A friend had passed me a Nahko album while back and it had an interesting variety of songs with clean, hippy lyrics. Pretty rad…but from the excitement in my friend’s voice, I felt like there was something I was missing. I was keen to check the live show.
We were actually hanging around the Deus yard when Nakho and crew showed up for soundcheck. The guys in the band kept coming down to high-five and my 3-year-old boy and hang out with him on real personal level. Friendliest people ever. Super warm, humble and sincere. LOVING their experience in Bali. Some of our crew (with little kids) weren’t able to make it back for the show that night, so they called out to Medicine to drop one song on us. The band delivered, and it was mind-blowing. A huge jam for a crowd of 6 or 7 people and some 3 years old (all enthusiastically dancing).
The show was incredible. Such a jam band. I realize now what my friend was trying to convey when he passed on the CD…but Nahko’s recorded stuff can’t do justice to the power of their live shows. Most songs — which are probably 3-minute cuts in the studio — ran 10-12 minutes, with spoken word, hip-hop jive, drum solos and cosmic guitars. It’s embedded with a message straight off the Bali Spirit Festival Press Release, but when you vibe it in person it’s 100-percent from the heart and really beautiful.
This was Pres Ban Productions’ first BALI LIVE edit, which we’ll be continuing throughout the year at some of the island’s most exciting shows. The vid’s a bit of a test-run, so watch for the evolution and progress. Basically, we’re just sharing a key track from a great night of music you may have missed or may just want to re-visit. This was certainly one of those. Nahko & Medicine for the People made a fan out of me. And when I go back and listen to the CD now, I finally get it. I’d pass it on to you…but I’m doing this instead.
My 3-year-old just watched this video and said, “There’s my friends!” That’s how I felt too. Amazing when music does that.
—Nathan Myers, Pres Ban Productions
