San Quentin News

Written By Incarcerated - Advancing Social Justice

N.W.A helped set the stage for modern hip hop music

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Ice Cube,

N.W.A – Rap Group (1987-95)
The N.W.A rap group was at first criticized as a misogynistic hip hop crew that glorified drugs and crime. But the Compton-based rap group bought the political and social issues of California’s Black youth to the mainstream and coined the term “ gangsta rap.”

Their explicit lyrics were occasionally offensive, but their music spot-lighted California’s gang crisis, illegal drug trade and police abuses from a street perspective.

The group spawned hip hop icons, such as Easy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Mc Ren and many others. In 1988, the group released Straight Outta Compton with the highly controversial song F@#k tha Police, which brought attention to police brutality and racial profiling.

The song sparked howls of protest from law enforcement agencies. Some police agencies refused to provide security for the group’s concerts. Milt Ahlerich, an assistant director of the FBI, sent a letter to Ruthless Records, the company co- founded by Easy-E through Priority Records, warning the rappers that “advocating violence and assault is wrong and we in the law enforcement community take exception to such action.”

However, the FBI’s letter only helped draw more publicity to the group. The letter has a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, according to Wikipedia.

Straight Outta Compton became one of the first albums to have the Parental Advisory label that read, “WARNING: Moderate impact coarse language and/or themes.”

Dr. Dre,

The group was banned from many mainstream radio stations. In spite of that, the al- bum went double platinum and the group has sold more than 10 million units in the United States alone.

The songs Express Yourself and Gangsta Gangsta were also big hits, portraying the anger and worldview of the innercity youth.

But it was the group’s first songs, Boyz-n-the-Hood and 8 Ball, that explained to the world how the Black and Brown communities had to navigate California’s 1980s gang culture. The song Dope- man captured the inner city drug epidemic and war on drugs, with lyrics like “You sold crack to my sister and now she sick.”

Those songs were released in 1987 on N.W.A and the Posse—the group’s first compilation album. The album reached number 39 on Billboard Magazine’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Eazy-E is credited for assembling N.W.A and co-found- ed Ruthless Records, with Jerry Heller. N.W.A originally consisted of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and producer Arabian Prince. Ice Cube came later from the rap group C.I.A. and DJ Yella joined as well. Yella and Dre were both former members of the World Class Wreckin’ Cru, a working group of DJs and producers. The two provided the high production values for Ruthless Records.

In 1991, the group’s final studio album together, Efil4zaggin (Niggaz4Life spelled back- wards), made its debut at number one on the Billboard 200 sales charts, becoming the first hardcore rap album to do so.

Soon afterward the group disbanded, due to financial disputes. Ice Cube filed a lawsuit against band manager Jerry Heller to gain a larger share of the profits for Straight Outta Compton, arguing that he (Ice Cube) had written most of the lyrics for the project. The case was settled out of court.

Ice Cube went solo and dropped AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (1990) and Death Certificate (1991), which featured the scathing diss record No Vaseline, a response to N.W.A’s 100 Miles and Runnin, a diss record towards Ice Cube. Both of Ice Cube’s albums went certified platinum. His lyrics highlighted harsh socio-political commentary and storytelling and he was accused of being anti-White and anti-Semitic. It featured songs like Black Korea and My Skin Is My Sin.

Arabian Prince, MC Ren, Ice Cube, Easy ‘E’, DJ Yella and Dr. Dre.

Ice Cube transitioned into acting and business ventures. He starred in Boyz n the Hood (1991), and he wrote and starred in the Friday film series. Also, he was featured in Barbershop. He founded Lynch Mob Records and was part of the rap group Westside Connection. Currently, he has founded Big3, a three-on-three basketball league featuring re- tired NBA players.

Ice Cube’s contributions pushed the boundaries of lyrical content for mainstream music and film. He still is listed among the best rappers of all time.

Dr. Dre also become a platinum-selling solo artist in his own right, releasing The Chronic (1992) album under Death Row Records and Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath and 2001 in 1999 under his own record label. He is credited for popularizing the West Coast G-funk music era. (Michael Harris, co-founder of Death Row Records, is a former editor in chief of San Quentin News.)

Dr. Dre left Death Row Records and founded After-math Entertainment and Beats Electronics. He has produced albums for and overseen the careers of many rappers such as 2Pac, Eminem, The D.O.C., Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, The Game, Kendrick Lamar and Anderson Paak.

He is regarded as one of the top music producers. He has won six Grammy awards, including Producer of the Year, non-classical. He is ranked number 56 on the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” list by Rolling Stone. In 2018, he was ranked the third richest figure in hip hop, with a net worth of $820 million.

Dr.Dre has also appeared in the films Set It Off, The Wash and Training Day.

Eazy-E was known as the “Godfather of Gangsta Rap.” In 1995, he died from AIDS. However, he helped set the stage for rappers owning their own record labels. He built Ruthless Records, with acts such as N.W.A, Bone Thugs in Harmony, J.J. Fad and singer Michel’le.

MC Ren released several gold and platinum-selling al- bums,includingKizzMyBlack Azz and Shock of the Hour. Ren and Eazy-E resolved their estrangement shortly before Eazy-E’s death in 1995 after two years of not talking to each other.

The other group members finally reconciled to do more music together in the later years.

In 2015, the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton was released by Universal. The film grossed more than $200 mil- lion worldwide and received positive reviews.

