The Melawmen Collective has released their first album and will be coming to town to play for local audiences.
Based in Ashcroft, B.C., the Melawmen Collective describes their music as contemporary Indigenous fusion “woven together with elements of hip hop, rock/blues, country, global beats, righteous rhymes and rich harmonies, carried through with experience, manifestation and visions of intergenerational stories of pain and healing”.
According to their biography, ‘Melawmen’ means medicine in the Secwepemc language. Meeka Morgan and Kiva Morgan-Hall are vocalists for the group, and are Secwepemc and also Nuu-chah-nulth-aht from Toquaht First Nation.
“The Melawmen Collective’s hub is in Secwepemc territory, where five of the members are from, and two of them are also Nuu-chah-nulth, and so it is a great honor for us to tour in, around and beside the beautiful territory of our peoples and the places we call home, to celebrate the release of our first studio recorded album here with our family, friends and communities during the coming of the spring blossoms and the returning of the whales,” said Meeka Morgan.
Their first studio album titled Fire in the Lake was released September 26, 2025.
“Fire in the Lake is an energetic cross-genre concept album that is a musical retelling of the band’s own journey of experience and an expression of their stories. It is a call back to the times when entire albums were meant to be a connective and collective experience, a poetic reminder that you are not alone,” said the band in a statement.
The Melawmen Group are now on a six-town promotional tour with the first two stops on Vancouver Island. The first performance will be in Ucluelet, close to the homes of Meeka and Kiva. The group will move on to dates in Port Alberni, Victoria, and Duncan before they head back to the mainland for more shows.
The show will open with a performance by the young hip hop artist Kiva MH. Included in the group are musicians representing Secwepemc, Cree, and Tsilhqot’in First Nations. Their drummer, Victor Laso, is from Chile. John MacArthur Ellis, an award-winning B.C. Country Music Association Hall of Fame inductee who is originally from Port Alberni, is also in the band.
The Melawmen Collective’s music can be found on Spotify, Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram and Apple Music. A ticket for the show are $20 and may be purchased online or at the door. For more information about tour dates, locations and prices, visit https://linktr.ee/TheMelawmenCollective.
Tour dates:
March 14 – Ucluelet, BC, Army & Navy Force Veterans Club
March 17 – Port Alberni, BC, Char’s Landing
March 19 – Victoria, BC – Garden City Grooves Festival
March 20 – Duncan, BC – Duncan Showroom
March 22 – Kamloops, BC – Blue Grotto
Mar 27-29 Penticton BC – Ignite the Arts Festival
