On the final leg of their “Make A Change” spring tour, socially-conscious Nahko and Medicine for the People wowed a sold-out crowd at Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Bowl for their debut New York City performance. The band’s excited energy could be felt throughout the evening, with frontman Nahko Bear announcing, “It’s (bassist) Pato’s first time in New York!” and later explaining that they felt Brooklyn was an appropriate place to showcase new material off their upcoming album HOKA. In true New York City fashion, the crowd ate up every drop of these special treats – “Make A Change,” “On Time,” and “The Wolves Have Returned,” the latter of which beautifully highlighted the vocal abilities of drummer Justin “Chitty” Chittams and guitarist Chase Makai.

This soul-filled performance featured the beloved “Black as Night” and prayer-like anthem “Aloha Ke Akua,” and the adoring “Tribe” of fans turned every song into a sing-a-long, bringing glorious harmony to the depths of each song’s lyrics. The tremendous amount of musical talent within this diversified six-piece was obvious, from violinist, Tim Snider, to trumpet and flugelhornist, Max Ribner. When Snider welcomed special guest Max ZT, who crushes it on the hammered dulcimer, he was playing with such fervor during “Great Spirit” that the strings of his bow began to break. Ribner dominated his extended solos and masterfully accompanied the acoustic encore performance of “Love Letters to God,” and also took a few minutes to call attention to the need for clean, filtered water both locally and globally. The group later welcomed soul-sister duo Climbing PoeTree, for a spirited rendition of “Warrior People.” On top of all of this, the band somehow managed to interlace a medley of covers throughout the show, including Adele’s “Hello,” Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall,” Flobot’s “Handlebars,” TLC’s “No Scrubs,” and Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up” – just to name a few. What an exhilarating performance!

Nahko Bear, who was born in Portland, Oregon with Apache, Puerto Rican, and Filipino bloodlines, formed the beginnings of his medicine tribe in Hawaii. These roots are evidenced not only in the prevalence of Hawaiian words and phrases in the lyrics, but also in the group’s fight for the rights of indigenous peoples of the Americas and abroad. Nahko and Medicine for the People have a clear mission of creating global awareness and accountability, hoping to serve as a catalyst that inspires environmental and societal change. Partnering with several different charities and performing at events like the Healing Music Festival in Israel (a fest aimed at uniting Israelis and Palestinians through music), these musicians take great strides to practice what they preach. And what exactly are they preaching? That, together, we can be the change the world needs. That we all have a voice and, collectively, power. Perhaps, it is best summed up in the call to action of “Manifesto”:

   “Don’t waste your hate
    Rather gather and create
    Be a service, be a sensible person
    Use your words and don’t be nervous
    You can do this, you’ve got purpose
    Find your medicine and use it”

The crowd, no doubt fully medicated, was hopefully inspired by the musical message to activate change, or at the very least be aware of its global necessity. As Ribner noted, even if only one person in the audience was influenced to make a change, then their daily mission was accomplished. Mahalos were exchanged at the end of the show and Nahko, again, thanked the crowd for making their New York debut a sell-out.

After this tour wraps, Nahko and team will be hitting the summer music festival circuit, including scheduled performances at Hangout Music Festival, Lightning in a Bottle, and Electric Forest. A full list of their upcoming gigs can be found here. Be sure to check them out to get your summer dose!