N.W.A ranks number 83 on the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” list by Rolling Stone. In 2016, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not bad for some kids out of Compton and South Central Los Angeles.

Showcasing their talent the Soulbillies shake San Quentin

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A Bay Area band stirred the souls of a hundred San Quentin prisoners with a high-energy Sunday night concert on Aug. 25.

Fliers posted in the cell blocks promised “A Night of Classic Soul.” The Soulbillies delivered with a whirlwind performance that spurred the audience to dance, sing, laugh and clap for two hours of not-so-pure enjoyment.

The five musicians, dressed in all black, took the stage in the prison chapel and began with a couple of cover grooves, including Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools.” Lead singer Shelley Flint belted out the lyrics as drummer Dan Babior and keyboardist Melinda Borello backed her up with the “Chain-chain-chain…” The energy had the audience nodding their heads and tapping their feet.

The five friends, who worked together at a nearby high school, formed Soulbillies in 2015. “We’re from just up the road a bit. We’re teachers. That’s what we do,” said bassist Ian Sethre. Sethre is also an instructor in the Prison University Program at San Quentin. On this night he brought in the whole band for their prison debut. “We do covers and some original stuff. Some are not appropriate for church—for example this next song. …”

Soulbillies broke into their original mambo “Another Lost Soul,” getting the audience swaying again.

“How many of you have had Ian as a teacher?” asked Flint, as several hands went up. “Now you get to hear him sing.”

“I don’t think that’s why they came, but it’s going to happen anyway,” replied Sethre as he flipped his silver-and-black hair back and took the microphone for another Soulbillies original, “Almost Rock Bottom.” The country sound had the crowd bobbing, clapping, and singing along. Every face in the chapel was smiling, from the stage to the last pew.

Soulbillies shifted next to rocking out with “Hard to Handle.” Flint was back on lead vocals. “Baby, here I am, I’m the girl on the scene / Come on baby, let me light your candle / ’cause I’m sure hard to handle now…” Her silver-blonde hair bounced as she danced, and Mike Sloan tore into a solo on his bright red electric guitar. Borello followed with a solo on the keys, her long, dark-brown ponytail swinging down to the bench. Applause roared through the chapel.

The next song slowed the tempo down a bit with, “You tell me that you love me / It’s a good thing you don’t hate me…”

“If you haven’t figured it out yet, most of our songs are about relationships gone wrong—they’re a lot more fun than the other kind,” said bassist Sethre. Soulbillies then took the crowd on a four-song journey, beginning with a cover of “Midnight Rider.” The chapel swayed to the grooves. Then Flint pulled back her hair and straightened her blouse.

The band ripped hard into “Tell Mama,” their biggest hit of the night. The audience yelled and cheered to Flint’s “Mama’ll make everything all right…” while she and Sethre danced to the hard-driving rhythm. The energy in the room crackled and the San Quentin crowd burst into thunderous applause.

A couple songs later, Babior sang the lead on a rendition of a Joe Cocker hit that had the crowd dancing, clapping and “Feelin’ All Right.”

“How much time do we have left?” Sethre asked the crowd. “We got life!” one concert goer yelled back. The band and inmates laughed out loud. “Let me rephrase that,” interjected the bassist. “What time is it?” Time for a dozen more songs, it turned out.

One of the crowd favorites was “Voodoo Woman,” which featured soulful vocals, an energetic drum solo and a groovy guitar solo by Sloan—all to uproarious applause.

The debut of the Soulbillies original duet “Damned If I Do,” co-written by Flint and Sethre, kept the audience fired up. Then musician Jeffrey At- kins jumped up from the audience on to the stage with the band, introduced as “The sixth member of The Jackson Five.” He and Flint danced and sang to the band’s lively rendition of “I Want You Back.”

The groove culminated with two soul-satisfying encores that sparked standing ovations.

“That was awesome—really good energy!” said one concertgoer named Robert. “She knocked that Aretha Franklin out of the park!” commented another.

The inmates, in their prison- issued blue pants and shirts, approached the Soulbillies on stage to meet and mingle. “I had a great time,” said drummer and vocalist Dan Babior. “When the crowd enjoys us so much, then we enjoy it even more.” He said they play at area bars and events in Marin, Sonoma and San Francisco regularly.

“We’ve never played in a church before,” said keyboard- ist Melinda Borello. “We’ve never played for a crowd so in- teractive with us. That was re- ally awesome!”

Lead singer Shelley Flint responded to a fan asking what inspires her to sing: “This may sound funny coming from a white girl. As a young girl, I used to sing the theme from The Jeffersons, ‘Movin’ On Up,’ into my hairbrush. Later, I started singing Janice Joplin.” Flint continued, “Now, I enjoy singing as an opportunity to release ‘the beast within’ and express myself.”

Soulbillies will perform at Hotel Utah in San Francisco on October 19. Some of their recorded music is available at Soulbillies.com.

The soul-fulfilling concert was coordinated by Bread & Roses, a nonprofit, volunteer- based organization that brings “Hope and Healing Through Live Music” into San Quentin and other Bay Area institutions. “I just love bringing music in and seeing all the smiles,” said organizer Lisa Starbird after the concert.

World class musician returns to SQ after long hiatus

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Blues harmonica player Mark Hummel, 63, returned to San Quentin State Prison in August to discuss his music and to play a few tunes for the men in the guitar workshop.

Kurt Huget, who teaches guitar on Thursday afternoons, introduced Hummel to the class before playing a blues tune as Hummel played improvised riffs on one of five harmonicas he brought with him to entertain and teach the class.

