San Quentin was treated to a Hawaiian celebration of food, laughs and music. About 75 prisoners and two dozen Bay Area community members enjoyed the annual feast of the Native Hawaiian Religious Group (NHRG). “This is the second best thing to having a spread on the yard,” said inmate Romeo Pacos. The gathering reunites Asian and Pacific Islanders and created a spirit of companionship beyond any normal prison experience, said Pacos. The broad smiles of the Pacific Islanders were evident as they dined, danced, chanted and sang at the … [Read more...] about Native Hawaiian Religious Group holds annual feast
Arts
Magical tones from Bach played by cellist Zuill Bailey
The magical tones of Bach compositions filled the San Quentin Protestant Chapel under the masterful hand of Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey. It was Bailey’s second performance this year at San Quentin. Each time he’s played at the historic prison, he’s moved some inmates to tears when they listened to his melodic solos. Zuill Bailey “I wanted to make them feel some- thing, even though it was uncomfortable,” Bailey said in an interview. To do that, he used a 325-year-old cello on loan to him for life. “These kind of … [Read more...] about Magical tones from Bach played by cellist Zuill Bailey
The restorative power of creative writing: Incarcerated people find healing through the written word
Inmates captivated a San Quentin audience of more than 100 on Oct. 20 in the Catholic chapel. They told stories inspired by their childhood, life in prison, dreams and nightmares. “Writing—that’s what saved me in prison,” said Joe Camacho, a former prisoner and alumnus of the writing program called Brothers in Pen. “It became a survival skill to take the stress away and to not think about where I was at.” More than 20 inmates read the stories they had written with the encouragement of instructor Zoe Mullery. “Writing—that’s what saved me in … [Read more...] about The restorative power of creative writing: Incarcerated people find healing through the written word
Karen Drucker and friends share an evening of music at San Quentin
Karen Drucker and Friends shared an evening of music with the men at San Quentin. For two hours, the singer-songwriter entertained more than 80 people who attended the performance on a Sunday evening in late September. Men of all races sprinkled the pews in the prison’s Catholic chapel, wearing state-issued blues stenciled with CDCR Prisoner on pant legs and shirt backs. They were young, old, Christian, Muslim and everything in between. But none of that mattered. Vocalist Karen Drucker “When I write songs, I want to convey a … [Read more...] about Karen Drucker and friends share an evening of music at San Quentin
Beso Negro performs in year’s final yard show at SQ
The Bay Area’s gypsy swing, band Beso Negro (Black Kiss) treated San Quentin prisoners to acoustic musical mastery at its Sept. 29 event, which was San Quentin’s final yard show of the year. Loud applause and whistles greeted the group, as lead singer/guitarist Adam Roach’s piercing vocals opened the 90-minute set. Bassist Cheyenne Young, guitarist Eli Carlton-Pearson and drummer Ethan Turner filled out the ensemble. “They were bad ass,” said inmate J. Esparza, who plays with the prison house band Continuum. “They were phenomenal. They … [Read more...] about Beso Negro performs in year’s final yard show at SQ
Breaking the cycle of incarceration with music from behind prison walls
The day before inmates Thanh Tran, Eric “Maserati-E” Abercrombie, and Gregg “G” Sayers, created Reality Check — a song that describes the human condition—they sat in a small room in San Quentin to rehearse it for their first time on-stage performance as a group. As Sayers softly plucked his guitar, Maserati-E sang Reality Check’s hook. Tran chimed in with harmony. They made small corrections as they had only put the song together the day before, in a matter of hours. One of San Quentin’s radio producers, inmate Louis A. Scott, brought … [Read more...] about Breaking the cycle of incarceration with music from behind prison walls
Rising operatic star mesmerizes SQ
Rising opera singer Sara LeMesh brought her musical talents to San Quentin State Prison, mesmerizing her captive audience with her singing and charm. In the prison’s Catholic chapel, LeMesh used the power of her soprano voice to entertain an audience of more than 100 as she ran through a set of 19 songs on a Sunday evening in August. The men appeared focused as LeMesh sang, relaxing them all into a contemplative mood. “I never thought I’d see this in prison,” Benito Sosa, 32, said. He arrived at San Quentin six months ago. “I think … [Read more...] about Rising operatic star mesmerizes SQ
San Quentin musical event showcases lyrical artists
Rap music has become heavily materialistic lately, but true “MC-ing” resurfaced on San Quentin’s Lower Yard, as visiting artist Kev Choice Ensemble and an array of young San Quentin lyricists moved crowd. At the August 24 yard show had a mosh pit of young prisoners “turned up,” as their generation calls it. They danced wildly, pumped their hands in the air and popped invisible collars on their state blue shirts, as they surrounded the makeshift stage. The multi-talented pianist and rapper Kev Choice was the definition of positive … [Read more...] about San Quentin musical event showcases lyrical artists
Long road to perform Shakespeare’s “King Lear”
It is a long road to a performance of Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” held on May 18, and “Comedy of Errors” on May 25. The cast has been rehearsing since last November. How a theater troupe creates the rollercoaster ride of emotions expected at a Shakespearean play is a mystery to most audiences. To appreciate the effort that goes into building that rollercoaster ride, you will have to go behind the actors’ curtain and see the real secrets of the theater troupe sponsored by the Marin Shakespeare Company at San Quentin. “Tragedy and how we … [Read more...] about Long road to perform Shakespeare’s “King Lear”
Using poetry to build bridges
A Colorado group called Words Beyond Bars is building bridges between prisoners and the public through poetry. Words Beyond Bars (WBB) hosts a poetry-reading event every other month at a public library in partnership with another organization, Unchained Voices. Community members listen to the thoughts and words of the prisoners and write responses to the compositions. The feedback is then given to the incarcerated poets. “We build connections that our current injustice system endeavors to disrupt,” Elie Zwiebel, a member of the Words … [Read more...] about Using poetry to build bridges