J Robbin's Son

In the summer of 1989 I worked at a summer camp in Northern Virginia. At the age of 17, I thought I was pretty alternative because I liked The Replacements, Husker Du and R.E.M. (I hadn't heard the Pixies at this point). But I took many of my music cues from a 21 year old co-worker named Anthony. I'd known him for a few years, mostly because when I was a freshman, he was a senior at my high school and he was one of the few truly "alternative" people at my high school (whatever that meant in 1987). How do I know Anthony was one of the coolest people I'd ever met in my life? Well, for one, he had a Jawbox t-shirt back in the summer of 1989 - yes, that's right the summer the band formed and a full year before their first release and he's got their fucking t-shirt. This guy was out of my league, but he was always cool to me. And every now and then, usually when I'm listening to Jawbox, I imagine that even at age 38 Anthony is probably still pretty cool (I wonder what he's up to?).

It took me another couple of years to get into the band - working at the college radio station helped. Over the next several years, I saw the band countless times and tried to no avail to learn J's guitar part on "Savory". When the band parted ways, I followed J on to Burning Airlines and most recently, Channels in which he is joined by his wife, Janet, on bass (see post from Ask Me About My Inivisible Friends).

Now comes word that J and Janet's 10-month-old son, Cal, has been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This is a rare, but devastating genetic condition that often results in death by age two. As a pediatrician, I have had the sad distinction of taking care of a couple of these children. It goes without saying, that this is a heartbreaking condition to watch a family cope with. In response, Bill Barbot and Kim Colletta (J's bandmates in Jawbox) have set up a fund for Cal Robbins to offset medical bills and pursue experimental treatments. Please consider visiting the DeSoto Records site to donate.

Thanks,
Mike