Hummel described the different techniques for playing the harmonica in first position, second or cross position, and third position. Then, he demonstrated as Huget played a Jimmy Reed blues tune on acoustic guitar.

“That’s how Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie played,” Hummel said about playing first position. “A lot of stuff I do when I play is called tongue blocking.”

That is a technique that involves using the tongue to ob- struct air passing through the holes of the harmonica.

“He’s the gentleman of the blues,” said Huget.

He also said Hummel has been wanting to come back to San Quentin for years. “He’s a busy man.”

Hummel travels all around the world to play harmonica, but when he had a window of opportunity he returned to the guitar workshop. It was his second visit to the guitar work- shop in five years.

“I’ve been going to Europe since 1986,” said Hummel. He said that sometimes his band tours with him or he’ll use some of the European bands and that the Finnish bands are really good. “Playing in Russia was one of the high points.”

“I’m self-taught by listening,” said Hummel. “As a harmonica player, we play by ear.”

Hummel played the song “St. James Infirmary” on the harmonica in the third position, in the key of A minor, as Huget accompanied him on guitar. The class listened, observed and applauded when the two finished.

“That’s a real hard position to play in because you’re start- ing on a bent note,” said Hummel, adding that all the music theory he knows is in relation to the harmonica. He said he uses chromatic and diatonic harmonicas.

“You can play four or five keys on harmonica if you know what you’re doing,” said Hum- mel. He also played octaves and said, “It gives kind of like an accordion effect.”

It was a show-and-tell performance where Hummel ex- plained drawing (sucking in air) on the harmonica, and blowing (pushing out air), blows and bends, how to change keys, and how he “learned a lot of what (he) know(s) by listening to re- cords” from artists such as Little Walter, Junior Wells, James Cotton, Sonny Boy (both of them), Jimmy Reed, Paul Butterfield and many others.

To share his experience, Hummel has written a book, Big Road Blues: 12 Bars on I-80.

“I called it that because that’s the road we’d start a tour on and end a tour on,” he said. “We’ve played hundreds of bars along I-80.”

Hummel said the book title has a double meaning because it could mean 12 bars to drink at along the Interstate 80 free- way or 12-bar blues on High- way 80.

“It’s always better when I practice,” said Hummel, but he admitted he doesn’t play every day. Two and a half years ago he suffered a heart attack but said he’s proud of the fact that he’s experienced 34 years of sobriety. “You gotta stay in shape to do this.”

Inmate Gary Harrell, 64, was the only one in the room who played harmonica. “It was awesome,” said Harrell. “The theory and concept and commitment to the harp. He was willing to share (his knowledge). It humbled me. It made me know that people care.”

“You guys are really fun to hang with,” said Hummel. “I love comin’ here to talk music with you.” But he cautioned, “If you get out (of prison) and are thinking of making a liv- ing playing harmonica—good luck!”

Hummel said a blues show audience in the United States is usually older, but that’s not the case in countries such as Russia. “Blues really needs a young audience to help us survive,” he said.

Hummel is also one of hundreds of musicians who work with the organization Bread and Roses, founded more than 40 years ago. The follow- ing week he was scheduled to start a tour in Edmonton, Canada; Alameda, Calif.; Martinez, Calif.; Providence, R.I.; and Hartford, Conn.

“One thing about the blues,” said Hummel, “if you don’t know them, you’ll learn them.”

The sounds of Woodstock filled the Catholic Chapel

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woodstock-ticket-photo

Courtesy of Tom Lapinsky

Kurt Huget’s guitar workshop for San Quentin inmates did it again—this time bringing the music of Woodstock to the SQ Cath- olic Chapel for a mostly acoustic ensemble perfor- mance.

No one remembered ex- actly whose idea it was to celebrate the iconic con- cert’s 50 year anniver- sary—but they all agreed it was a perfect theme for their June 23 showcase.

“Woodstock means a lot to the older generation,” said incarcerated guitar stu- dent Thomas Washington, age 74–a trained jazz saxo- phonist who has learned to play guitar over only the last year. “I was there in Greenwich Village back in that era. We had a formula for world peace back then, but the media threw a whole monkey wrench in it.”

Lisa Starbird, coordina- tor for the volunteer mu- sic organization Bread and Roses, booked the chapel for the performance, and the guitar guys took it from there.

Huget spoke briefly be- tween songs to give the event a little historic per- spective. “We’re keeping it real,” he said. “Why not pay homage to the greatest con- cert in rock history?

“Even though you make mistakes in life, you always have a chance to make re- demption. That was sort of the underlying message be- tween Woodstock and the war.”

The set list included a wide range of songs written or performed by the legend- ary artists who made the August 23, 1969, concert

so ground breaking—Joan Baez; Creedence Clearwa- ter Revival, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jimi Hen- drix; Mountain, The Band, et al.

“Every one of these groups has written songs I’ve played here before,” said Huget.

“Even though you make mistakes in life, you always have a chance to make redemption”

Joining Huget on the cha- pel stage, his students Louis Calvin, Billy Dooley, Doug- las Ingram and Washington plucked and strummed on their acoustic guitars. Kev- in D. Sawyer contributed the sound of an electric gui- tar to round out the night’s full harmony.

Sawyer’s guitar notes stood out on songs like Santana’s “Black Magic Woman,” where Washing- ton provided lead vocals and harmonica player Gary Harrell came out of the au- dience to join in.

