Music has always been seen as a transformative force in the world, capable of changing everything from moods to attitudes on its way to impacting society as a whole and even governmental policy. Over the years, we’ve seen single songs or lyrics become forces for change, borrowed and repurposed for the sake of various causes, but in today’s social and political climate, just how much of a difference can a protest anthem make?

To find out, we’ve spoken to Nahko Bear, the leader of Nahko and Medicine For The People, a band who place themselves and theirsongs on the frontlines of musical protests in an effort to affect real change.

Nahko and his outfit are a world music band that deliver their healing powers in strong dosages of optimistic power for their fans – or, as they call them, their tribe. Alas, you do not need to be part of the tribe to take part in the medicinal nature of their music, you just have to open up your ears and enjoy the curative groove.

Nakho Bear, an American who started out in Portland, Oregon, and with a mixed background of Apache, Puerto Rican and Filipino heritage is truly a man of numerous cultural influences. With his band, he preaches about positive energy, positive politics and personal growth, through a musical filter that is soulful and funky and dipped in the batter of world music.

Music has always been a tool for building bridges and I think that is exactly what we are doing with them.

Prior to his return to the Byron Bay Bluesfest 2017, Nakho caught up with us for a brief chat about politics, music and the art of the protest song. He sounded refreshed and upbeat after a bit of time away from performing.

“We’ve had the last month off so I went traveling from New Zealand to Ecuador and had some vacation/schooling on indigenous affairs in that area. When we come out to Australia we will be getting back onto the bandwagon of playing music around the world and I look forward to that,” Nakho said.

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If you have heard his music, you know he writes songs with a social conscious and he is an activist off the stage. We need energy like this in our community, and asked Nakho about his take on the protest song in the world today.

“I think if you look at the protest songs of our ancestors and of different eras of social justice and environmental resistance to the big guys, those songs have lived for so long. They have helped us through so many layers of teaching and I think that the songs that we are now writing have the capacity to run the gamut of healing and we are seeing and feeling it”, mused Nakho.

“I tend to think that the songs will outlive us and they will have a life of their own after they are released into the world. We will see them live on the street to the jungles to the houses of people we never imagined would listen to them. I think they are absolutely imperative for this time. Music has always been a tool for building bridges and I think that is exactly what we are doing with them. There is no question to me that I should be writing these kinds of songs and sharing them, but also, that this is their time”, said Nakho thoughtfully.

“We have been waiting for something even more drastic to shift within the paradigm of politics to bring a majority of people from their passive or their neutral state to their active state. It does feel like we are at that point.  Music is the language that everyone can agree upon and it is a powerful tool to usher us into that era”, Nakho said.

…artists like Chance The Rapper, even John Legend and Lady Gaga came out with a couple of tracks and they nailed it…

So where are some of the best protest songs coming from?

“I see a lot of protest songs coming out right now and we saw a lot of music coming out about the protests in Standing Rock. This is not a bad thing, but it is still art. There are still songs that you believe in and it’s good dialogue but it’s just not great art because, well, it’s not that good. For instance, I am a huge fan of Neil Young but his pipeline protest song (Indian Givers) was just not that great. He gave it a shot, but I think maybe artists like Chance The Rapper, even John Legend and Lady Gaga came out with a couple of tracks and they nailed it, they were talking about real shit”, said Nakho

Art and politics, in short, they have always held hands together and sometimes the collaboration and the energy between what artists are engaged in and how they express it have made great art. Are we entering a time of greater political expression through music?

“I feel like the era of that time is that there were more artists standing for what they believed in. In the 60’s you did not have a choice but to be involved with politics or to have a political stance. I feel like we are being ushered into another time where we are going to see things be that way. You are going to have to be vocal if you want to be accepted and believed. It is going to be part of what we talk about”, Nakho answered.

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The music of this group is wordy, vibrant and engaging. Seeing them perform, you get a sense that they are active within their art and showing up off the stage to continue their activism.

Nakho works closely with the Honor The Earth Organisation, a Native America environmental group formed over 20 years ago by Winona la Duke and The Indigo Girls. He partakes in activism and protecting water rights, and various other projects when time permits. This is part of his journey.

“There are a lot of messages in the songs because there is a lot to learn in life. I think the overarching tone of our music is empathy which umbrellas many things like forgiveness, grace and compassion. Also, it backs it up with a fierce sense of idealism and tradition, a respect for Mother Nature and a very old school way of thinking of just living in harmony with your surroundings and allowing life to take its course. It is about living a life of service to some degree”, Nakho finished.

The grassroots music that comes out of oppression and rebellion and the art of resistance are a driving force in what we do.

Making music that moves people’s feet as much as it engages their minds is not always an easy process. We asked Nakho where his creative process begins and how it keeps moving forward with himself and his fellow musicians.

“The force is strong with us (laughs). The absolute love for music and, I think, with observing some of my mentors and peers… just staying in music, it is just a daily thing. It is not a practice, it is just what it is. You are hearing music, playing music, composing it in your mind, practicing and performing – and it’s a lifestyle.”

Nakho has been writing the music and he said that Paul Simon’s thoughts on collaboration are how he and his band work. In essence, he brings the songs to the other musicians and they add their two cents. Everyone that is part of the collective just does their thing and flavours the music with their own spices.

“I would suggest that the forces of nature and how we translate poems and politics, of course. Traditional ways of Indigenous people telling stories of traveling, and the interesting process of generational divides, and the stories of working class people inspire the way we create.

“The grassroots music that comes out of oppression and rebellion and the art of resistance are a driving force in what we do.”

Nahko and Medicine For The People are heading to Australia for Byron Bay’s Bluesfest from April 13-17, but you’ll also be able to catch them when they head to Melbourne’s 170 Russell on April 12, Sydney’s Metro Theatre on April 13, and Brisbane’s The Triffid on April 16 – tickets on sale now.

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