“When I was twelve years old, I moved to the countryside to live with my grandparents,” says Ugandan musician and refugee Samite. “While I was there, a purple, red, blue, and yellow lizard called embalasasa surfaced all over the country. It was so beautiful it begged to be touched, but it was poisonous. Whenever an embalasasa came into the house, we all climbed on top of a table and called my grandfather to come and kill it. We knew we were safe as long as grandpa was around; he used his walking cane to protect us.”

Embalasasa is the name of Samite’s new CD released by Triloka Records on April 11, 2006. “On the title song, I call my grandpa to come with his walking cane and kill the modern embalasasa, AIDS, a deadly disease transmitted through the most beautiful, vibrant and natural act,” explains Samite. The album’s songs draw upon Ugandan folklore, geography, and struggle to express words of allegory, healing, and hope. In addition to AIDS, his curative songs address war, intolerance, the death of a loved one, and survival. Samite is a survivor

Samite will be on tour from Feb-April, with concert dates in CA, NY, OR, IL, KY, WI, and MO. Detailed tour info, hi-res jpeg’s, audio samples, journal entries, and more at www.rockpaperscissors.biz/go/samite