Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations provides hope through music

At the Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations (HL7N), music acts as a guiding light to hope.

For teens struggling with addiction and other mental health conditions, HL7N provides a safe space to work through their struggles and a platform to share their journeys to sobriety through songs.

“I take the kids’ stories, whatever it is that they want to talk about, and I help them write it in song format,” said expressive arts coach Terral Lay, who has worked at HL7N for 14 years. “I also show them how to use their voice when they record, whether it’s singing, rapping, country or whatever. I work with them on more of the therapeutic side.”

HL7N will celebrate the release of “Through It All,” an album featuring musical performances from previous residents who completed the program, at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Northern Quest Resort and Casino.

While “Through It All” is HL7N’s fifth album release, Friday’s event is much larger than past events, due in part to the featured national acts, said Melinda Bowman, lead instructor at HL7N. Partnerships with the Kalispel Tribe and the Spokane Tribe made the large event possible, Bowman said.

Mike Bone, an Indigenous hip-hop duo that previously competed on “America’s Got Talent,” and comedian Vaughn Eaglebear, who also works as a counselor at HL7N, are among the seven acts.

Raleigh Brown, an audio engineer, producer and instrument instructor at HL7N, said the theme for “Through It All” came from recent turmoil in the world.

“As for the concept of ‘Through It All,’ we came up with that because we’ve been working on it sporadically from 2020 all the way up into now,” Brown said. “So, you can imagine what we as a society as a nation has been going through, from COVID, which was a traumatizing experience for all of us, from George Floyd, distance from politics and then also the traumas that these kids have been going through growing up and what led them to here.”

The album addresses these hardships head on, Lay said.

“A song (from the album) I can think of off the top of my head is ‘Depression,’ ” Lay said. “Not only our youth, a lot of people in America and in the world were going through depression, being locked in your home, not being able to go outside without wearing a mask, all of those things that we’ll never forget. There was a lot of depression, a lot of heartache going on through those times, and drug use when you don’t know what else to turn to.”

The phrases decorating the album cover are quotes children have told the program’s staff, Brown said.

Yet despite tackling difficult topics, the album maintains a message of hope and empowerment, Lay said.

Brown said seeing past residents performing and sharing their music on stage, especially in front of such a large platform at Northern Quest, is an honor.

“It’s a gift to see them up on stage and to give them the opportunity that they have,” he said.

Admission includes a BBQ banquet, a silent auction and performances by seven acts, including youth talent that completed the program at HL7N. Tickets for the fundraiser are $40 at events.humanitix.com/2024-through-it-all-album-release-party.