SKF NOTE: From March 2013 through June 2015 I was Communications Director for the State of Maine Department of Corrections. One of my favorite memories of that time was working with the Corrections Commissioner, the Maine State Prison Warden, and the Maine Hospice Council, on recording and launching a historic music CD by a Maine State Prison prisoner band.

The band was called Sounds of Comfort. Their CD is entitled “Born Again.” Here’s the story:

In 2014 Maine Hospice Council and the Sounds of Comfort band made prison reform history. Maine Corrections Commissioner Joseph Ponte, and Maine State Prison Warden Rodney Bouffard, gave permission for Sounds of Comfort to record their “Born Again” CD, during special supervised night hours, in the maximum security Maine State Prison Chapel.

You can own a copy of “Born Again” and, at the same time, help Maine Hospice Council’s outreach to undeserved and disenfranchised populations.

MHC Executive Director Kandyce Powell had devoted 18 years to training qualified Maine State Prison inmates as certified hospice volunteers. In turn, the men used their hospice training to care for and treat fellow prisoners with terminal illnesses or were dying in Maine State Prison Infirmary.

As part of their caring and treatment, some of the prison hospice workers found music helped calm the sick. Over time, hospice workers Nathan Roy, Chris Shumway, Steve Carpentier, and Robert Payzant formed a band with a name perfectly mirroring the band’s mission: Sounds of Comfort.

Friends of the MSP Hospice Program, professional hospice workers, and amateur musicians Karen Flynn and Jaime Eller were invited to the recording session to augment the music with their vocals, guitar, and violin. Both had performed many times live with Sounds of Comfort.

And then, another first in Maine State Prison history, Commissioner Ponte gave permission for a CD launch with a first ever, open to the public, live concert inside MSP.

The “Born Again” CD is available through Maine Hospice Council’s web site. Supplies are limited.

Order Here and learn more about the historic recording of “Born Again.“: