This poster is from one of the Jail Guitar Doors benefit
concerts I was involved with back in the late aughts. Jail
Guitar Doors was the title of a song by the Clash, one of the
seminal punk bands of that era – but first some background.

When I returned to music after 20 years, I soon found myself
in the good company of many terrific musicians. I believed
that putting those talents to use for people on whom society
had given up might be a less self-serving endeavor than trying to get the next gig at JV’s! When I discovered that musicians in England were putting on benefit shows for this thing that Billy Bragg was behind, I thought why not?

I finally connected with Dennis Sobin from Prisons
Foundation, which sold inmate art and who had himself been
incarcerated, told him my idea, and he got me started. I did
the first benefit with Michael Yugo, who had an in at a club
with his DC Acoustic Underground, and I got discounted
guitars from Chuck Levin’s. I did several rounds of concerts
and donations with help from Prisons Foundation, Potter’s House, and fellow musicians such as Lamont Carey, Lea Morris, Jim Dugan, Michelle Murray, Steve Capozzola and others. Judy Presson, who is my constant collaborator in all things, did the photography, editing, and graphic
design (so talented!).

Playing with me for the showcase will be Anthony Carroll on bass and backing vocals and Irwin Anolik on drums. I finally have a band that can take my music to the next level,
and I hope to be playing more with them in the coming year.