Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.07.2013, Qupperneq 44

44The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 9 — 2013 Date
Okay, maybe we didn't look as cool as
we felt. And maybe the only cameras
clicking were that of our hired pho-
tographer and Linda, the tour guide.
Regardless of how foolish the scene
may have appeared, Samaris were to-
tal troopers. We couldn't have booked
better attitudes for the ego-crushing
activity. Besides, it's hard not to smile
on a Segway.
Full steam ahead
As we approached Sway, the Segway
tour company, I admitted that I had no
idea what was in store, half-apologis-
ing for putting them in this position
and half-thanking them for coming
along so willingly. "Yeah, it's no prob-
lem," Jófríður remarked, "you have to
put yourself in these situations every
once in a while." I agreed and was re-
lieved that their rapid rise to popular-
ity hadn't yet crumbled their sense of
humility.
Samaris materialised just two
years ago in 2011, when Áslaug ap-
proached Þórður in the school hall-
way and pitched the idea of forming
a musical group. "We thought maybe
we could play some shows at a bar or
something" Þórður said. "We didn't
set out to make a record or anything.
We just wanted to try something new
and weird" Jófríður elaborated. The
first gig they scored as a group was
Músíktilraunir, the Icelandic 'Battle
of the Bands.' They entered with only
two songs completed (bands that
make it to the final round have to play
three), and won.
With their 2011 victory, Samaris
joined the ranks of past winners that
include Botnleðja, XXX Rottweiler
hundar, Mammút, Agent Fresco, and
in the year preceding them, Of Mon-
sters and Men. "We sort of got to skip
the 'struggling artists' part," they
said, laughing. "When you win Músík-
tilraunir, they kind of just throw you
into the deep end," Þórður said.
Keeping their cool
Since then, Samaris have signed with
One Little Indian Records, released
two EPs and a debut album, toured
Europe, played at Iceland Airwaves,
and graduated high school. "It all hap-
pened so quickly," Áslaug tells me. “It
started as a joke, as a fun project.”
This playfulness is reflected in the
way that they dance shamelessly on
their Segways around Harpa's front
patio. At one point, while posing for
a photo, Jófríður's Segway goes
horizontal, smacking Þórður before
hitting the ground. She jumps off in
shock and they burst into a fountain
of laughter.
Signing with a record label has
relieved them of boring responsi-
bilities like sending emails, but has
added others to the mix. "They have
all these big plans for us, world tours
and things—so we have to try really
hard to stay grounded. If you know
what you want it's easy to go for it.
But if you don't know, it's really easy
to let things get out of control. We're
so young, you know, we don't even
know what we want yet; how can
they!" They laugh, but it's sincere.
The swing of things
Summer vacation has a whole dif-
ferent meaning to a twenty-year-old
being offered record contracts and
world tours, but it doesn't seem to
faze the group too much. They're
getting their kicks too. At one point
I mention my excitement about at-
tending LungA in the middle of July.
Jófríður exhibits equal excitement,
and then a little dismay. "Yeah I'll be
there! I have to figure out how I'm get-
ting there though," she says, "we're
playing at Extreme Chill Festival up
until the start of LungA, and that's all
the way on the West side of Iceland.
I have to get alll the wayyy across,"
she says, arching her pointer finger
across an invisible map of Iceland.
Extreme Chill is just one in a long slur
of shows that they let out when I ask
about the rest of their summer plans.
In an overlapping fashion they begin
Standing Proper
Words by Parker Yamasaki – Photos by Magnús Andersen
Sa
m
ar
is
“Hey, that group of kids look pretty fly on those Segways,” said NO ONE EVER. That is, until we took Jófríður Ákadóttir, Þórður
Kári Steinþórsson, and Áslaug Rún Magnúsdóttir, the musical trio otherwise known as Samaris, out for a Monday afternoon
Segway date. People gawked from across the harbour and lined the glass walls of Harpa to watch in awe as we swiftly weaved
through the streets of 101 on our two-wheeled companions of cool. Cameras clicked as Áslaug extended her leg out behind the
Segway with ballerina-like grace. Jófríður struck some mean poses against a backdrop of star-struck onlookers, and Þórður spun
360s like nobody's business.
On A Da
te
W
it
h:
EXPERIENCE MIDNIGHT
From 1. July - 15. August we are open till midnight!
Book your ticket
online & save
time for relaxing
Samaris is taking the music world by
storm, one step and two wheels at a time
Segway tour provided by Sway Reykjavík, book tour at www.sway.is or call +354-777-8808