“I’m really proud of these guys,” said Dooley after- ward. “I just love playing together with all of them.”

Incarcerated chapel tech- nician Dwight Krizman ended up being the percus- sion man on a spur-of-the- moment invitation. He sat hitting bass drum notes on a cajon—or wooden box—during most of the performance, also playing an assortment of handheld rhythmic devices, sort of

like tambourines and bon- gos, that he called an “af- uche, cabasa and djembe.”

Ingram sang lead on “Me and Bobby McGee.”

“I’m not singing it like Janis (Joplin) did, trust me,” he said after Huget intro- ducedhim.

“This is the last song she ever recorded,” added Huget.

“I had a blast,” Ingram told SQNews later. “We’ve been working hard—Billy, Louie and me. It’s been a real challenge for me.

“Some songs were out- side what I normally play. These guys helped me over the rough spots, and it paid off.”

At multiple times over the last couple of months, vari- ous configurations of the ensemble members could be seen practicing together in nooks and crannies all over the facility—wherever they could gather for a little while to hammer out their song list.

“It helps strengthen my memory—all the practic- ing,” said Washington. “Playing all these different tunes does a lot for your music comprehension. For me, it’s great to be able to add another instrument to my repertoire.”

Hypercritical Sawyer no- ticeably flubbed his “Star Spangled Banner” licks, and was none too happy about that. It’s a song he’s played and performed

many times in the past.

“I should have kept my eyes on the sheet music, but I tried looking away from it,” he said. “I’ll have to try that again.”

The set ended with Joe Cocker’s version of the Traffic song, “Feeling Al- right.”

“Come on everybody— sing along, stomp your feet, whatever you want to do,” urged Huget.

All the guys on stage mo- tioned for Starbird to finish the concert by getting on

a mic. She reluctantly— but with a constantly wide smile—joined the men in song.

“Being able to bring music into your lives, whenever we can, means everything to us,”

Starbird said when the music ended, and all the gear start- ed to get removed from the stage. “We took a trip down memory lane with these guys.

“Goodnight—we see you and appreciate you.”

Two Marin professional classic musicians join Zuill Bailey to perform at San Quentin

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Jeremy Constant, Zuill Bailey and Jenny Douglass performing at San Quentin Protestant Chapel

Grammy Award winning cellist, Zuill Bailey, returned to San Quentin State Prison’s Protestant Chapel for a third time to perform for an audience of inmates, staff and outside guests.

“Thank you for taking me out of prison for a while,” an inmate in the audience said.

It was by far the best turnout for one of Bailey’s performances. The audience kept growing during the performance as inmates and staff trickled into the chapel for the noontime show.

It was a sunny afternoon at the prison, so Bailey was competing for attention with men playing basketball and activities on the Lower Yard while others waited for the performance to begin.

Bailey opened with a solo performance of the The Swan by Johannes Sebastian Bach, written in 1717. He followed with a piece by Tchaikovsky, and the audience quietly listened as they watched the emotion Bailey displayed as he played his 326-year-old Stradivarius cello.

Cellist Zuill Bailey for the third time at SQ

“Thank you,” Bailey said in a humble greeting to the audience. “It’s really great to be back.” Remaining consistent with his prior engagements at the prison, he spoke candidly on the stage about his path to music.

“I didn’t ask to play the cello,” said Bailey. “It was destiny.” He shared a story of his first run-in with the cello at age four when he accidentally knocked the instrument out of a girl’s hand at a concert and broke it.

Moving through his selection of songs, he played faster and used more of the instrument’s fret board to demonstrate the auditory range of the instrument from high piercing notes to low bass tones.

“You smoked Eddie Van Halen,” one inmate in the audience called out, arousing laughter.

“Don’t tell him,” Bailey responded with a smile.

Some parts of his next slowly played melodic composition sounded sad, then picked up with quick striking phrases that morphed into a range of what sounded like an ensemble of musicians. When he was done, the applause that filled the room was anything but obligatory.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Bailey asked the audience. “The slow parts are the hardest to play,” he said.

At age 19, Bailey said he was told by an accomplished musician, “Congratulations, you can play the cello. Now go get a life so people will care.”

Because of his age and years of dedication playing the cello, Bailey said he had not experienced hardship and “didn’t even have a girlfriend.” He said unlike many kids of that age, he didn’t know loss, suffering and other things life brings to someone, so he had to get some life experiences to play some songs well. Now he says: “It’s not what I do but how I feel is what sticks with me.”

Halfway through the show, Bailey welcomed Jeremy Constant, Marin Symphony’s concert master and Jenny Douglass, Marin Symphony’s principal violist to the stage to play violin and the viola respectively.

The trio performed three parts of a five-piece movement, reading from charts. The first movement opened with a strong attack, filling the chapel with centuries-old sounds; the second was a pleasant piece played with single low notes from the cello that supported the high notes played by the violin and viola.

In the third movement, the cello growled as Constant and Douglass played the violin and viola, at times in what sounded like a call-and-response style. “You have to be able to read together,” said Bailey.

“The key is to let yourself go there,” explained Bailey. “Music lets me know I’m alive.”

“Have you named your cello?” an inmate in the crowd asked during a brief question and answer session after the show.

“I’ve considered calling it Rose,” said Bailey, referring to the rose painted on the centuries-old instrument. He told the audience they’re lucky to hear such an old cello because most are in museums.

Constant played a 1850 violin. “It’s amazing to be able to play borrowed instruments,” he said. “In a sense, these are our voices.”

