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 … [Read more...] about Showcasing their talent the Soulbillies shake San Quentin
Music
World class musician returns to SQ after long hiatus
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 … [Read more...] about World class musician returns to SQ after long hiatus
The sounds of Woodstock filled the Catholic Chapel
Courtesy of Tom Lapinski 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 … [Read more...] about The sounds of Woodstock filled the Catholic Chapel
Two Marin professional classic musicians join Zuill Bailey to perform at San Quentin
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 … [Read more...] about Two Marin professional classic musicians join Zuill Bailey to perform at San Quentin
Kim Kardashian helps formerly incarcerated obtain jobs
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 … [Read more...] about Kim Kardashian helps formerly incarcerated obtain jobs
Curb Service shares truth, harmony and love
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 … [Read more...] about Curb Service shares truth, harmony and love
Eight emerging artists turn chapel into raucous concert hall
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 … [Read more...] about Eight emerging artists turn chapel into raucous concert hall
Native Hawaiian Religious Group holds annual feast
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
Young inmates are creating positive rap music at San Quentin State Prison
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 … [Read more...] about Young inmates are creating positive rap music at San Quentin State Prison
“I wanted to teach in here because it’s such a unique place”
For 11 years, Kurt Huget has been teaching a guitar workshop at San Quentin State Prison. On a Thursday afternoon in August, he was explaining to a new student what bars and beats are. He handed out chord charts to the student, showing him how to place his fingers on the guitar’s fret board. “I wanted to teach in here (San Quentin) because it’s such a unique place,” Huget said. “I knew the guys would appreciate it.” According to Huget, Steve Emrick, San Quentin’s community partnership manager, noticed him coming in to play concerts … [Read more...] about “I wanted to teach in here because it’s such a unique place”