Everything In Particular

I feel compelled to blog this if only to spread the word a bit more. If you’ve listened to indie rock within the past 20 years, you’ve almost certainly listened to something that J Robbins wrote or produced. J was the heart and soul of Jawbox, Burning Airlines, and Channels. Prior to that he did a stint in Government Issue. He has also produced a number of the better sounding indie records in recent years, including bands like Braid. If you’ve never listened to J or any of his bands, do yourself a favor and track down Jawbox’s For Your Own Special Sweetheart. Nobody has ever made rock music so simultaneously rocking and sweetly fragile before or since. And J’s lyrics are as good as anyone’s, and I mean Bob Dylan when I say that.

My friends and I wondered what was up when J’s latest band Channels cancelled all their recent shows. It turns out that J and Channels bandmate Janet Morgan’s son, Callum, was recently diagnosed with a genetic motor neuron disease called Type 1 SMA, or Spinal Muscular Atrophy. There is no cure and, to put it plainly, the outlook is bleak. As you might imagine, being a self-employed indie rock musician and producer doesn’t come with the best health insurance. In light of that, Desoto Records has set up a web page with more information including a link to make a donation. Please do.

The Velvet Underground’s “first real record” was purchased for 75 cents from a street sale bin in September 2002 and yesterday sold for over $155 large. The street sale find turned out to be an in-studio acetate of the thought-to-be-lost Scepter Studio recordings, and is probably the only surviving copy. Check out the ebay auction and the fascinating story behind it.

UPDATE: This story just made the front page of cnn.com. Generally, I like to steer clear of the echo chamber. Had I known this would be such big news, I’d never have mentioned it.

UPDATE 2: Bid != Sale