It was Douglass’ fourth visit to the prison and her second time performing at San Quentin with Bailey. She is the Director of Education at Marin Symphony. She said the program trains children, ages 8 to 19, in orchestral ensemble. She’s been playing the viola since age four.

“When the three of you played, it seemed like there were more of you,” an audience member told the group. “When are you coming back?”

“This is my personal third time,” said Bailey. “I guarantee we’ll be back.”

Kim Kardashian helps formerly incarcerated obtain jobs

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Kim Kardashian is working to help formerly incarcerated people obtain jobs as part of her involvement with criminal justice reform.

Kardashian appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote her makeup line but ended up discussing criminal justice reform, according to instyle.com on Feb. 8.

“I think there’s such a stigma on people hiring formerly incarcerated people,” she said. “There’s so many people that are incarcerated for life. For murder, that maybe they were just next to someone, and there was a group of people, and a fight broke out and somebody unfortunately died.

“But they didn’t even hit the person, didn’t even have a weapon and were serving life,” she said.

Kardashian thinks that people who are pardoned should be given a second chance. “I would love to hire formerly incarcerated people,” she said.

Early this year she visited San Quentin prison, where she talked with men who were sentenced to extremely long sentences, including life imprisonment.

While at San Quentin, she listened to the music of people who committed crimes as juveniles and lifers. This music was produced by the Swedish Grammy nominated music producer David Jassy.

Jassy is a Swedish-born, Gambian-Estonian descendant. He is serving a life sentence for an altercation following an award show in Hollywood.

Kardashian heard about Jassy and the San Quentin Mixtape Vol. 1 through Van Jones and Jessica Sloan of #Cut50. Together Jones, Sloan and Kardashian helped Alice Marie Johnson, a first-time nonviolent drug offender get pardoned by Pres. Donald Trump last summer.

She believes people like Johnson should be given a second chance. Jassy said she shared the same belief about those featured on the mix tape. He said they also spoke about second chances, reentry, and bridging the gap between incarcerated men in the music program and executive producers in the industry.

After listening to the mix tape, “she was impressed, willing to support the mix tape and supported the fact that we don’t use profanity,”Jassy said.

“I could learn something from it,” Kardashian said, according to Jassy.

The mix tapes can be followed on Instagram @ Sanquentinmixtapes.

Curb Service shares truth, harmony and love

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Rob Woods, Aaron Davis and Chris Balderas on stage performing
Rob Woods, Aaron Davis and Chris Balderas on stage performing

From an Oakland street corner to San Francisco’s “Tenderloin” district to San Quentin State Prison, the music of freestyle collective Curb Service screams of power, truth, harmony and love—lots of love.

They arrived at the prison on Feb. 22, six men and one woman who would soon erupt from their quiet demeanors to become superstars for an hour and a half in SQ’s Chapel B.

“I could feel the energy when I walked through the gate,” said Kalin Freeman, who goes by the stage name “KJ Focus.” He’s the high-voltage saxophonist.

During the band’s warm-up and mic check, everyone stopped what they were doing to listen while Freeman went off on drums and Curb Service’s young “Drummer-boy” Aaron Davis riffed an impromptu bass line.

David Chapman, one of their two managers, smiled and said, “See that right there—that’s the freestyle vibe we all try and emulate. Everyone in Curb Service gets down like that.”

Freeman, Davis and frontman Rob Woods started performing together on a neighborhood street corner near Lake Merritt. “We started on the curb,” Chapman said. “That’s why we go by ‘Curb Service.’”

Woods, the creative force behind the lyrics, found his true voice while serving a prison sentence at Terminal Island Federal Penitentiary. He put performing at SQ on the top of his bucket list after reading about the great musicians that have played here in the past, like Johnny Cash, Santana and Metallica.

“I want people to see that no matter what the situation is, whatever the problem— even if you think it’s the lowest point in your life—just channel your energy into good intentions,” Woods told SQ News. “More doors will open for you as soon as you leave these gates—be prepared.

“Guys talk about wanting to get out of here, but you gotta use these times as the motivation. Make a mental picture of these moments so you know to never return to them.”

Besides its core three members, Chapman explained how Curb Service incorporates other artists into the mix, like vocalist Ama, keyboardist Jelani, bass player Chris Balderas and guitarist Joshua Parada. Depending on their individual schedules, the line- up flips and evolves from day to day and venue to venue.

Jelani, KJ Focus and Chris Balderas jamming at the Protestant Chapel
Jelani, KJ Focus and Chris Balderas jamming at the Protestant Chapel
Ama gets caught in the moment and sings amongst to the crowd
Ama gets caught in the moment and sings amongst the crowd

Ama moved to California recently, collaborating with Curb Service for the last six months. She entered the SQ chapel with a rich smile of warmth and compassion. “It’s all about love,” she said. “I don’t care what situation we in—always love.”

Before the set began, Woods talked about the playlist and about the two songs he wrote while incarcerated, “Long Gone” and “That’ll Be Cool”.

“You’ll be able to hear and feel that fire, that good energy,” he said about those songs. “My mind was at its sharpest during that time.”

Rodney Rederford popped into the chapel to peep the scene before running late to his college class. As soon as he and Woods made eye contact, Woods stopped the interview for a brief moment.

“Hold up real quick,” Woods said as he turned to a photographer. “Can I get a shot with my boy right here?” Rederford and Woods quickly stood together.

