You may have been living in a cave or stranded on a desert island without any connection to news of any sort. Of course, the chances are, that is not the case. Like everyone else, no matter what your political persuasion may be, it should be safe to say, we are all, if not in a state of shock, then at the very least, we are trying to make sense of Mr. Trump essentially clinching the GOP nomination after his win in Indiana. So, the question then became, should we do another piece on Mr. Trump? In past editions of Life Elsewhere, we’ve heard from various qualified people, a branding expert, a humorist and political commentator, a social historian, we even asked some of our musical guests to share their opinion on Trump. Yet,  we reasoned it really is difficult to comment on the prospect of Donald Trump actually being the GOP nominee, running for the office of President, without the urge to sneak in a sarcastic quip to two. In the days, the months and years to follow, volumes will be written about the ascendancy of Trump. There will be plenty of time for us at Life Elsewhere to collect our thoughts and deliver an honest appraisal of this peculiar but, historical occurrence. Instead, in our next show, we turn our attention to music.

The abundance of new music delivered to Life Elsewhere is truly remarkable. So much great music being made around the globe is from young people alone in their bedrooms with the laptops and programs like Garage Band. The vast array of new music from the new generation gives us hope for the future. It’s ironic really, as we head toward electing a new President, much of the dialogue, the rhetoric, is so outdated. It’s not just last century, it’s ancient! Yet, here we are with enterprising youthful artists using their talents and embracing advances in technology to make memorable music for today.

Brighton-based, Jack Allsopp goes by the moniker of Just Jack. His just-released EP, Life Lessons features Alchemist, a song he says is about,  “The internal and external battles you have when you’re bringing up a kid.” Taken from her upcoming debut album, 1 of 3 is the new single from Kelly Lee Owens. Originally from Wales, the London-based singer, songwriter, and producer says, “Emotionally – there’s vulnerability in the track but there’s also strength – both are important. Both are present in any type of relationship. The end section is me taking back the power – understanding the truth of the situation.” Covering a well-realized song can present a few obvious problems, Ben Hobbs took on the challenge with his subtle reading of The Sundays’ 1990 hit, Here’s Where the Story Ends. “It’s a really nostalgic song and I didn’t want to approach it in the sense of just making a modern version of the track,” Hobbs says. The track appears on his just-released EP, Sweet Enough. Icelandic electronica trio Samaris, offer minimal beats and dreamy synth washes, taking cues from dub techno, IDM with delicate ambient textures and breathy vocals in Black Lights from the album of the same name, out on June 10.

Also in the program, a tribute to Ian McLagan, the famed keyboard player for The Small Faces, Faces and The Rolling Stones. Mac’s birthday is May 12, he sadly died two years ago on December 3. We asked Mac’s Press Agent and very good friend Jo Rae Di Menno to share her memories of a lovely man.

Life Elsewhere Show #168 airs:
Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 7.00pm ET at WROM Radio
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Thursdays 7.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio

Life Elsewhere can be heard on CMG Global Media

If you miss any editions of Life Elsewhere, go here then go to the Listen On Demand panel, choose the date of a show and click play.