I played Rikers Island this past week. For those who don’t know about Rikers ….it’s in New York. If you screw up in one of the 5 boroughs of New York City…you win a trip to Rikers Island. Trust me when I say…you never want to take that trip.

How this came to be:

For the past 20 years, I’ve had a dear friend named Bert. We’ve somehow stayed in touch through 2 decades, while living completely different lifestyles. He went on to get married and become a youth pastor, and then become a pastor of a church in Long Island, while raising a family. He walks his talk, and he’s an honest man. He’s passionate about his relationship with God. And through all the years….he always found a way to drop me a few bucks when he could….and encourage me to keep going. He kept believing in me, even when I didn’t.

Bert called me one afternoon this past fall, to tell me that he had lunch with a gentlemen from his congregation, and that this gentlemen was a Warden on Rikers Island. Fast Forward…..one email leads to the next….and were on a plane to New York…..to Rikers Island…..to share Hope & Reconciliation through music…..with some of the toughest fellas in NYC.

People ask me how we get in to these prisons and jails around the U.S. Well….I’ve never had the same answer twice. People also ask how we afford it. And…..the answer to that question has never been the same. All I know is….If sharing Hope & Music in Prisons is what I do until my dying day…..I can promise you…..and you can quote me on this….you will have never known of a more satisfied artist. I have seen the rubber hit the road….and in the middle of that road, stands GOD…and he’s standing in the middle of a jail cel. I have now become a member of the audience, who watches it unfold. I no longer perform shows. I share hope…the hope of my heavenly father.

As for how the day unfolded…well….It was breath taking. Let’s start with the Warden.  The Warden is the kind of guy I wanna’ be when I grow up. He’s a gentle Bad Ass. I could see God in his eyes. I could see Hope in his heart. He demanded my respect without saying a word. I feared him without being afraid. I have never met a Warden Like this man. Many of them are crazy and mean…..but not this guy. This Warden was an example to every inmate of how amazing they can be as men, when they surrender to God, and not the world. A Warden that gives hope…..is something that has forever changed me. I met a Warden who believes in Reconciliation…and the possibility of change.

After all the clearance and checkpoints, He lead us in to an old beat up gymnasium, where we had a few minutes to set up our gear. After a quick tour of the facility, it was Go Time. It all happened so fast, that I left with massive amounts of self-doubt. I shook the hands of the inmates….with hopes that God would show me grace….and give them a new start. I am an insecure man…encouraging others to believe in themselves. I am a broken man….encouraging others to embrace healing. Singing in prisons is the scariest thing I have ever done. Not because I’m afraid of getting shanked……but because I’m afraid of the responsibility of what comes out of my mouth. It has nothing to do with me….and I wasn’t trained in that language. I have been trained in selfishness. So….to encourage some of the Boldest risk takers in NYC to rethink their decision making skills….well….It makes me wonder….who’s really fucked? Me….or them? Based on my relationship with God, I’m going to say neither. But I am now living in an abundance of Grace through Faith.

As for today, all I know is this: We are all children of God. I don’t care what you’ve done, or where you’ve been. You’re still valuable, and your not forgotten. The power of Healing through Christ….the power of Reconciliation through Christ…..well….that’s the place I want to stand in the middle of….and these are the men I want to stand with. Some will start over…some will not. But I will keep going back and singing for them. My hope and prayer is that they will forget my name and walk towards the cross.

We have been invited to come back to Rikers Island in April, for 3 more shows. I have no idea how we will pull it off. For those of you who can help financially….Now is the time. Traveling around the country doing this is now getting expensive. Really expensive. For those of you who have already helped….Thank You! We will keep going, unless were told not to.

This couldn’t of been possible without so many of You, and my dear friends: George, Kurt, Brent, Bert, Ryan, Clay, Jim, and Warden Duffee. You are my brothers, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. May we never stop believing that God Can Change Hearts in ways that we will never understand.

Until next time………Hebrews 11:1

I have spent the past week in California, in L.A. County Jails, playing music for prisoners...singing songs to them. In between, I was Setting up PA systems. Tearing them down. Going to another Jail. Setting them up again. Tearing them down again. And in my mind was the battle of Success vs. Substance....and the meaning of Success looks a whole lot different when your 70 feet below ground, in a white concrete room, in the middle of downtown LA....filled up with men that can kill you.  These men haven't seen the sun in months, if not years. Some of them have the darkest of devils in their eyes. Some of them have the deepest levels of brokenness you never want to see......and some of them have Hope...The kind of Hope that only God can bring to life. Its not a happy place. There's nothing good about it....except for one thing....the time to reevaluate. These men have the time to reevaluate their decision making skills. And some of them actually care about starting over. While I'm there, my job is to love them all, with music, while they are taking the time to reevaluate. I'm not sure how you respond to other peoples input into your life, but I've never been quick to put someone on my "Favorite People" list, when they ask me to reevaluate the way I live my life. Then again, my closest and dearest friends are the ones who challenge me and love me without arrogance, and with gentleness. I have to give my music with no agenda, in hopes that it will give a man hope..... because Success looks different these days, and so does Substance.... so on & on goes the paradox....like a fucking hamster wheel....BUT Ive never met an unhappy hamster. Have You?

