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| Stars behind bars: the jailhouse rockers helping prisoners to bang out a hit | Stars behind bars: the jailhouse rockers helping prisoners to bang out a hit |
| (2 months later) | |
| Aaron O’Mara is sitting in a studio with a guitar on his lap and keyboards and drum machines all around him. “Break,” he says, referring to the song he is about to play, “is all about my past, which featured a lot of substance misuse. Now everything is looking up, it feels like I’m finally catching my break.” | Aaron O’Mara is sitting in a studio with a guitar on his lap and keyboards and drum machines all around him. “Break,” he says, referring to the song he is about to play, “is all about my past, which featured a lot of substance misuse. Now everything is looking up, it feels like I’m finally catching my break.” |
| The 25-year-old, who recently finished a 10-month stretch behind bars, strums his guitar and launches into the heartfelt ballad. It swings between regret, depression and hope. It’s an apt theme for his debut single, which will be released next year. O’Mara, a chef, is one of 15 ex-prisoners and 80 current inmates working with a label called InHouse Records. The first of its kind in the UK, InHouse is run for – and by – prisoners. The label currently operates in four men’s jails in the south-east – Elmley, Rochester, Lewes and Isis – but is planning to expand. | The 25-year-old, who recently finished a 10-month stretch behind bars, strums his guitar and launches into the heartfelt ballad. It swings between regret, depression and hope. It’s an apt theme for his debut single, which will be released next year. O’Mara, a chef, is one of 15 ex-prisoners and 80 current inmates working with a label called InHouse Records. The first of its kind in the UK, InHouse is run for – and by – prisoners. The label currently operates in four men’s jails in the south-east – Elmley, Rochester, Lewes and Isis – but is planning to expand. |
| InHouse was set up last September by Judah Armani, a former music executive. The label now runs workshops for around 20 inmates per prison, who write and record up to 30 new songs a month – quite a work rate, but then they do have time on their hands. Hip-hop dominates, says Armani, but the label aims to cover a wide spectrum. Although he says the quality varies considerably, he insists that certain tracks are as good as anything in the charts. | InHouse was set up last September by Judah Armani, a former music executive. The label now runs workshops for around 20 inmates per prison, who write and record up to 30 new songs a month – quite a work rate, but then they do have time on their hands. Hip-hop dominates, says Armani, but the label aims to cover a wide spectrum. Although he says the quality varies considerably, he insists that certain tracks are as good as anything in the charts. |
| “It’s some of the best stuff I’ve heard all year,” says James Franklin, a manager with the synth giant Roland, who provides mentoring. “And that’s just the stuff done roughly in prison. I can’t wait to hear what they sound like recorded properly.” | “It’s some of the best stuff I’ve heard all year,” says James Franklin, a manager with the synth giant Roland, who provides mentoring. “And that’s just the stuff done roughly in prison. I can’t wait to hear what they sound like recorded properly.” |
| InHouse plans to release at least 10 tracks over the course of 2019, having partnered with Universal for help with marketing and distribution, which will be primarily via streaming services. “Some of the best music is made by people who are up against the wall,” says Franklin. He thinks much of today’s gangster rap is written by people “who haven’t lived that life”. As he says: “You get lyrics that are totally different from someone who hasn’t had that dark background.” | InHouse plans to release at least 10 tracks over the course of 2019, having partnered with Universal for help with marketing and distribution, which will be primarily via streaming services. “Some of the best music is made by people who are up against the wall,” says Franklin. He thinks much of today’s gangster rap is written by people “who haven’t lived that life”. As he says: “You get lyrics that are totally different from someone who hasn’t had that dark background.” |
| It is a view echoed by Jim Chancellor, joint managing director of Caroline International, an arm of Universal. Chancellor, who has worked with the likes of Marilyn Manson, St Vincent and Steven Wilson, describes some of InHouse’s early demo tracks as heartfelt and moving. | It is a view echoed by Jim Chancellor, joint managing director of Caroline International, an arm of Universal. Chancellor, who has worked with the likes of Marilyn Manson, St Vincent and Steven Wilson, describes some of InHouse’s early demo tracks as heartfelt and moving. |
| Together with family members, friends and prison staff, Chancellor recently attended a live gig inside HMP Elmley, in Kent, when inmates sang about everything from loneliness and suicide to estranged relationships and the dream of spending Christmas at home. “Just another name and number,” rapped a young guy. “Just another locked door. This is the new nine-to-five for me.” | Together with family members, friends and prison staff, Chancellor recently attended a live gig inside HMP Elmley, in Kent, when inmates sang about everything from loneliness and suicide to estranged relationships and the dream of spending Christmas at home. “Just another name and number,” rapped a young guy. “Just another locked door. This is the new nine-to-five for me.” |
