This article was originally published in 1664 out of Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. It won third place for Best Feature in the 2025 American Penal Press Contest.
On the starry evening of Feb. 21, from about 6:30 to 8:15 p.m., recreation staff and approximately 30 AICs attended a musical jam session known as “Open Mic Night” in the multi-purpose building at EOCI. Most people were there to perform or support their fellow musicians, but it was more than a performance to the incarcerated people. The event was a small, but a precious oasis of joy — precious because free-feeling moments are rare behind the razor wire, and joy from the jubilant nature of music.
EOCI began holding open mic nights at the start of 2024, but the event has been on a hiatus for several months due to short staffing.
The scene was reminiscent of live-band performances seen at a Saturday night bar or motel conference room. Acoustic, electric and bass guitars, drums, a keyboard, foot pedals and multiple microphones connected to a sound and mixing board were all being operated by knowledgeable and talented incarcerated people. Treshaun Thomas emceed the event, using comedy and banter as he introduced performers.
Thomas shared several “dad jokes” with the audience. “I gained a little weight, so guess what the sofa said when I sat down,” Thomas said with a dramatic pause. “Couch!”
Some people laughed and others groaned, but it was all in good-natured fun. There were a few in the audience who tossed friendly banter back and forth with Thomas which added to the shared humor.
The performances were diverse, including country, punk, love songs, free-style rap and a drum solo.
Among the first to play music was Timothy Taylor who gave a solo country-esque rendition of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on his acoustic guitar with a backup of prerecorded beats and no lyrics. The song was several minutes, and after his performance he also played in the next set with Luis Trybom, James Coonrod and Luis Fernando Del Rio in a band named The Elderly Brothers. Together they did covers of the songs “Devoted to You” and “Dream, Dream, Dream,” by The Everly Brothers.
There were also original songs written by AICs. Luis Rodriguez, resident from H2, shared a bittersweet love song from the perspective of a person longing for connection with a special someone.
“Looking down to see if you’ll catch me, because I’m looking down and falling for you,” Rodriguez had sung as he performed his piece titled “Falling.”
In the song he wanted to convey the butterflies of walking an emotional tight rope when meeting someone new and wanting to share that attraction and interest with them.
Rodriguez said he likes the fact that anyone can sign up for open mic night.
“I like when people have the guts to go up and do it,” Rodriguez said. “There’s a lot of people who put work into their craft and it’s a way to show how much progress they’ve made.”
Rodriguez sings and plays guitar, but there were other genres of songwriter in attendance.
Shahid Baskerville writes rap lyrics and performed at the open mic night.
Baskerville was accompanied by a full band.
Recreation Specialist Jerrad Templin is an EOCI staff member who has been championing the expansion of the music program. He does more than simply supervise the recreation events. Templin also assesses the recreational program’s needs, making suggestions for policy, funding, organization and more to facility administration.
“We’ve got songwriter’s classes and new classes coming in April,” Templin said. “We want wind instruments. I can’t talk about it yet, but expansions are coming.”
The opportunity to perform has given musicians at EOCI something to look forward to. After the disruptions caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, many activities and events were cancelled as a safety precaution. Some have never returned. In addition, Oregon is experiencing a staffing shortage in ODOC facilities. In order to have programs, there must be staff to securely run them. Open mic night is an opportunity many AICs jump at the chance to participate — even if they are not at 100% health.
G4 resident Luis Fernando Del Rio is one of the AICs who regularly participates in the music program. His voice was recovering from a previous health issue on the night of the event, but he participated despite the discomfort he experienced.
Del Rio sang during a quartet in The Elderly Brothers band and then performed again in a freestyle rap session with five other musicians.
“This is amazing,” Del Rio said. “My throat was messed up and my voice was a little sore, so when they called me I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off. But yeah, I love this.”
Everyone in attendance appeared to be in a happy, uplifting mood. The social norm of prison politics was noticeably not in attendance that evening. Rather, people encouraged one another with fist bumps and congratulations on performances.
AICs are getting more than just an opportunity to perform. Events like open mic night build both connections and skills that contribute to a healthy, pro-social environment for incarcerated people and staff.
“This was a great opportunity to showcase talent and break away from the stereotype of how we are viewed,” Luis Trybom said. “The courage it takes from some of these guys to come up and perform is incredible. The support we show for them while performing and even after, man they feed off of that. This support creates bonds for these guys and it shows.”
The open mic night contributes to a normalized atmosphere for both staff and AICs, something that studies show reduces recidivism and promotes rehabilitation. The music program is an example of how there are staff members trying to bridge the gap between officer and AIC — for the betterment of both.
“These are guys trying to navigate [a difficult] life,” Templin said. “This is part of the coolest thing I’ve done here in 12 years. This isn’t a place full of monsters — it’s a place full of human beings.”
