tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66918882007-03-22T22:26:30.867-07:00J.Blogger431tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-85730058543285948002007-03-22T22:09:00.000-07:002007-03-22T22:26:31.233-07:003.23.07<br /><br />So, how long has it been since we did any kind of update here ...<br />Janet and I have been rendered pretty much speechless by the kindness and support that we've been receiving from the community of creative and caring people around us in response to our son Callum's diagnosis of SMA. We've started a blog specifically to keep and share a record of what's happening with Cal, at <a href="http://callumrobbins.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://callumrobbins.blogspot.com/</a>.<br />As for Channels, this band has absolutely NOT broken up. But it is a colossal challenge for us to even coordinate rehearsals, and it's obviously not a time when Janet and I can focus on music the way we used to. Not that we were ever on the world domination track to begin with. We did however manage to complete a new song, "Cast Away," for <a href="http://www.culturalsociety.org/" target="_blank">Zach Barocas' benefit compilation for Cal</a>.<br />At any rate, you haven't heard the last of us, though it may be a while before you hear the, uh, next of us.<br />Thanks<br />JJ.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1166073009180776042006-12-13T21:09:00.000-08:002006-12-15T07:15:07.086-08:0012.13.06<br /><br />It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything here. Partly, I haven’t had the time or energy, but mostly it just didn’t feel appropriate to write about a family crisis on my music/work/vanity website. This is the place where I indulge inconsequential musings about music or politics, throw down Top Ten lists and propound my love of whomever I am lucky to be working with at any given time ... but things have definitely changed around here and especially since Kim and Bill put up <a href="http://www.desotorecords.com/cal" target="_blank">their page for our son Cal</a>, I figure it’s time I said something about what’s been happening.<br />Above all, I want to say THANK YOU - though words barely seem adequate - to Kim, Bill, Margaret Morgan and friends in the UK, and to everyone who has donated anything or even just sent a message of support. Janet and I feel more than ever that we are part of a real community, irrespective of geography but sharing a powerful bond through music and common ideals, and for that we are truly thankful. We have been moved to tears by the kindness of friends, and of total strangers, responding to Cal’s plight. And we are thankful for the messages we've received from other parents of kids with SMA.<br />I also wanted to give some more specific details about what we’ve been going through.<br />Callum was born Jan 27, 2006, and for the first few months of his life, we had no clue anything was wrong. We remarked on his “mellowness,” the fact that he didn’t seem interested in his legs or feet, and that he seemed to really hate being on his tummy, but he was really sociable, an early babbler, and obviously bright from an early age. Even our pediatrican thought Cal was just developing in his own way. He was, and is, simply a wonderful kid. But when he had passed his 6-month pediatric appointment and still didn’t sit up or even shimmy, and started having trouble holding his head up, we got more worried and went back to our doctor, only to find that something was indeed very wrong. We were told he had a severe lack of muscle tone, a total absence of reflexes, and the official diagnosis of SMA Type 1, confirmed by bloodwork, came fairly quickly thereafter.<br />We are lucky to live within walking distance of Johns Hopkins hospital, where Dr. Thomas Crawford has been studying SMA almost exclusively for 18 years. We were referred to him and he has been Cal’s doctor (along with our regular pediatrician) since the diagnosis. And he has been great. But when someone on the cutting edge of 21st century medicine tells you there is little or nothing that can be done, it does have a harder impact than hearing it from your family doctor.<br />We are encouraged by Dr. Crawford’s perception that - at least for now - Cal is in very good shape for a kid with his diagnosis. It is not uncommon for an infant with Type 1 SMA to already have severely impeded breathing and/or digestion, but Cal’s respiration and digestion seem really normal and healthy - he has a really strong voice and great appetite, and for his condition, fairly good head control. As an almost-11-month old with the physical aptitude of a healthy 2-or-3-month-old, in some ways maybe he is ahead of the game.<br />But our brief from the world of conventional medicine is simply to do as much physical therapy with him as we can (not because it will make for functional gains, but rather to keep his muscles from wasting and thereby keep him as healthy as possible), and do everything we can to keep him from getting sick, because thanks to his weakened chest muscles, his lungs will probably not develop fully, he will be at greater risk of a simple cold turning into something more serious, and an opportunistic infection is most likely to be his downfall.<br />As Dr. Crawford said to us, the most perverse thing about SMA is that no two cases are alike, so there is no predicting the course of Cal’s illness. It could be stable for the rest of his life, or it could worsen - slowly, or quickly, to what degree, all pretty much unknowns. SMA Type 1 is so often a fatal condition, but there’s just no telling what’s actually coming for Cal, except that actual improvements are not to be expected.