Unalaska, AK – The Native American pop-rock band Medicine Dream plays in Unalaska tonight. The music fuses native instruments and vocalizations with mainstream styles to create a blend of music the band hopes will infuse listeners with hope.

"Part of what the music provides is hope. That there are other answers out there," said percussionist Steven Alvarez. "There are other ways of dealing with your hurt, with your trouble, or with your struggle."

He said the music ties all seven band members together, despite their diverse backgrounds. They have roots in Canada, Mexico, Alaska, and throughout the United States.

"There's one thing that really ties Native people together, in my view. And that is their connection to the land, to their traditions, the oral history that they have. Regardless of where we are or where we come from, we have that thread that sews us all together."

Paul Pike is the band's primary songwriter and one of the founders. He says the creation of the band was inspired by the memory of a friend who took his own life because of his addictions. Pike says he wants to spread messages of connection and healing like musical medicine. The idea for the name stemmed from his experience playing a flute song.

"There was an elderly lady who came up to visit and I was playing it for her and she just sat there and closed her eyes and said Wow, it's like a dream. It's like medicine for the soul.'"

And Medicine Dream was born. The award-winning band will play at 7 pm Friday in the high school gym. The concert was sponsored by the Aleutian Arts Council and tickets are $20. They will also conduct two different wellness workshops tomorrow that focus on substance abuse issues and connections with our roots at 1 pm in the high school.