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As their name suggests, Nahko and Medicine for the People are on a mission to inspire positive change, performing what they call “real talk music.”
Led by Oregon-native Nahko, who was born a mix of Apache, Puerto Rican and Filipino cultures, Medicine for the People has toured with Michael Franti and SOJA, and internationally with Xavier Rudd, and performed at festivals in the U.S., Australia and Bali.
“Our focus is to make music that tells the truth,” Nahko told Australia’s Beat Magazine. “I’m a big fan of hip hop, I’m a big fan of pop music, but in pop music and a lot of other music the melody is a cloak for lyrics with just no content. A lot of the stuff that is out there on the radio, it’s music that just passes the time. It makes me dance in my car sometimes, but I’m not really listening to it going, ‘Oh wow, this is changing my life right now.’ “
The band has released two albums, “On the Verge” in 2010, and “Dark as Night” in 2013, which both reflect Nahko’s journey of self-discovery and acceptance. His grandmother forced his mother into prostitution at age 14 and his life began in an act of violence. In the powerful song “So Thankful” on “Dark as Night,” he sings: “So thankful, I never thought I’d give thanks for rape, but that’s how I got here today.”
Many fans of the band’s music have reported how their songs have profoundly impacted their lives. One YouTube comment noted, “You saved my life.”
“Dark as Night’s” opening track, “Aloha Ke Akua,” seems to have really resonated with people.
“I go back and forth every single day,” Nahko sings. “The clarity it comes to me in the choppy waves, the feelings and the places and the seasons change, the galaxies remain. Energy fields pulling our body to space, the angels that are coming to the spiritual waste, the hate that gets me distant from my spiritual place, 10 fold the mana when the planets are in place.”
“I was really scared about 2012 and all the prophecies when I wrote that,” he explained in a Huffington Post interview. “It was like my prayer to myself that it was all going to be OK. I also think the Hawaiian language is also a powerful component to its potency. So I think this song in its most raw prayer form and said by the masses has a lot of power and courage to it.”
Sometimes describing the band’s music as “acoustic hip-hop rock with a world fusion,” Medicine for the People features drummer Justin Chittams, guitarist Chase Makai, percussionist Hope Medford and bassist Patricio.
Their live shows are known for their empowering, high energy.
“There is a hunger for depth, honesty and raw connection in the music scene,” Nahko told the Orange County Weekly. “Our ability to connect with our fans is a huge piece to the movement. Our band has gotten tighter and we’re all in such good places in our lives that we’re able to offer our deepest love and shower the tribe with positive reflections.”
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Hailed by NPR as “finally the heir to Bonnie Raitt,” singer/songwriter Rachael Yamagata is known for crowd favorites like “Be Your Love” and “Worn Me Down,” as well as her lovelorn ballads like “Duet” and “Elephants.”
Releasing her self-titled EP in 2002, Yamagata’s first full-length album, “Happenstance,” received rave reviews. PopMatters praised: “Sultry singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata burst onto the scene with a five-song EP that could barely contain powerful hooks and sorrowful heartbreak sung masterfully to the tune of jazz-infused pop. Bearing a remarkable resemblance to Nora Jones and Fiona Apple, it wasn’t clear if she could set herself apart from the pack despite her talents. On her first album, Yamagata does just that.”
Allmusic declared: “It is an unabashedly lush, deeply textured pop record that makes no apologies for its radio-friendliness or its adornments.”
TV shows like “The O.C.” and “Alias” picked up on it, and “Happenstance” also endeared Yamagata to musicians like Ray LaMontagne, Jason Mraz, Ryan Adams, Conor Oberst, and Toots and the Maytals, who all invited her to perform on their albums.
Boosted by such support, she returned in 2008 with “Elephants . . . Teeth Sinking into Heart,” an eclectic double album that featured both intimate material and PJ Harvey-inspired rock.
Her latest album, “Tightrope Walker,” will be released next year.