Only a few years ago, I was Somewhere in the middle of trying to find a commercial home for my music, and I found myself living in a commercial. The problem with commercials...well....you cannot franchise intimacy. These days I am at Peace. I find it deeply humorous and extremely painful that I can only breathe when I'm below ground or in a smoke filled room. It's the only place I've been able to take deep enough breaths that scare me full of Faith. I'll always be one too many Jack & Cokes away from anyone in these rooms....but today I get to be the one that sings for them. This realization is where I find my freedom. Not with judgement, but as their friend, who writes songs for them, to remind them that they are not forgotten. I am sometimes reminded that it took only a whisper to lead me here, once I got out of my own way. Artists are always looking for their voice and their audience....well Ill be damned. Im glad I never got the memo. It would of spoiled the surprise.

Blessings.

Nathan Lee

-There has never been a boxer who didn't have a broken nose.

  It's choosing the right fight.....that is the hard part.

I had no plans of starting a non-profit 18 months ago. I can safely say, I really don't know much about non-profits. I can also say....I don't have much interest in running a non-profit. They take a ton of work to operate correctly. And when I say a ton....I'm talking about crossing all your "T"s, and dotting all your "I"s. I'm not in to that sort of stuff.

So why am I doing this? Because I love music. I love people. And I love sharing music with people who are having a rough day, or a rough season, or a rough life.

BUT....we all have the up-sides and down-sides of our job. For me....I found out that I would have to raise funds if I wanted to be able to get to these prisons. (airfares, fuel, hotels, etc)

It's kinda' like touring, but there's no one buying tickets or CD's when you show up. So.....We did our first fundraiser for SEND MUSICIANS TO PRISON in July 2011. I have nothing to compare it to, so I'm going to say it went extremely well. It wasn't easy to do.....a room full of people...trying to explain what we do in a prison...and then asking for money. Uncomfortable....YES. Important...YES. Fund Raising is not my passion. But it's a worthwhile discomfort  to share Hope & Reconciliation with those in Prison. 

I am fortunate to have an incredible Board of men....who help me balance the artistry, the spiritual, and the business. 

I couldn't be more grateful for all the help and support that came to the table that night. For those of you who gave so generously, I can't thank you enough. May every last penny be put to wise use. 

Here's a photo from our first Fundraiser.

L to R (Tim Lauer - Keys / Tony Lucido - Bass / Nathan Lee - Piano / Jeremy Lutito - Drums)

 MOTHERS DAY

I’ll never be a mom, so I can’t speak too deeply on what this holiday means to Mothers. BUT….having the opportunity to love on Mothers, who are imprisoned, is an incredible experience.

For the past 2 years, I have gone to the Swannanoa Correctional Center For Women on Mothers day in Black Mountain, North Carolina. I plan on making this experience a yearly tradition.

This year, I sat in a room with a couple hundred women, sang and shared stories for an hour or so….and by the time I left…I was drained.

Mothers day is different for everyone….never take it for granted. 

 In January of 2010, I was finishing a run of shows in California. I had just gotten out of a record deal, and to say it mildly, I was burned out. The night before I was to fly back to Nashville, my dear friend Matthew Kennedy asked me if I could stay an extra day, and go with him to LA County jail and play for the prisoners. He told me there would be no pay involved, and it would take most of the day. This didn't sound too different from the norm, so I said yes. I had no idea how that day was going to change my life. 

Over the past 18 months, I've played a dozen prisons. These experiences have been the most rewarding in my musical career. After much self examination, these experiences have also brought me to focus more of my time and efforts on cause related work. I had no idea that I would start a Non-Profit, or begin traveling the country to play in Prisons. I had no idea that I would find myself so passionate about sharing Hope & Reconciliation through music with the Imprisoned. Be as it may....with a lot of support from those around me, the campaign for SEND NATHAN LEE TO PRISON has begun. 

Last year I was playing Bars, and prisons in between. This year...the opposite.

Thank you for taking a few moment to stop by the site. We are grateful for your support in this Campaign. Whether it be your prayers, your financial support, or your word of mouth.....Thank You for Sending me to Prison.

-Nathan