedule we recorded HU as well. And to think that we only had less than a week to prepare with the new lineup too. I guess I can to see that things are going as plan. It was slow and full of challenging moments at first but I think we are destined for great things in the future provided we stay focus on the goal.

What a contrast to my day in the office. These past 2 weeks, things have been very hectic in the office. I don't mind being busy but sometimes I feel that the work given to me is a bit out of my league since this is only my third month on the job. Now suddenly I have to design the whole material handling system for this one company. There were so many moment when I felt like I want to resign but work is work. I have to work to survive and for the band's sake. Money means more equipments can buy and more jamming sessions. That's why everyday I pray to God that we'll get our big break soon. So I can focus on music. But praying is one thing, we have to work hard to get what we deserve and I am working hard....

The Mayfield Four - Big Verb

One of my favourite song from the guys from Spokane. I love how they sound, their arrangements, the lyrics...just about everything....



She tries to find the weak spots
She tries to push through
To her, I'm not a criminal, she appears
And wants the sentence reduced

Now I need to restrain
Don't wanna give in
Let me pay for the crimes I've committed

Everything is caving in
From the weight of her world
My self evasing fortress is too weak
To withstand the self-assured

Just get out while you can
He'll take you away
Once it's gone, you'll understand

Will you please save her from myself?
Don't wanna hurt anybody else
So I build my castle high
Warning you to stay away

The war, I think it's over
But nobody really won
And as I stumble through the rubble
Then I see what kept her from getting in
A weary heart and the thickest of skin

Save her from myself?
Don't wanna hurt anybody else
And will you please save her from myself?
Don't wanna hurt anybody else

So I build my castle high
Warning you to stay away
Warning you to stay away

Starlight By Myles Kennedy & Slash

I so f*cking love this song that I had to put it in my blog. Myles Kennedy has effectively became my all time favourite vocalist. Slash will always be Slash to me. The guy that inspired me to pick up the guitar, to learn his technique and I am the guitarist I am today because of his existence, Myles' existence and of course Mark Tremonti. So anyway, this song totally blew my mind. Beautiful voice, equally beautiful lyrics and guitar playing. Its just awesome. i pray that they will come down to Malaysia in August. Please God, let that happen. Here's the link to the song. And below the lyrics to it....Its so beautiful!

In the distance light years from tomorrow
Far beyond yesterday
She is watching, heart aching with sorrow
She is broken is broken, as she waits
Hoping when all is said and done we can learn to love and be as one

Chorus

Oh Starlight, don’t you cry we gonna make it right before tomorrow
Oh Starlight, don’t you cry we’re gonna find a place where we belong (where we belong)
And so you know, we’ll never shine alone

There are shadows sleeping on the horizon
Leave us scared and so afraid
As the fall out of a world divided
It brings her tears and so much pain
And so we take cover from the dark
Hoping to find where we can start

Chorus

Oh Starlight, don’t you cry we gonna make it right before tomorrow
Oh Starlight, don’t you cry we’re gonna find a place where we belong (where we belong)
And so you know, you’ll never shine alone
Starlight we’ll find a place where we belong

You will see when the mountains fall and turn to dust
There’s one thing that can’t change
I believe there’s something within each over us that always says
That will always remain as long as love never pains

Chorus
http://www.elyricsworld.com/starlight_lyrics_slash.html
Oh Starlight, don’t you cry we gonna make it right before tomorrow
Oh Starlight, don’t you cry we’re gonna find a place where we belong (where we belong)
And so you know, you’ll never shine alone
Starlight we’ll find a place where we belong (we belong)

She is watching, heart aching with sorrow
She is broken is broken, as she waits

What's happening?

I realize that when I was younger, things were not that complicated. Life was good, fun, a lot of laughter. But things changed nowadays. And those laughter seemed like memories from long ago. Is it me or the world has become more depressing? Maybe I'm just caught up in my feelings at this very instance. But nonetheless, I should be very grateful. And of course I am. My life has been good, minus some blip for 4 years. I guess I feel that 4 years had been wasted, 4 years of lies and deceit and sin. How I wish I handled things better back then. Made the right decision that I know I am capable of. In that 4 years, I have lost a huge part of me that I held close to my heart. FYI, that 4 year period was between 2004-2008. Life's been great since then. It was tough trying to break free from your own prison but I'm doing okay. Working now, band's doing great but there's just something missing. And I know whats missing. And I'm trying my best to fill in those missing pieces. I guess my demons are still tormenting me. Ya Allah, please give me the strength to overcome my demons. Please give me the strength to be a better servant to you. Please give me the strength to be a better son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend. Please guide me to the path of righteousness. Aku hanya ingin menjadi seorang hambaMu yang bertaqwa kepadaMu, beriman kepadaMu. Bebaskan la aku dari segala perbuatan2 keji, fikiran yang cetek dan bebaskanlah aku dari nafsuku, Ya Allah.