Inside the MUSIC ROOM at Jefferson City Correctional Center 🎸

They can work on their craft, they can be at a piece of mine, and they can escape for a couple hours in the day. For me, that's what it's been. Being able to just come in here and work on worship music, or personal favorites of mine that I've wanted to learn from a young age to now. This place truly is an escape. It's something that I didn't think would be an option for me to come to prison. The music room is much more than a music room. I've always had a deep passion for music, and I know that God's personally spoke through me through music. To me, I know the impact that Christ had in my life. I know the impact he's had in my life through music, and I know how powerful those two things are. I know just music in and of itself is a powerful thing, and then knowing that I can share that with others, whether that be in this room or in the chapel, is a real powerful thing in my life. Hi, my name's Gary. I'm part of the worship team here at JCCC. Right now we are in the music room, which is located in the gymnasium. What you've got in here is a collection of guitars, instruments, drums, keyboards. We've got anything from left-handed strata casters to vintage, older tele casters, even newer ones. This one's only a handful of years old. You've got unique features like we've got the 7-string Ibanez, which is real popular for some of the newer stuff we're working on. You've got the semi-hollow bodies, which I'm a classic fan of. They've got that vintage old-school look to them. The acoustics, hands down, one of my favorite things to grab a hold of. There's just nothing that can replicate that sound that comes out of a true dreadnought body. The electronic drum set, got all the bells and whistles, you're not limited with just the standard drum set. You can add, make it your own sound, mix and make it truly a one-of-a-kind drum set you've got. We've got a couple different Ibanez's here, so we've got locking headstock and then Floyd Rose pickup. That and it's got the extended fretboard, so this one's got 24 frets instead of the traditional 21s. You've got that extended range. This allows for some massive, just dive bombs. I mean, you just like locking headstock, you've tuned it, it's all locked and loaded, ready to go. You lock it in, you don't have to worry about it coming out of stock, at it soon. For me, old reliable is this, and to me, it's just, I don't know. I think of a lot of the iconic guitar players growing up, I'm a big classic rock fan,

and so I've seen the pictures, I've seen the old concert footage and over there was like, Hendrix, with it flipped upside down, Restrung. There's something iconic about the Stratocaster, and even this one, it's a little rough to me that just makes it that much more. To me, this screams icon, you see the wear on the fretboard, you see the chip paint that shows you, you know, at the end of the day, even though this is a guitar, it's a tool. The tools are going to get wear and tear on, they're meant to be used. And so like, just to me, it's in a testament, you know, you see some of the crack there, but it just, it screams to its use. This has got the wear and tear on it because it's been used, it's been trusted to deliver music. This is my first go-to of the brand. Once again, another Ivan is one of the newer guitars here on the wall, and then we've got a collection of basses. You've got this fretless bass, which is, in and of itself, a true beast, just without having any frets, you've got to really know where you're going with it or else it's going to drive you. You've got the tank, the six-string bass. Definitely got to have your shoulders up if you're going to play this, and it gets heavy very quick. Nothing, nothing too crazy here, you've got a couple more four-string basses. You've got a mandolin in between, it doesn't get as much action, but it is used from time to time. Now, if we step over here behind the mixing board, maybe my favorite, if not, it's up there. Twelve-string, you can't go wrong, just that full-rich sound, it's hard to replicate, it's well. It's truly unique. You've got your still guitar, banjo, another Ivanaz, Floyd Roy's, Floyd Rose pickups and locking headstocks. And then here recently, they acquired a bunch of these jasmine, this one's in here with steel strings, but they've got a handful of them in the checkout room with nylon strings for everyday checkout. So if you're not able to come to the music room yet, you can check those out of the issue, cause it with nylon strings on them. That's for guys who have maybe not been on the camp long enough that are eligible to come in here. And then here, we've got an interesting piece. At first glance, it looks like just a plain, fender 600 kusiktar. And it is. The date on this guitar is 614-1995, which puts it right at a month younger than me. So to have instruments in here that are still fully functioning and some of the better sounding equipment