<br />We are working overtime to explore our options outside the traditional thinking. Since October, Cal has been getting regular physical therapy, along with cranial sacral therapy which has done a lot to alleviate the physical effects of being immobile, and we have even gone outside the US (and the influence of the FDA) for one (inconclusive) form of treatment.<br />We are working with another neurologist who has used detoxification programs to treat and even cure autistic children, to explore the possibility that dietary allergies and environmental factors may have an effect on Cal’s condition.<br />At 11 months, Cal is too young to be an active participant in clinical trials, and we are not generally the greatest fans of pharmaceuticals, but we are also looking into some drug-based treatments that we may be able to try outside of a formal clinical trial setting.<br />Most promising: two days ago we returned from a 2-week trip to a unique physical therapy practice in Mississippi with a very special approach to neuromuscular disorders, which gave us a lot of hope for a way forward. After 2 weeks there, we have seen Cal get some muscle tone where he previously had none, a contracture in his right leg has straightened out, he is definitely inhabiting his body more than before, and he has even made progress toward rolling over for the first time since before the onset of SMA. We have a lot of faith in what we experienced in Mississippi and the donations from Kim & Bill’s page will enable us to return there and make it a continuing part of Cal’s care.<br />We are getting some great advice and logistical support from the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Maryland Infants and Toddlers program, but we still don’t know just how far our insurance will go for the more conventional expenses that are coming up, things like adaptive equipment (including wheelchairs and the associated corrective surgery) and assisted breathing machinery ... meanwhile the alternative stuff is 100% up to us, so for Kim and Bill, and Janet’s family and friends in the UK, to reach out to people on our behalf, and for people to have responded as they have, is nothing less than a blessing and it’s hard to find the language adequate to express the depth of our gratitude.<br />I do want to conclude by saying that, after the initial shock and sadness, having come somewhat to grips with the state of things (the “new normal”), day-to-day life right now is not always all that dramatic. I now realize how often, when we deal with disabled people, even despite our best intentions, we see the disability more than the person, and just how awful that really is. Day-to-day, with things stable as they are right now, Janet and I are reveling in this time with our son, and when we look at him, we don't see "our stricken baby," but rather a beautiful kid, with incredible positive energy and such a strong character that often it's been like he is the one getting us through it, not vice versa. He has started talking for real, babbling a lot but also saying some specific words and being even more communicative and funny ... the point being, though we know the road ahead is going to be different and sometimes a lot more difficult, Janet and I are still experiencing the joys of being the parents of a wonderful little boy, and it’s amazing.<br /><br />To everyone who is helping in any way, even with a thought of support, we send all our gratitude and love.<br /><br />J., Janet & CalJ.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1159925852349743652006-10-03T18:31:00.000-07:002006-10-03T18:37:32.360-07:0010.3.06<br /><br />CANCELLATIONS<br /><br />We are sad to announce that due to a serious illness in the family, we will be unable to play the shows we had scheduled for this weekend. Medications, Victory at Sea, and the other bands are still playing so please do rock out regardless. Check this space for future developments ...J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1157259234233560812006-09-02T21:46:00.000-07:002006-09-02T21:53:54.246-07:009/1/06<br />I'm delinquent here - blame MySpace I guess for making it easy ... Janet's already been on our page there to say thanks to everyone who showed up early and came up front to listen when we played at Ottobar with Smoking Popes and Criteria. We had a blast and we were delighted to see you there.<br />Record is out, we have shows scheduled, holy shit, we ARE a band!J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1156310067704831132006-08-22T22:12:00.000-07:002006-08-22T22:14:27.716-07:008.23.06<br />This is it - tonight is our first show since last November. Spare a thought for us wherever you are, unless you're at the show, in which case rock out wildly.J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1152676609034244192006-07-11T20:55:00.000-07:002006-08-05T13:49:19.396-07:00It's August - that means the record will be out in less than a month, and we have been rehearsing for our Aug 23 Ottobar show, where we will have the rare pleasure of sharing the stage with Smoking Popes and Criteria. We haven't played out since our November '05 jaunt with the Life and Times, so we are chomping at the bit. It's weird, with these kinds of breaks, it's a little bit like we're starting over every time we actually set out to play some shows. But that has a certain weird charm too, always being a "new" band. Our debuts keep getting better and better. For example, this time all the songs already have real lyrics ...J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1148771117145615042006-05-27T15:57:00.000-07:002006-05-27T16:07:25.453-07:005.27.06<br />OK all the parts are in, the artwork is done and it's stunning (thank you Peter Quinn), there's no turning back now, and assuming we all survive the coming tribulations of 6.6.06, our record will be out on Dischord at the end of August.