“There is a dreaminess and edge to the new sound that I’m still figuring out how to put into words,” Yamagata explained in an interview. “I’m using ladders as drums on certain tracks, rain falling on metal stools, French translated letters underlying certain music, piano, banjo and mandolin. I’m self-producing so I’m working very much on instinct and it’s really exciting for me.”
For her Hawaii dates Yamagata, who plays piano and guitar, will tour as a trio, with multi-instrumentalist Michael Chaves (John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan) on rhythm, bass, guitar and keyboards, and Zach Djanikian (Amos Lee) on keyboards and guitar.
* Rachael Yamagata will perform at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Maui Theatre in Lahaina. Premium tickets (reserved seating, first five rows) are $45, and general admission is $30. Tickets are available from the Maui Theatre box office by calling 856-7900, Request Music in Wailuku and online at www.holdmyticket.com.
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Kirtan devotional chant master Krishna Das will join Ram Dass for the annual “Thanksgiving Sunday Satsang” from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Makawao Union Church.
The Grammy-nominated artist will be joined by a full band including Arjun Bruggeman on tabla, guitarist David Nichtern, Genevieve Walker on violin, bassist Mark Gorman and Nina Rao on backing vocals.
Krishna Das will also present an evening of kirtan and stories on Monday at the church.
His latest recordings include the CD “Laughing at the Moon,” a compilation of some of his more popular chants, and the DVD “Live in NYC, Volume 1.” He has announced a limited performing schedule next year, and he will not return to Maui again until December 2016.
The Sunday satsang serves as a food drive for the Maui Food Bank. Those attending are asked to bring organic canned/boxed food donations for the food bank.
Sunday’s event includes an Indian buffet dinner in the admission price. Monday’s event will offer food and beverages for sale starting at 5:30 p.m.
* Advance tickets to each event are $30 cash only and are available at Maui Kombucha in Haiku, MacNet in Kahului, Monsoon India Restaurant in Kihei and Island Spirit Yoga in Lahaina, or online at www.eventbrite.com. If available, tickets at the door are $40 cash.
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The Maui Choral Arts Association will present its annual “Christmas Bells” holiday concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in McCoy Studio Theater at the Maui Arts &?Cultural Center. The concert features artistic director Gary Shin-Leavitt and pianist Lotus Dancer, with special guest Leighanna Locke, joining the chorus on holiday classics and sing-alongs to new arrangements of old favorites.
* Tickets are $30 for adults, and $15 for students and children 18 & under (plus applicable fees) and are available at the box office, by calling 242-7469 or by visiting www.mauiarts.org.
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To celebrate Jimi Hendrix’s 73rd birthday, a celebration show and ’60s costume party will feature a bunch of Maui musicians performing Hendrix classics from 9 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Threes Bar and Grill in Kihei.
* Admission is $25 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Jimi Hendrix Foundation’s Music for Life program.
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Two music documentaries will be screened at the Maui Film Festival’s FirstLight series at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.
“Amy,” at 3 p.m. Saturday, explores the life of six-time Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse. A review in The Guardian raved: “A star is born – all over again. Asif Kapadia’s documentary study of the great British soul queen Amy Winehouse is stunningly moving and powerful: intimate, passionate, often shocking and almost mesmerically absorbing.” It includes a trove of private videos shot by friends and lovers.
At 5 p.m. Sunday, “Song of Lahore” focuses on Pakistan’s Sachal Jazz Ensemble, which came up with a brilliant East-meets-West interpretation of Dave Brubeck’s jazz classic “Take Five.” Jazz great Wynton Marsalis was so impressed, he invited the group to appear with his orchestra at the Lincoln Center in New York. The Wrap hailed the documentary as “a joyous and riveting film” and “a real awards contender” for an Oscar nomination next year.
* Tickets are $16 per film, or $44 for FastPass tickets that provide admission to four FirstLight films. For more information, visit the box office, call 242-7469 or visit www.mauiarts.org.