Nahko & Medicine for the People

Nahko and Medicine for the People is an American world music group headed by Nahko Bear. They have released nine studio albums. Nahko Bear was born in Portland, Oregon. Nahko is short for Nahkohe-ese, "little bear" in the Cheyenne language. He is of Native American, Puerto Rican, and Filipino descent. According to Indianz.com, he has not specified which Apache or Mohawk tribes he descends from. Adopted by a white middle-class Christian family, he learned of his heritage after reconnecting with his biological mother as an adult. His birth was the result of rape, and his biological father had been murdered. He learned to play the piano at the age of six and the guitar at fourteen. He began his musical career by busking and formed the band in 2008. Nahko and Medicine for the People play a fusion of styles often called world music, or worldbeat. The group's lyrics present a message of social and environmental consciousness. Nahko and Medicine for the People have toured with Nattali Rize, Rebelution, Michael Franti, Trevor Hall, Dispatch, Xavier Rudd, and SOJA. The band largely appears at alternative music festivals, including the Greenbelt Festival, the ARISE Music Festival, and Tour de Fat. In 2017, Bear released a solo album titled My Name Is Bear, under the name Nahko. On July 8, 2020, following accusations from multiple individuals of sexually inappropriate behavior, Bear resigned from the board of Honor the Earth. In their statement, "Regarding Nahko", the board stated that they have "a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behavior". After the initial surge of public interest, Bear responded to the accusations made against him. On August 10, 2020, he shared a statement on the band's Facebook page, in which he expressed regret to the women he had harmed through his inappropriate actions and disputed allegations against him as false. Current Nahko Bear – vocals Justin Chittams – drums Joe Hall – lead guitar Patricio Zuñiga Labarca – bass guitar Max Ribner – trumpet Tim Snider – electric violin TJ Schaper – trombone Past Hope Medford – hand percussion and rhythm Don Corey – bass (On Dark as Night) Chase Makai – lead guitar Studio albums On the Verge (2012) Dark as Night (2013) HOKA (2016) Take Your Power Back (2020) Take Your Power Back (Acoustic) (EP, 2021) beautiful trouble (2021) TRENCHES (2023) On the Verge – 10 Year Anniversary Edition (2024) Dark as Night – Acoustic Edition (2024) Live albums Live at Sugarshack Sessions (2024) Singles My Name Is Bear (2017) "Uncovering Forgiveness". HM Magazine. Retrieved August 5, 2024. "An In-Depth Conversation with the Indigenous Musician You Need to Know: Nahko Bear". Indian Country Today. Retrieved July 31, 2024. "'Deliberate disregard': Honor the Earth liable in sexual harassment case". Indianz.com. Retrieved July 4, 2024. "Nahko Bear: 'In forgiving my father's killer, I freed myself'". Ham&High. Retrieved July 31, 2024. "Nahko and Medicine for the People: Alternative World Music as a Social Movement". July 2, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2023. "Nahko and Medicine for the People ft. Kota the Friend – "OK"". wonderlandmagazine.com. Retrieved December 20, 2023. "Nahko and Medicine for the People". HM Magazine. Retrieved December 19, 2023. "Nahko and Medicine for the People | "Take Your Power Back"". Grateful Web. Retrieved December 19, 2023. "Nahko: Power to the People". Relix Media. July 19, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2023. D'Angleo, Chris (February 20, 2015). "Nahko: Medicinal music". TheGardenIsland.com. The Garden Island. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015. Hucka, TJ. "Nahko and Medicine for the People". LifeIsBeautiful.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015. "Greeenbelt Festival 2016 Lineup". Greeenbelt Festival. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017. "New Belgium announces Tour de Fat schedule". Coloradoan. Retrieved May 2, 2018. "Singer-Songwriter Nahko Discusses How Politics & Meeting His Birth Mother Influenced Solo Album 'My Name Is Bear'". billboard.com. October 17, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2020. "Honor the Earth Board Statement Regarding Nahko". honorearth.org. July 8, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2023. "Aloha Medicine Tribe, Mahalo for coming by to read and listen to what I have to say. If you're here, it means on some level you are invested in what has..." Facebook. Retrieved December 19, 2023. Hall, Joe (October 2015). "Joe Hall: Engineer / Producer / Guitars". Sound Better. Retrieved August 14, 2024. Patak, Agnes (October 20, 2016). "Nahko and Medicine for the People – HOKA". Mateel. Retrieved August 14, 2024. Rom, Meredith (December 6, 2019). "091 | Sacred Birth, Rhythm & Raising Women's Voices with Hope Medford". Meredith Rom. Retrieved August 14, 2024. "Nahko and Medicine for the People Triple A Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 20, 2020. Reviews Salrin, Ellie (September 29, 2014). "[REVIEW] ARISE: A look at the future of sustainable festival culture". The UNTZ. Retrieved March 19, 2015. Weiss, Brian (October 6, 2014). "Review: Nahko, Medicine for the People". NUVO. Retrieved March 19, 2015. Official website Nahko and Medicine for the People at AllMusic