Category Archives: Samana

Intriguing, Alluring: Samana. Redux

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Samana
Samana
Samana

Samana are huge favorites at Life Elsewhere. They have appeared on the show a number of times, talking about their music and even suggesting presents for the Holiday Season. We think you deserve to hear our original interview with them again. “Samana are a nomadic duo who recently returned from a year-long trip living and writing on the road. Having taken residence in a farmhouse in the Brecon Beacons, Samana have since built an analog studio and darkroom where the duo creates all of their work.” That was the only information to accompany four beautiful tracks of music on the EP, Requiem by Samana. The music is intriguing, alluring, in parts haunting, sad even, yet there is a warmth, a soul…perhaps an expression of love? We had to know more. With a little determination, we made contact with the elusive duo and an interview was arranged via Skype. In the next edition of Life Elsewhere, Norman B talks with Rebecca and Frankie of Samana. Be prepared to be captivated as they speak openly with unaffected honesty. You’ll hear the four tracks from Requiem plus a bonus cut, The Black Forest. Make sure you do not miss Samana on Life Elsewhere, all the air times and links are below.

Life Elsewhere is available at iTunes

Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network
Fridays at 9.00pm GMT on Cornucopia Radio

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.

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Mondays at 6.00pm & Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on IRN
Cornucopia Radio airs Life Elsewhere Music throughout each week
You can hear all the volumes over at Mixcloud
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Not Another Best Of List!

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Mary Komasa
The Linedots
Teen Body
Mitski
Lowly
The Prids
Ivy Sole
Off Bloom
Carla Dal Forno
Girl Ray
Twin Oaks
Samana

It would be quite reasonable to expect that I would air a Life Elsewhere Music Best Of edition. But, all the music I curate for the show could be considered best. So instead, I’m going to present what I consider, to be the stand-out tracks I’ve played in 2016. Tracks I should add that have met a simple but stringent criteria:

  1. Would I want to hear this track again?
  2. Do I want to hear more from this artist?
  3. Did the track catch my attention on first hearing?

The Life Elsewhere Music 2016 Year End Edition begins with Berlin-based vocalist and instrumentalist, Mary Komasa and her track Lost Me. In a provocative video for this track, directed by Maria’s brother Jan, the singer and model Anja Rubik, mirror each other’s body language in a liberating dare. Next, Evangeline Ling and Kevin Emre make up London-based The Linedots with Small Talk, a track that meets all of my criteria. Teen Body are out of Brooklyn, Why Do We from their excellent album Get Home Safe showcases competent writing and production skills. Mitski Miyawaki or simply Mitski, has been turning up on a number of year-end best-of lists. Happy from her album Puberty 2, was an early discovery this year at Life Elsewhere Music. Nanna Schannong, Kasper Staub, Thomas Lund, Soffie Viemose and Steffen Lundtoft are five young musicians from Aarhus, Denmark who go under the moniker, Lowly. Their track Deer Eyes was an easy inclusion in the 2016 Year End Edition. If I had a category for the most valiant effort it would have to go to James Smith & Nancy Kells, who together curated a compilation with a stellar line-up of indie artists for their album Friends For Equality. Nancy of Spartan Jet-Plex and (other assorted bands) was so incensed by the outcome of the Presidential election she enlisted the help of James Smith from Fox Food Records. In a matter of days, they had managed to get over 40 bands and artists to each provides a track for Friends For Equality. The proceeds will go to Southern Poverty Law Center, Planned Parenthood, and ACLU and honestly it is probably the best buy you’ll get this or any year. At $5, this album is worth every penny. I selected The Prids with Summer Cult to showcase this important album. I don’t bet. never have, but if I did my money would have been safe with a wager on Ivy Sole, an exceptional talent from Philadelphia. Her album Eden is flawless, with Enough (Float) being a perfect example. Back over in Scandinavia, there is another group you need to take notice of, Off Bloom. Their debut EP, Love To Hate It out on Sport Records is one of this year’s true gems. You’ll understand why when you hear, Orchid. The next track has a minimalist, almost retro feel, but Berlin-based Carla Dal Forno manages to make Fast Moving Cars very much a now sound. Every so often I’ll play a couple of cuts from a band because I think their work is good enough for the exposure. The aptly-named Girl Ray, a London-based four-piece caught my attention twice this year. One of those tracks is, Where Am I Now. The second-to-last track on this, the 2016 Year End Edition is quite brilliant, it’s Los Angeles-based Twin Oaks with Eighteen Minutes. A delicious and infectious number you’ll want to hear and again and again. Finally, for the last entry, a cut from what I’m calling the essential EP of 2016. I could go on at length as to why I believe Requiem is so special, but instead, I urge you to go to the Life Elsewhere archives to hear my interview with Rebecca and Frankie of Samana. There really isn’t anything this year as original or satisfying as Samana’s Requiem EP. We close with I’ll Keep You With Me and look forward to hearing more exceptional music from Samana in 2017. Thank you for listening, peace and love.
Norman B. December 28, 2016