“Just from right here right now,” Woods said later, when asked how he knew Rederford. “I felt that connection.”

Rederford agreed. “I didn’t give it too much thought,” he said. “It was probably the energy or something.” After listening to the first half-hour of the show, Rederford reluctantly hurried off down the hill to his class.

“I ain’t gonna lie,” he said on his way out the door. “Dude be tearin’ that mic down, for real.”

Before his first song, “Real Love,” Woods told the crowd, “I feel like I’m back home. It wasn’t too long ago I was inside.”

“Time is more than just a word,” he said. “It’s years… It’s summers…It’s missed phone calls.”

Woods called SQ’s music director and sponsor, Raphaele Casale, onstage to thank her for inviting Curb Service into the prison.

Casale shared her first experience with their sound. “I was in the Tenderloin off Market Street. I literally just came out of Macy’s with bags in my hands, and I heard this music.”

“I never stop, but as soon as I heard these guys, I thought, ‘I gotta go talk to them.’ I never do that. I introduced myself to Ama, then Rob, and right away I knew I had to ask, ‘Do you wanna play San Quentin?’

“With them, it’s all heart. They’re here tonight because they want to play for you.”

Curb Service immediately captured the SQ crowd with an undefinable sound of their own. Was it Hip Hop or NeoSoul? Rock ’n’ Roll, or maybe Jazz Fusion? These elements were all in play, yet the dynamic hybrid proved far greater than the sum of its parts.

About one hundred onlookers sat spread throughout the chapel at the start of the show. After each song, more and more of the crowd stood in appreciation and cheered, while men from North Block and H-Unit filled the space to its 373-seat capacity.

“I feel y’all standing up for me,” Woods said between songs. “You better watch out—I’m going to have to start actin’ up.”

A man of his word, Woods fed off the growing crowd’s energy, strutting up and down the aisle while unabashedly spitting his lyrics left and right and putting his vocal arsenal on full display.

Near the end of the first set, Woods took a break while KJ Focus blasted through a saxophone solo. The riff-filled rollercoaster ride had everyone pumped up and on their feet. Balderas, Davis and Parada all got individual turns to show off as well.

When Woods returned, he slowed the tempo down to strike a more serious note. “I want y’all to understand: I couldn’t have done these things without the time,” he said. “I know that’s hard to hear.”

After Woods’ eight songs, vocalist Ama rose from the choir side area to perform three songs of her own. Casale came onstage with her to give a quick shout out to Big Giant Lighting, the San Francisco-based stagelighting crew that came into SQ with Curb Service.

“I’m gonna smooth it out for y’all now,”Ama said, smiling at the crowd and Casale. “See, with women, we love—that’s what we do.”

Ama’s resonant voice got most of the crowd dancing up from their seats during her first song, “Fool Over Love.” Some guys bounced into the aisles so they’d have more space to really get down.

Hamisi X. Spears has been incarcerated since 1995, the last four years at SQ. He became overwhelmed by the infectious rhythms and Ama’s vocals.

“They say music calms the savage beast, and that’s what this music did,” said Spears. “I enjoyed myself so much that I had to get up and dance.”

Feeling the vibe herself, Ama grooved her way down from the stage and continued singing from amongst the men.

Surrounded by blue shirts and happy faces, she let the crowd know: “I met some amazing men here today. You guys are powerful.

“Don’t ever forget, my brothers, wherever your mind goes—you go. Let your mind go to prosperity…to the light…to the truth… That’s where you’re gonna be. “No matter where you are, where you’re going is gonna be so much greater. Trust me, I’ve been down before. When you’re down, you can only go up.” Woods rejoined the band to close the show and encourage the audience about life beyond incarceration: “If you do nothing but think good, talk good, look good—smell good, then you are good.”

He pointed to his father, T.L. Woods, who made the trip to SQ.

“My dad’s the one that showed me: You may be in the dark, but you’re never in the shadows,” Rob Woods said.

It was the very first time T.L. Woods had ever seen Curb Service perform. “Music sure can take your mind away,” the proud father told SQ News. “You see how positive it is in here? Outstanding.”

A retired officer for the California Department of Corrections, T.L. Woods worked most of those 22 years at Folsom. “My first day coming to work, that’s when it was still CDC, before it be- came CDCR,” he said. “Even back then, I always looked at the men for who they are. Prison is made up of people’s families—my family, your family—not bad people, just people who made mistakes.”

“There are more people in CDCR that think the way I do than those that think the negative “guard versus inmate” mentality thing.”

After it was over, Curb Service had all the lights turned on in the chapel, and Woods asked all the men to gather up front to take a panoramic photo to commemorate the event.

Eight emerging artists turn chapel into raucous concert hall

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  • Students in the Kurt Huget guitar class

On an otherwise quiet Sunday evening, nine guitars rang out in harmony and transformed San Quentin’s Catholic Chapel into a raucous concert hall.

“This was a great opportunity for us to communicate musically with no boundaries and just let our hair down,” said volunteer instructor Kurt Huget. He showcased eight emerging artists from his weekly guitar clinic as they all plucked and strummed their way through a handpicked playlist of crowd favorites.

“I just love these guys,” Huget said. “They’re so dedicated and open to learning from each other.”

The World Series and Sunday Night Football notwithstanding, a sparse but enthusiastic audience showed up to enjoy the Oct. 28 event. The intimate performance was sponsored through Bread and Roses Presents, an organization that coordinates over 1,000 volunteer musicians with more than 50 venues each month.

