An interview with Arunabh Satpathy
The musician and writer who now calls Toronto home
Hey folks,
It’s a pleasure to introduce you all to my friend, Arunabh Satpathy, who recently started his Canadian chapter in Toronto. We met through a mutual friend and quickly discovered a common love for music, writing, and marketing. Arunabh is a great supporter of ‘What’s Curation?’ and has graciously accepted to be interviewed for this piece. So, without further ado:
Five questions!
1. Tell us about your portfolio because you have an interesting blend of experiences across writing, marketing, journalism, and creating music.
I’ve found the common thread between all of the above is long-form and in-depth communication. More Substack, less Twitter. More Rush, less 6ix9ine.
On weekdays, I work as a content marketer with a UX design background (another field!) for tech companies. Hiring managers love this description because they think they’re hiring two roles for cheap. It mostly vexes recruiters…
As a journalist, I’m equally an opinion-haver and a reporter, but bloviation is more my style. I write about futurism, technology, geopolitics, politics, culture, and more. It’s my most topically extensive work and affects my output in other mediums.
Music is where I’ve put in the most labour with the least financial return. But I don’t really care. I get to write, sing, produce, and perform my own music live with a friend. If that fails, the role of sideman bassist is always a seller’s market because people generally don’t want to play bass.
2. You’ve been in Toronto for about 2 months and you’re already looking to do a journalism piece on rental scams that newcomers face.
Yeah, through a chain of circumstances, I was introduced to New Canadian Media — a publication that focuses on nonpartisan news and views representing all Canadian immigrant communities.
Drawing on my own experience of finding sketchy postings while looking for housing, I wanted to look into housing scams affecting immigrants. Turns out they’re on the rise and inflicting much pain. So I’m hoping to start my journalism work in Canada with this piece.
3. What are your goals for Year One in Canada?
Rent a home. Find a job. Furnish said home. Play music live. Post regularly on music socials. Gain prominence. Gain sponsors. Use money to invest in lasers. Sell laser stocks at a massive profit. Start a Death Star manufacturer. Create a scale model. Iterate to full scale Death Star.
Threaten the world with annihilation. Kidnap world leaders. Hold them for billions of dollars of ransom. Transfer ransom money to my bank. Use it to buy a modest Toronto apartment.
4. Do you have any suggestions for our readers who may be planning their own journeys?
Networking is a dirty word, but it’s what comes to mind. I don’t just mean job networking. It means speaking to family and friends about anyone they might know. It means having random conversations with bus drivers, shopkeepers, and more. It means seeking out people who share your interests. It quite literally means building a social network.
Coming to a new country is difficult. But by knowing people and actively making new connections you can soften the blow. Some of the people you meet may become your friends, your go-to’s for moving furniture, guides to the city, or a source for excellent music recommendations.
5. How are you enjoying the newsletter experience so far? Can you give us a song today?
I love it. What’s Curation? is a friendly voice that makes dope recommendations and occasionally breaks out in poetic metre. I haven’t heard all the recommendations, but have found something great in each one I have heard.
As a journalist and marketing writer, I’m envious that Nikhil gets to speak to people in his own voice. I wonder if I can ever truly have a writerly voice as direct, funny, and personal as Nikhil. Maybe it’s like that Dragonball quote. “Power comes in response to a need, not a desire.”
So as I hunt for that opportunity, What’s Curation? is a weekly reminder that great writing doesn’t come from marketing personas or editorial pitches, but the heart.
The final reason I love this newsletter is Nikhil’s intuitive grasp of musicking. It’s a “verb that encompasses all musical activity from composing to performing to listening to a Walkman to singing in the shower.”
“Nikhil is keenly aware of how music is heard. Many of his posts are grounded in a time, a place, a context, or an experience.”
As a musician, I can get lost in the cold mechanics of theory, production, and technique. But people relate to music more like Nikhil than like me, so What’s Curation? is a reminder for me to focus on both music and musicking.
(Note: He asked me specifically not to wax poetic, so I did.)
For once I won’t rebel against His Nikhilness’ suggestion. Here’s a cover from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ album Unlimited Love by my band. It’s “Black Summer.”
Contact
Instagram: @nabhium
Twitter: @sarunabh
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/lahainanoon
I'm watching the video and thinking this guy is a guitar player, playing bass, then I see you have not 5 but six strings. But you are a guitarist first, am I right? Nice cover.