🎸 Instruments Into Prisons - outstanding requests ✍🏾
🚨 Important news folks - the DJC x UMAW Instruments Into Prisons (IIP) initiative will be making a BIG PUSH to fulfill ALL OUTSTANDING REQUESTS at prisons with musicians who remain in need of gear! 😤😤 We are looking to wind down the campaign by the end of this year 🕰️. We’ve had a great run since 2021 donating over $18K worth of gear to 12 facilities (‼️), but as momentum has slowed down on this volunteer-run effort, we’re not in a sustainable place to keep going 🏃. THAT SAID, we want to go out strong!!
Below you’ll find all our outstanding requests.
Our biggest need right now is purchasing equipment, but if you have any of it, please contact t[.]jamison[at]diejimcrow[.]com to discuss next steps. 🤝
ARTIST: Dane “Zealot” Newton
INSTRUMENT: Acoustic Guitar (with pickup) & soft case
PRISON: Buena Vista Correctional, Colorado
Dane “Zealot” Newton is a singer/songwriter and guitarist whose musicianship can be heard on the DJC Records 2021 release Tlaxihuiqui from Territorial. His voice and guitar are featured in the single “America the Merciful.” Since the release of the album, Dane was moved from Territorial prison to Buena Vista. Dane is currently in need of an acoustic guitar with an electronic pickup (either built-in or attached to it) and a soft case as well.
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ARTISTS: The Masses
INSTRUMENTS: Studio equipment, Korg keyboard, foam padding, etc. 🎹
PRISON: Allendale Correctional, South Carolina
Allendale Correctional Institution in South Carolina was one of the first facilities to which the Instruments Into Prisons (IIP) program established a donation stream. This facility currently houses some of the talented artists who make up The Masses, a collective of ten rappers and musicians whose debut single “Da Movement” dropped this year.
The musicians in this facility are broken up into several dorms with cursory music and recording set-ups used for making beats and recording songs.
These music rooms are modest, making due with often old and broken down equipment.
In conversation with several of the musicians inside of Allendale, we’ve put together a list of studio equipment they are particularly interested in, including a Korg keyboard and foam padding.
It is a robust list, but any and all gear that can be fulfilled will be welcome and put to good use.
ARTISTS: E. Brokencoyote & Sweat Lodge community
INSTRUMENT: Ceremonial Turtle Rattle
PRISON: Arkansas Valley Correctional, Colorado
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A little while back Instruments Into Prisons purchased two items specifically for the ceremonial sweat lodge inside of Arkansas Valley Correctional in Colorado.
DJC visual artist E. Brokencoyote, our resident calligrapher (Territorial, EL BE, Lifers Groove) referred us to two specific instruments needed for the ceremonies conducted by him and other Native Americans who frequent the sweat lodge: a drum and a Taos rattle, which were shipped to the facility and are made use of with frequency.
Since then, E. has requested another rattle for their ceremonies - this one a turtle shell rattle which has different cultural meanings and properties.
This is a specific piece of equipment that must be ordered from a maker that E. Brokencoyote suggested to us.
ARTIST: Anthony “Big Ant” McKinney
INSTRUMENT: Acoustic Guitar & soft case
PRISON: Madison Correctional, Ohio
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Anthony “Big Ant” McKinney is a longtime DJC Records artist whose talents can be heard on “Tired and Weary,” and “Headed to the Streets” from the label's first release, the Die Jim Crow EP (2016). Since then McKinney has been moved to Madison CI in Ohio where he wishes to continue to write songs and make music. Big Ant is in need of an acoustic guitar and a soft case as well.
LIST OF PREVIOUS GEAR DONATED (as of Dec 2022)
