Nahko and Medicine for the People are best experienced in concert. That's where this sprawling musical collective come alive, in the fertile call-and-response with the fellow travelers they call their fans. Nahko and company are on a journey, and it's got a lot to do with the self-discovery and healing that music makes possible. The group have been embraced for their positive messages and multiethnic musical approach, and they've become confirmed festival favorites, touring with the likes of Rebelution, Michael Franti and SOJA. Nahko is known as much for his political speechifying and spoken word as his singing, and any live show is sure to include both good vibes and powerfully political, justice-oriented content.

Nahko and Medicine for the People in Concert

The exuberantly tattooed Nahko, also known as Nahko Bear, grew up in Portland, Oregon. He was adopted into a white, religious family, but his birth family's heritage included Mohawk, Apache, Filipino and Puerto Rican ancestry. He has called on that heritage throughout his musical career, entwining songs of personal discovery with messages of social justice. Nahko showed musical aptitude early, playing piano and eventually picking up the guitar before going on to become a musical director. But the road called, and Bear took up an itinerant lifestyle, eventually landing in Hawaii. The beginnings of the band formed there, where Nahko met Australian 12-string guitarist Chase Makai, drummer Justin Chittams and trumpeter Max Ribner. Other musicians have come and gone along the way, but the band's core includes six full-time members. The group released their debut album, Dark as Night, in 2013, and followed it up quickly with 2014's On the Verge. They reappeared with Hoka in 2016 and the album reached 72 on the Billboard 200. In 2017, Bear returned to his solo roots with My Name Is Bear, an album of songs he wrote before forming the band.