| Another performer touched on his sense of life speeding by and his desire to do something constructive once he was out of jail. “Don’t want to look at my watch, running out of time,” ran the chorus. | Another performer touched on his sense of life speeding by and his desire to do something constructive once he was out of jail. “Don’t want to look at my watch, running out of time,” ran the chorus. |
| If you offer them courses and it feels like school, they're not going to engage | If you offer them courses and it feels like school, they're not going to engage |
| For Armani, InHouse is as much about providing prisoners with a way to address their past and build a new life as it is about identifying the next Stormzy. Underpinning the label is a sophisticated infrastructure developed with the Royal College of Arts. One of its core principles concerns workshops: they must be both safe and enabling. Almost half of the 85,500 people in UK prisons left education with no qualifications. “So if you offer them courses and it feels like school,” says Armani, “they’re not going to engage.” | For Armani, InHouse is as much about providing prisoners with a way to address their past and build a new life as it is about identifying the next Stormzy. Underpinning the label is a sophisticated infrastructure developed with the Royal College of Arts. One of its core principles concerns workshops: they must be both safe and enabling. Almost half of the 85,500 people in UK prisons left education with no qualifications. “So if you offer them courses and it feels like school,” says Armani, “they’re not going to engage.” |
| Then there’s the belief in the power of restorative storytelling. Inmates are encouraged to open up about mistakes, says Armani, to counter the desire among many prisoners to focus exclusively on the future. “So they leave prison super-aspirational with this huge desire to be different. But because they haven’t addressed their past, it’s easy to fall back into bad habits.” | Then there’s the belief in the power of restorative storytelling. Inmates are encouraged to open up about mistakes, says Armani, to counter the desire among many prisoners to focus exclusively on the future. “So they leave prison super-aspirational with this huge desire to be different. But because they haven’t addressed their past, it’s easy to fall back into bad habits.” |
| For O’Mara, the experience of storytelling was life-changing. “I never felt comfortable speaking about personal stuff inside, but I can write about it in my lyrics no problem. And when I’m performing, it’s like my guitar and the microphone are a shield.” | For O’Mara, the experience of storytelling was life-changing. “I never felt comfortable speaking about personal stuff inside, but I can write about it in my lyrics no problem. And when I’m performing, it’s like my guitar and the microphone are a shield.” |
| There is also evidence of improved behaviour among InHouse participants. Part of the reason, says Sara Pennington, governor of Elmley, is that infractions can lead to them being barred from music-making. And a record label certainly makes an exciting alternative to bricklaying, industrial cleaning or similar courses typically on offer in UK prisons. | There is also evidence of improved behaviour among InHouse participants. Part of the reason, says Sara Pennington, governor of Elmley, is that infractions can lead to them being barred from music-making. And a record label certainly makes an exciting alternative to bricklaying, industrial cleaning or similar courses typically on offer in UK prisons. |
| Armani is toying with the idea of setting up a pop-up record store and hangout space where InHouse graduates can continue with their music. | Armani is toying with the idea of setting up a pop-up record store and hangout space where InHouse graduates can continue with their music. |
| But what if one of InHouse’s artists does make it big? Armani isn’t blind to the possibility of a backlash if prisoners are seen to be profiting while still inside. Consequently, InHouse has pledged to give a share of any profits to victim support services. The label, which is set up as a community interest company, will then reinvest any remaining profits into its work inside and outside prison. Meanwhile, all singles produced by those still serving sentences won’t be released under the artist’s name but as part of the InHouse collective. | But what if one of InHouse’s artists does make it big? Armani isn’t blind to the possibility of a backlash if prisoners are seen to be profiting while still inside. Consequently, InHouse has pledged to give a share of any profits to victim support services. The label, which is set up as a community interest company, will then reinvest any remaining profits into its work inside and outside prison. Meanwhile, all singles produced by those still serving sentences won’t be released under the artist’s name but as part of the InHouse collective. |
| Armani is aware of the need to keep expectations in check, although he doesn’t rule out stardom for participants such as O’Mara, who is excited about the possibility of one day hearing Break on the radio. But he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. For now, O’Mara wants to keep his head down and work on his music. “Being part of InHouse, that’s been my big break,” he says. “No way I’m blowing that.” | Armani is aware of the need to keep expectations in check, although he doesn’t rule out stardom for participants such as O’Mara, who is excited about the possibility of one day hearing Break on the radio. But he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. For now, O’Mara wants to keep his head down and work on his music. “Being part of InHouse, that’s been my big break,” he says. “No way I’m blowing that.” |
| • More details: inhouserecords.org. | • More details: inhouserecords.org. |
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