February 2: Nahko and Medicine of the People

After the delightful Twiddle coincidence on Monday, my walking buddy recommended some songs she thought I might like. One of them I immediately fell in love, "Budding Trees" by Nahko and Medicine for the People. She sent me the music video for it, and it was such a cool way to be introduced to them. The video did not feature the band, but instead, a diverse group of fans, friends, and family lip syncing to the song. 

I decided to listen to a few of their albums and SO many of their songs are just de-light-ful! Again, with horns, and deep, meaningful lyrics, and power. I am *almost* inspired to play my bari again. Maybe in a few days. If I wasn't so self conscious about it, I would do it now and try to play along with some of these songs. I'll keep trying to psych myself up for it. In the meantime, I will delight in pre-recorded music. 

I did some research on the inter-webs to learn more about the band. "Nahko and Medicine for the People is a Portland, Oregon-based musical collective known for their 'real-talk' lyrics, contagious and influential messages, as well as their catchy melodies. Their music is a fusion of reggae, folk, rock, and 'spiritual hip hop'. One of the band’s primary goals has been to bridge cultural gaps and unify diversity with their music." I unfortunately also discovered a recent controversy with Nahko. He recently resigned from being on the board of "Honor the Earth" for allegations of sexual abuse. I read some about this, and it sounds like he has a terrible history of lying to and cheating on women and using his stardom to be extremely promiscuous with women. While it doesn't sound like he a rapist or pedophile, like he is being accused of, he definitely doesn't seem like a great guy which is exactly the opposite of the message of his songs. It is unfortunate to have this new found music be tainted with these allegations. I really still want to enjoy the beauty and depth of the music, but it is definitely not as pure of an experience of delight as others. But I bet that I would be hard-pressed to really truly find a pure experience of delight anywhere. People are fallible. Humanity is imperfect. People can make mistakes and beautiful music. So while I do not want to forget the sins of Nahko, and I certaintly do not condone his behavior, I am going to try to delight in message and the sound of the music. Here are some of the best lyrics from the songs I like best:

"Budding Trees"

Let go of blame, that shit will never serve me

Bless other men, investigate your mystery

So, tap me out and tap me into you

Heal my brain and my body too

Balance my chemistry, hydrate these cells

Cause the body talks and meditation helps

A little spider weaves a wispy web

And stumbling through the woods, it catches to my head

She crawls behind my ear and whispers secrets

Dragonfly whiz by and sings "now teach it"

{I love the image of being told secrets by a spider, maybe the secret of life and nature, and being encouraged by a dragonfly to go out and teach it.}

"Nyepi"

I fear nothing, no thing fears me

Justice has different hats for different days

Release my anger, love thy neighbor

Put that pain to some good use anyway

I will do things I've never done before

'cause I'm powerful and I'm not afraid no more

"It Is Written"

Gotta recharge my channel
For to medicate, resist, meditate
Keep righteous rocking
Steady load and locking
There ain't no stoppin'
This bullet, load it, pull it
Bullet, load it, pull it
Fully-loaded poet

{I love the idea of being armed with poetry. Very much appeals to my pacifist side. Also a GREAT horn line echoes all the lyrics}

"We Are On Time"

Sometimes I'm broken

Sometimes I'm mended

On the road

I can cope to get up and do it all over again

Wind begins to blow

It's a sweet validation

Nature has her signs

And they're clear affirmations

We are on time

{There is this great moment at about 3:15 in the song when it goes from a soft, soothing slow song, to a powerful chant with super cool horns and a driving beat. And I read that according to Nahko, this song "is a dedication to being an anchor through the struggles and joys of life and a reminder that everything happens for a reason. The synchronicity of time and place for each unique relationship in life gives light to a destiny and universal plan. Give a little, get a little. Timing is everything and we are on time.” And that reminds me of the story of Esther in the Hebrew Bible who was told that she was born "for such a time as this"-- her story is essentially a slew of perfectly timed coincidences that save her kingdom.}

"Backbone"

I heard "be fierce, noble, hold your arrow true"

I heard "be bold, graceful, you do you"

And I will too

We will change it from the inside

I've known this my whole life

We will navigate the chaos

And learn to read the signs

And I will sit alone on mountains

And breathe the name of all

I will stand by you in reason

A comrade in the cause

"Make a Change"

I need a change, it’s evident

A transformation imminent

A chance for my soul’s intelligence to redefine lines of indifference

He’s a wise guy inside, even fooled himself twice

Thinking maybe I’m not ready to be leading the way

I mean, fuck, I’m only human, bound to make some mistakes

I wanna walk in righteousness

But I keep tripping over ditches of my selfishness

{This song totally speaks to my struggles in life. I read that this song is "an anthem about recognizing what needs improvement, everywhere from your own life to a global scale, and putting forth the effort to better it. The objective is to overcome doubt and inspire others to want to make a difference as well." Yep, that definitely feels like the objective of my life, too.}

"The Wolves Have Returned"

Part of creation is making a statement

You can't escape it, she's coming for you

If it was up to me, I'd teach that the lonely

This is just part of the courage it takes

Maybe it's the music, it's moving right through us

All of the songs that will outlive me

I'm running the song lines, I'm wrapping my prayer ties 

Preserving the old way, my wolf has returned

I so delight in powerful, transformative music, and I am so glad that I am reincorporating music back into my life. Here's to hoping that delight that transform my feelings about playing music, too. 

With delight,

♥Jamie