and knowing that it predates me, truly speaks to the craftsmanship on some of the stuff we do get to use. For a lot of guys, this is a form of a sanctuary, it's a place where they can go, they can work on their craft, they can be at a piece of mine, and they can escape for a couple hours in the day. For me, that's what it's been. Being able to just come in here and work on worship music or personal favorites of mine that I've wanted to learn from a young age to now, this place truly isn't escape. It's something that I didn't think would be an option for me coming to prison. So this music room is much more than a music room. To me, I come over here, this is just a small subsection, I come over here and I just see these catalogs and books of just, to me, it's just information. You've got a wealth of information over here. There's some songs I've never even thought that I would be able to learn that I've dove off into, songs that I've never even heard of that at some time I'm going to approach and it's just to me, I see this vast just stack of information that I can dive off into. It's another place for me to get away into. Just because it may have been in a classical rock song or a country song or a blues song, that doesn't mean I can't use part of that, make it my own, give it a new interpretation and bring that. I've had a good relationship with the gentleman that worked this room, one of them that's done passed away and he kind of took me under his wing when I first got to this camp. Somebody heard me playing guitar out here in the gymnasium with one of the checkout room guitars and he's like, "Man, you're not bad on things." I said, "Yeah, I'm really wanting to get in that music room. I've only been on the camp for two to three months, so I was still trying to figure out how things operate." And he said, "I know the man you need to talk to, so he pulled me over and talked to a gentleman by the name of Mark and spurred this new-found relationship, and Mark really took me under his wing. And he was showing me the ins and outs of guitar processing pedals, which at the time were new to me. He was teaching me how to read tablets, which was something I had never taken the time to do, and he really, he invested in me. And he told me he said, "If I see it in somebody who's really got the desire and will want to learn it," he said, "I'll invest in them." It's the guys that come in here and maybe show up twice in a two-month span, and then you never see him again. He said, "Those are the guys that fly by night type deal, whereas the guys that he sees the real interest in, and for me that was a hallmark moment for me on this camp. It really opened me up to some relationships I never would have had without that encounter." I've always had a deep passion for music, and I know that God's personally spoke through me through music multiple times. I mean, I know the impact that Christ said in my life. I know the impact he's had in my life through music, and I know how powerful those two things are. I know just music in and of itself is a powerful thing, and then when you know what Christ is doing on this camp, but he's done in my life when he's doing the lives of guys here on this camp, and then you're able to join those things together. There was a service while back here on camp, and a gentleman had said that, "We're told, you know, you never see a U-Haul behind a Hearse. There is one thing that we do take from this life to the next, and that's worship, or total worship Christ, knowing that I can share that with others, or that being this rumor in the chapel is a real powerful thing in my life.

Worship to me is a lifestyle. It's not just in music and song. It's the way I walk every day. It's the way I conduct myself. It's the way I interact with others. Everything I do needs to be a reflection of where my heart and my life is with Christ. Worship is an all-compassing thing. It's how I pray. It's how I read my Bible. It's how I lift my hands when God's moving. It's how I lift my hands whenever God's being still and letting me go through trial. You know, my worship needs to look the same in the valley as it does on the mountain. Listen to the sorrows. Jesus is His mind. He's been the fourth man in the fire time after the time. One of His Spirit washed in His blood. What He did for me on calories more than enough. I trust in God. I say you're the one who will never fail. He will never fail. I trust in God. I say you're the one who will never fail. He will never fail. The big submission. All is at rest. I know the offer of tomorrow is order my steps. So this is my story. And this is my song. Raising my reasons. He can save you all the day long. I trust in God. I say you're the one who will never fail. He will never fail. I trust in God. He will never fail I saw the Lord, and He heard, and He answered, I saw the Lord He heard, and He answered, I saw the Lord And He heard, and He answered, that's why I've trust Him That's why I've trust Him, that's why I've trust Him I saw the Lord, and He heard, and He answered, I saw the Lord And He heard, and He answered, I saw the Lord And He heard, and He answered, that's why I've trust Him That's why I've trust Him I save young old who will never fail He will never fail, I trust the God, and I save young old who will never fail He will never fail I saw the Lord, and He heard, and He answered, I saw the Lord And He heard, and He answered, I saw the Lord And He heard, and He answered, that's why I've trust Him That's why I've trust Him, that's why I've trust Him

That's why I've trust the Lord, and He heard, and He answered, I saw the Lord And He heard, and He answered, I saw the Lord And He heard, and He answered, that's why I've trust Him That's why I've trust Him That's why I've trust Him, that's why I've trust Him Trusting God, I save young old who will never fail He will never fail, He will never fail I trust the God, and I save young old who will never fail He will never fail [MUSIC PLAYING]