“We believe in the healing power of music,” said Lisa Starbird of Bread and Roses. “It always lifts my spirits, and that’s why we try and bring music to those that are isolated.”

Starbird said that this was the first Bread and Roses performance comprised solely of inmate volunteers. She’s anxious to keep this new tradition alive at San Quentin.

“It just makes me feel good to come to San Quentin and jam with the class each week,” Huget said. “It’s the most relaxed three hours of my life – believe it or not.”

Several artists also braved the spotlight to sing lead vocals.

First up was Treyshawn McCarthy, who sang Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”. “I was nervous at the beginning,” acknowledged McCarthy. “I didn’t think we were ready for this, but after the first song, I knew that we were.”

Gary Harrell, a guitar student who was not performing, emerged from the front row to join in and spice up the tune with his harmonica. Huget graciously shared his mic stand so Harrell’s harp could get some amplification.

McCarthy equally contributed his pipes to whistling chorus notes energetically in support of Huget’s vocals on Otis Redding’s “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”.

Thomas Washington hit all the high notes on “Under the Boardwalk”, with Johnathan Smith baritoning the title hook. Washington also sang lead on Santana’s “Black Magic Woman”, the Commodores’ “Easy”, and the Drifters’ “On Broadway”.

“It’s hard to sing and play at the same time,” Washington explained after the show. “That’s something I have to work on; it was part of our repertoire in guitar class.

“I’d like to do it again. Every time you perform, it’s like a feather in your cap.”

The lone player of an electric guitar, Kevin D. Sawyer, unassumingly sprinkled twangy flavor throughout the entire performance, as well as being the featured soloist for “The Star Spangled Banner”. Huget introduced the national anthem as one of the most challenging songs for a guitarist to play.

Douglas Ingham sang the only original piece of the set, describing his “San Quentin Blues” as a tune dedicated to his late wife, Jackie, who passed away in 2008. “The song was actually written for her,” stated Ingham. “I was thinking the blues would make a great old lady, but they’ll only leave you crying.

“I played that song one time in class, and Kurt said ‘We have to do that one in the show’.”

He said he has written between 15 and 20 songs, some with lyrics.

Ingham also took the lead for Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome”.

The audience jubilantly sang along and offered by far the biggest round of applause for Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”. Harrell again splashed through with animated harmonica licks.

Louis Calvin, Billy Dooley, and David Farber rounded out the ensemble to give the corps of acoustic guitars its full-bodied punch.

Covering a total of 20 songs, the group played until it was time to vacate the chapel. The set ended with Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me”, and everyone joined in on the lyrics.

“Who booked this gig?” mused first-time performer Calvin. “It turned out to be a real sausage fest.”

Native Hawaiian Religious Group holds annual feast

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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 Sept. 27 event.

The feast honors the tradi- tion that three months out of the year, war was forbidden, and it was a time for renewal and celebration, explained the group’s sponsor, Patrick Makuakane.

Each of these three promoters leads a group that contributed to the feast:

ORIGAMI GROUP – JUN HAMAMOTO

The tables were decorated with white cloth covers and assorted color origami flowers made by the San Quentin Origami Group.

“This group gives me guidance”

“Without her support, we wouldn’t have any programs,” said a number of members.

SPIRITUAL CHANT & DANCE GROUP – PATRICK MAKUAKANE

Makuakane teaches chants, which further complement the singing and dancing to the upu heke – a double-headed gourd played like a drum.

Men entered the chapel floor with a Hawaiian call and stood on either side of Makuakane as he welcomed the guests. Next, the men performed a dance with swinging hips and dexterous arm movements like shooting arrows in various directions.

Ukulele Group – Adel Serafino

Serafino, known by Auntie Adel, runs the music group that engages the men in singing and playing the four-stringed ukulele and the eight-stringed ukarere.

“What you need to know is how dedicated these guys are. I’m so proud of them. Our hope is that their performance will inspire others to join with our community,” said Auntie Adel.

“I found out about the group from my godbrother, and he invited me to a concert of the program and I got hooked to learn how to play,” said Jerome Hermosura, imprisoned since 1995.

He is the newest member of the group, but was still invited to play a three-song set. “Auntie Adel gives us of her time and culture, and we are so grateful. She brings a sense of peace in a tough environment,” Hermosura said.

Auntie Adel invited all of San Quentin to join the group on Saturday afternoons in the chapel area. “We now have plenty of donated ukuleles; come join us,” she said.

THE FEAST

After the mandatory prison count, the feast was served, consisting of Tara root, sweet potatoes, barbecued chicken, peas, lettuces, chow mein, coconut and Tara tapioca deserts, topped off with assorted cookies.

The Native Hawaiian Religious Group reports it guides multicultural prisoners on a path toward self-discovery and is open to all inmates.

The group’s members presented different elements of the Pacific Islander traditional and with a confirmation that “This group gives me guidance to understand all races, not just my own.”

THE FINALE

The highlight of the feast was Makuakane’s outside dancers. Some of them have danced for his troupe for 25 to 30 years. The dancers moved gracefully and mesmerized the audience as their upper bodies swayed like seaweed underwater, their lower bodies like waves clashing onto the shore. A ukulele played and guided their movement as if their bodies were strings of the instrument.

Each dancer wore a floorlength colorful dress with multiple seashell necklaces and a blossom in her hair. They all shared an open smile. It was the dancers first time performing in a prison.

