On August 16, a sound filled the air in the yard at the Twin Rivers Unit at Monroe Correctional Complex (MCC) that had not been heard there in decades – live music. Incarcerated individuals were treated to a concert headlined by acclaimed Seattle musician Ayron Jones. The Black Tones, fronted by KEXP DJ Eva Walker, opened the show and incarcerated artists also had the opportunity to perform for their peers.
“We wanted to give them a moment of normality,” said MCC Superintendent Jack Warner. “Our incarcerated individuals often feel thrown away. For those few hours, they didn’t feel like they were in prison.” The prison concert was pitched to Warner by his brother-in-law Mike Squires. Squires has played lead guitar in various bands for decades, including Loaded with Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, but had never played in a correctional facility before.
“It felt incredibly personal to organize and make this event happen and it was fulfilling in ways I can’t explain and wasn’t expecting,” said Squires. “I saw incredible things happen inside these fences on this day.” Incarcerated individuals had to be infraction-free to attend the show and despite it being one of the hottest days of the year, they enthusiastically rocked out for several hours in the 95-degree heat. Many of those serving long sentences had not seen professional musicians play live in several decades. One even told Superintendent Warner that the concert was the best moment in his more than 20 years in prison.
Jones, who has opened for Guns ‘N Roses and collaborated with Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, electrified the crowd with a mix of his grunge and blues infused originals and some well-known cover songs. Incarcerated individuals sang along to Prince’s Purple Rain and admired his impressive rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s version of the National Anthem. Johnny Cash famously visited Monroe in 1971 and dedicated his new song ‘The Man in Black’ to the inmates. MCC officials believe that may have been the last show at the prison, but they don’t expect to go another half century before hosting another one. They are already planning more concerts in the near future.