Life Elsewhere airs:
Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on Internet Radio Network.
You can hear all the volumes of Life Elsewhere Music over at Mixcloud

The Annual Life Elsewhere Holiday Gift Show

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The Annual Life Elsewhere Holiday Gift Show features an all-star line-up of some of our favorite guests from the last 12 months with, author, Mark Haskell Smith, singer-songwriter, Nancy Kells, crime thriller writer, Peter James, social and political commentator, Dr. Binoy Kampmark, film & media critic, Bob Ross, singer-songwriter Azusena, caricaturist and social commentator, Steve Brodner, author Stephen O’Connor, and emerging musical artists, Samana. We asked our guests to select two books and one non-book gift. Their choices are wonderfully varied, decidedly creative and perfect for anyone’s gift list. Their book selections are shown above, try and see if you match the books with the guests.

Life Elsewhere airs:
Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on Internet Radio Network.
You can hear all the volumes of Life Elsewhere Music over at Mixcloud

 

 

Intriguing, Alluring: Samana

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Samana
Samana
Samana

“Samana are a nomadic duo who recently returned from a year-long trip living and writing on the road. Having taken residence in a farmhouse in the Brecon Beacons, Samana have since built an analogue studio and darkroom where the duo create all of their work.” That was the only information to accompany four beautiful tracks of music on the EP, Requiem by Samana. The music is intriguing, alluring, in parts haunting, sad even, yet there is a warmth, a soul…perhaps an expression of love? We had to know more. With a little determination, we made contact with the elusive duo and an interview was arranged via Skype. In the next edition of Life Elsewhere, Norman B talks with Rebecca and Frankie of Samana. Be prepared to be captivated as they speak openly with unaffected honesty. You’ll hear the four tracks from Requiem plus a bonus cut, The Black Forest. Make sure you do not miss Samana on Life Elsewhere, all the air times and links are below.

Life Elsewhere Show #192 airs:
Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network

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Good Good Music

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Good Good Blood
Spartan Jet-Plex
GRNDMS

Discovering new music has been a passion, if not an obsession for Norman B since, well since as far back as he can remember. The last couple of years or so have delivered a fabulous array of exciting new music, including Hugh, Zuzu, Sorcha Richardson, Barzin, Siv Jakobsen and recently, Spartan Jet-Plex along with Good Good Blood. The latter two acts are on the very wonderful Fox Food Records out of the UK. Now this is where things can get a little complicated, Spartan Jet-Plex is one of the many curious aliases Nancy Kells uses. Ms. Kells in any of her non-de-plumes makes excellent music which she releases through the above mentioned Fox Food Records, which happens to be the brainchild of one James Smith. And James has a band called Good Good Blood who have a new EP, Motion Sickness. And this is a collaboration between James Smith, Nancy Kells of Spartan Jet-Plex and Catherine DeGennaro  and Suzy Jivotovski of GRNDMS, (another Fox Food signing). We hope you are following along with this? These talented musicians have produced a superb set of songs on Motion Sickness by sending their tracks to and fro over the cloud. Hear the results on the next edition of Life Elsewhere. Plus a revealing interview with legendary music writer, Gene Sculatti author of Tryin’ to Tell a Stranger ‘Bout Rock and Roll: Selected Writings 1966-2016.

Samana
Nicholson Baker

Samana is another new music discovery you’ll hear in an upcoming edition of Life Elsewhere. Frankie and Rebecca of Samana talk with Norman B about their nomadic life traveling around Europe, being in touch with nature, creating their beautiful, ethereal, haunting music and settling in an ancient stone cottage in the remote Brecon Beacons area of South Wales. Plus, revered author, Nicholson Baker, always a favorite guest on the program, will talk about his new book, Substitute – Going To School With A Thousand Kids. It’s a meticulously detailed account of his 28 days working as a K-12 substitute teacher in a Maine public school district. All this and more, in upcoming editions of Life Elsewhere.

Life Elsewhere Show #191 airs:
Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network

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