NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE reveal video for new single and announce August European dates
NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE
NEW ALBUM ‘HOKA’
NEW ALBUM ‘HOKA’
FULL
ALBUM RELEASE – June 10th
on
SideOneDummy Records
NEW
SINGLE ‘SAN QUENTIN’
WATCH
THE VIDEO HERE
AUGUST
DATES
American sensations Nahko and Medicine for The People have
just revealed the video for their brand new single ‘San Quentin’, which is
taken from the forthcoming new album HOKA
which will be released on June 10th through SideOneDummy Records and is currently
available for pre-order at nahko.com.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘SAN QUENTIN’ HERE
After the roaring success of their sold-out debut visit to the UK last year and a sold-out tour this January, Nahko and Medicine for The People will be back for a full Euro tour this August.
Euro August tour
Thurs 4th Untold
Festival, Cluj-Napoca – Romania
Sat 6th Reggae
Sun Ska, Macau – France
Mon 8th BosTheatre,
Amstelveen – Netherlands
Wed 10th Koko,
London – UK
Thurs 11th Cheese
& Grain, Frome – UK
Fri 12th Boardmasters
Festival, Newquay – UK
Sat 13th Boomtown
Fair, Hampshire – UK
Sun 14th Lakefest,
Herefordshire – UK
Wed 17th Technikum,
Munich – Germany
Thurs 18th
Columbia Theater, Berlin – Germany
Fri 19th MS
Dockville, Hamburg – Germany
Mon 22nd Im
Wizemann, Stuttgart – Germany
Tue 23rd Batschkapp,
Frankfurt – Germany
Sun 28th Greenbelt,
Kettering – UK
Mon 29th Circolo
Magnolia, Milan – Italy
Recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Ted Hutt (The Gaslight
Anthem, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lucero, Dropkick Murphys), HOKA is a
very personal record with Nahko’s traditional spiritual positivity evolving
into a much deeper examination of his roots and the tragic circumstances that
surround his birth.
He was adopted as a baby by a middle class, white American family in the
north-west of the country and grew up playing piano at a young age - which
is where he learned to respect music.
However, disillusioned by the world around him and inspired by
vagabond, Americana musicians and storytellers like Conor Oberst and Bob Dylan,
Nahko left home as a teenager in search of adventure and self-discovery. Armed
with stories, a guitar, and a fierce set of ideals, he set out to bridge
the cultural gaps dividing his own psyche.
It was then he found his mother on the Internet, met her, and began
to learn the truth about this backstory and his true ethnicity of Puerto
Rican, Native American (Apache) and Filipino descent. His self-branded ‘real
talk music’ is the result of the personal journey of healing and acceptance
that followed.
Because his mother was forced into human trafficking, Nahko and his
mother are advocates for the anti-trafficking movement of indigenous men and
women. A few years later, Nahko learned that his biological father had
been murdered in 1994. The new single ‘San Quentin’ is the result of
Nahko visiting the man responsible for murdering his father - and forgiving
him.
“I didn’t really know
what I was going to say to him,” Nahko explains, but as he sings, he’s “come a long way to tell you this story - there’s no turning back now.”
Nahko ventured on the visit so he could get some closure after spending the
majority of his life unravelling the truth of his childhood. It was important
to him to forgive the man that murdered his father in person. Both the video
and song are more uplifting than one would expect given the subject matter, but
that is just a reflection on Nahko’s outlook on life.
"I
went there to forgive this man and in forgiving him, I freed myself. It only
hurts yourself to hang onto hate. Forgiveness empowers you to create change. I
believe everything happens for a reason good and bad. People are put in your
life for a reason, and you need to turn that pain into something positive to
make the world a better place."
"Over
the last three years, I've been cracked open so deeply in my own healing to
really give this record my all," explains
Nahko. "My style of writing and my
intentions with how I put things together has evolved a lot. I'm able to better
paint the picture after time on the road, seeing firsthand the emotional state
of the people of the world, of how sick people are, and how much healing they
need."
Another single-to-be is the blissful
acoustic epic ‘Tus Pies (Your Feet)’, which was inspired in part by Chilean
poet and politician Pablo Neruda. "It's
about friendship and being an anchor for someone. ‘Pies’ is the Spanish word
for 'feet.' At the end of one of his poems, Neruda says a line I cherish: 'I
love your feet for how they walked on the mountains and through the rivers and
through the valleys until they found me.' I've always loved that picture of how
we find people in life and all of the intricate twists and turns that it takes
for someone to arrive."
Nahko and his musical collective are
also joined by album guests Trevor Hall, Xavier Rudd, Rising Appalachia's Leah
Song, singer/songwriter Zella Day, the female trio Joseph, Hawaiian singer
Hawane Rios and Pua Case, one of Nahko's spiritual teachers and Hawane's
mother.
And as for the album title? "Hoka is a Lakota word, it is a call to action. It's what Crazy
Horse would say when he went into battle, 'Hoka, hey!' My call is to put action
to the words that I speak and the lyrics I sing. Not just to talk, but to do."
Nahko describes his music as a mix of hip‐hop and folk rock
with a world message to spread awareness of
living in harmony with each other and Mother Nature. Lyrically they
explore themes such as indigenous ideology and
mythology, social commentary on economics and the distribution of wealth
and power, youth empowerment and direct action.
You can find out more in the ‘Getting To Know Nahko’ video where he
gives an insight on the origin of his name and unique views on music.
The word-of-mouth sensations
first came to prominence with their song ‘Aloha Ke Akua’ which has gained over 4.7million
views to date on the fan made video and became a Top Ten hit on
both the Billboard Top Alternative Albums and Top Heatseekers charts.
The band continues to gain members of
their global tribe of likeminded fans as they spread their musical message
having toured with acts as Michael Franti, Xavier Rudd, SOJA, and Trevor Hall.
In addition to
Nahko, Medicine For The People are: Chase Makai (lead
guitarist), Justin Chittams (drums), Pato (bass guitar), Max Ribner
(horns) and Tim Snider (violin).
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