Hula dancers performing at Makahiki 2018

As an encore, the incarcerated men and dancers lined up together, dancing in tune and out of tune, mimicking a hot iron dipped into cold water. Perfection was not an expectation and fun was shared as the audience shouted encouragement to all the dancers as they moved to the music.

—David Lȇ contributed to this story.  Boatwright

Young inmates are creating positive rap music at San Quentin State Prison

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Young inmates are creating positive rap music at San Quentin State Prison, under the guidance of hip-hop artist and music producer David Jassy. Because of that, he’s captured the attention of corrections officials and the prison reform organization CUT50.

They all came together at the prison in August to learn more about the young men in the Youth Offender Program (YOP) who are using music to tell honest stories with constructive messages as a form of rehabilitation.

In the Arts in Corrections studio loft, Jassy played a video for the group that explained what the SQ Music Program is and how his youth music project came about. Greg Wells appeared in the video. He’s a music producer for Katy Perry, Adele and Pink, among others. Film and music producer Quincy Jones III also appeared in the video.

As the group watched the video, some tapped their feet to the music. Jassy explained how explicit rap content influences the behavior of the youth. He said when he told the young men not to use profanity in their rap lyrics, it gave them a different insight.

“I really believe they want to change,” he said.

Not writing negative rap with profanity and lies glorifying street life is what spawned what some well-known names in the music industry have come to know as The YOP Mix Tape.

Jassy said he had the idea to spearhead the program as a way to redirect the younger inmates’ energy in a positive direction.

“In the beginning it was more of an informational meeting,” he said. “I wanted to tell our stories.”

“Thanks to CUT50,” Jassy said, the YOPs received some celebrity shout outs about their music.

Alex Gudich, deputy director of CUT50, said he’s been working with Jassy for two years to “build support to do great stuff.” He said the YOP’s will have transferable skills upon paroling from prison.

“It’s not just a program for kids,” said Jessica Sloan, CUT50 national director and co-founder. “It’s a cool program and culture is such a driver.”

She said she has another view on rehabilitation: “Humanization and legislation.”

Jassy said when some of the young inmates saw Jones III on the video praising the mix tape it gave them encouragement.

“Quincy Jones III told me I can be somebody,” he said one young man told him.

The video contained music that Jassy produced at San Quentin. One song had a track featuring YOP inmate Daniel “Dinero G” Gutierrez. His lyrics revealed a common reality for many young men in prison: I never listened to advice I got from my mother…Now I’m in the same prison as my grand- father.

The song ended with Gutierrez saying if he could go back he would change everything, and he would listen.

“He’s good,” said Warden Janel Espinoza from Central California’s Women Facility. “That’s really, really good. I like that.”

“They have to be honest with themselves,” Jassy said as he discussed how a YOP inmate cried when he was allowed to get in touch with himself.

He said another cried when he thought about how he let his mother down.

“If you’re alone with a producer there’s a whole different truth that’s revealed,” he added.

Jassy said some YOPs want to appear tough to their friends but also want to say, “I’m sorry” to their mothers. “Music gives them that outlet.” He said many of them learn that it’s okay to be apologetic.

Jassy and Steve Emrick, San Quentin’s community partnership manager, discussed copyright issues and how any money generated from music sales could be donated to nonprofits such as victims’ rights organizations.

Jassy also offered to provide music to Warden Espinoza’s music curriculum at CCWF.

“I want to change the whole concept of rap,” Jassy said. “If it comes from people who’ve been inside (prison) it has more credibility.”

After leaving the music room, the group went to San Quentin’s media center to visit San Quentin News, Ear Hustle, First Watch, SQTV, and San Quentin Radio.

“It’s more than what I expected,” Espinoza said about the podcast Ear Hustle. “You guys are very lucky. It’s an outside-of-the-box program. I know CCWF can benefit. I’m a strong believer in transformation. Anyone can change.”

They later spoke to Eric “Maserati E” Abercrombie, 25; Greg Sayers, 27; and Thanh Tran, 24. They are Black, White and Vietnamese & Black, respectively.

Sayers played an old guitar, badly in need of new strings. He sang and Abercrombie rapped. Tran joined in on the chorus and rapped. It was obvious the song was something they had all worked on together, written and arranged on the prison yard. The song, “Reality Check,” was about their experiences and the lessons they’ve learned.

“It gives me a purpose,” Sayers said. “This opportunity has definitely instilled in me a sense of responsibility. This is a major form of escape,
“It’s extremely therapeutic.”

He also said he doesn’t want to only hang out with his own race, and he also has something to lose if he messes up.

“I was a foster child since I was two years old,” Tran said of his painful past. “I lived a whole life of hurt.”

He said he couldn’t share his life with others until he discovered music. He said he left gang life behind.

“A huge part of it is healing,” he added.

These young men didn’t know each other before arriving at San Quentin. In many prisons, they may not have had the opportunity to collaborate on a song due to gang and racial politics. Music is their common bond.

Espinoza encouraged them to “hang in there” and thanked the young men for sharing their stories and talent.

“I think he’s (Jassy) on the right track, influencing people, thinking outside the box,” She said.

She said to see him actually be engaged has a positive influence on the population.

“I believe that music is a very powerful tool for rehabilitation,” Jassy said in September 2014 when San Quentin News, published the story “Artist Spends Prison Time Sharing His Many Talents and Experiences.”

Four years later, he hasn’t stopped believing. Now he’s helping to build the prison’s music program while helping younger inmates rehabilitate themselves through music.

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