<br />We are dormant, but we are most assuredly still here.<br />There is a very real possibility we might even play a rock show this Summer. On this, more later.<br />Meanwhile:<br /><a href="http://www.jrobbins.net/channels/ZoeBaker.mp3">I hope you relish this as much as I.</a>J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1139698032181808242006-02-11T14:41:00.000-08:002006-02-11T15:49:09.533-08:002.11.06<br /><br />The record is done! I compiled the winners from months' worth of intermittent mixing sessions yesterday. On Monday we're sending it to Alan Douches for mastering, and it should see the light of day on <a href="http://www.dischord.com" target="_blank">Dischord Records</a> sometime before Summer '06. We're not expecting to play out again until maybe the Fall, but when we do, believe me we'll shout it to the skies.J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1134283485616987452005-12-10T22:39:00.000-08:002005-12-10T22:44:45.626-08:0012.10.05<br /><br />We are FINALLY mixing the full-length. I am so excited to have arrived at this final stage and it's really shaping up. 6 songs down, 7 to go.<br />I think this might be the best record by any band I have ever played in. I know the songs are some of my favorite I have ever participated in writing.<br />And mixing down to 1/2" analog is the shit.J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1132809923554654762005-11-23T21:24:00.000-08:002005-11-24T08:51:36.633-08:0011.24.05<br /><br />No news is good news.J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1126918704719904532005-09-16T17:56:00.000-07:002005-09-16T17:58:24.723-07:009.16.05<br /><br />Thanks to the Life and Times for a lovely few days (you guys really are my favorite band right now), and especially to the kind people at North Six in beautiful Brooklyn and the Khyber in Philly. Still working on that DC show but this might be it for us as far as live shows go, at least until late next year. Back to work on the record ...J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1126381255734495812005-09-10T12:38:00.000-07:002005-09-10T12:40:55.740-07:009.10.05<br /><br />Thanks to everyone who came out last night to the Talking Head. Good bands, good fun ... Dan, nice geeking out with you. We are so stoked for the Brooklyn and Philly shows with the Life and Times. Working on DC for sometime in October but I'm not holding my breath - DC is a tough nut to crack.<br /><br />vive la resistance<br />J / ChannelsJ.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1125117837725670712005-08-26T21:24:00.000-07:002005-08-26T21:43:57.733-07:008.26.05<br />Working on the album. Man this shit takes FOREVER. Mostly because it has to happen in little bits and pieces.<br />Songs that are done or close to done:<br />The New Mandarins - some days this is the best song we've ever written - sort of a rump-shaking disco number that maybe owes a debt to Killing Joke. I am shall we say underwhelmed by this Corporate National Security Paranoia Oligarchy we are living in and I am very happy to be able to express it so clearly.<br />Mercury - kind of hypnotic, anthemic down-tempo song written by our friend Peter but as of today almost totally rearranged.<br />Hug the Floor - a really odd one, imagine navel-gazing Led Zeppelin meets Andy Partridge pop with Janet singing.<br />$99.99 - so pissed off<br />Lucky Lamb - the oldest new one, always fun to play ... we actually tracked this with Don Z at Inner Ear ages ago and I guess after a couple of second tries, it's still the definitive take<br />Mayday - new staccato rocker;some days THIS is the best song we've ever written<br />Little Empires - getting there<br />Helen Mirren - I haven't the words<br />and one with a spastic slide guitar part that can't seem to get a name<br />We have two or three more in the pipeline but those are the ones that we've tracked to varying extents.<br />We are hoping to play them all at the Talking Head show, and if not then, then definitely by the time we hook up with the L&T in September.J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1124167855844031252005-08-15T21:49:00.000-07:002005-08-15T21:50:55.850-07:008.16.05 <br /><br />Welcome us to the 21st Century - we now have a MySpace page at www.myspace.com/channelstheband. Thank you Rupert Murdoch.J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1124085488369322792005-08-14T22:49:00.000-07:002005-08-14T22:59:11.293-07:008.16.05<br /><br />Hey everyone - thanks for braving the 103 degree heat & coming out to Mercury Lounge on Saturday.<br />Avec, Nakatomi Plaza, PTG and the kind people of the Mercury Lounge: thanks for a lovely night.<br />Vic, Tonya & Sophie: thanks for your hospitality.<br />Lugging gear up 2 steep flights of brownstone steps in mid-August heat at 3AM is so far beyond the call - as I describe it, I can't believe we actually DID it. Thanks again Vic!<br /><br />Home now, safe & sound, ready to crash out.J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1123905148535026142005-08-12T20:46:00.000-07:002005-08-12T20:52:28.540-07:008.12.05<br />It's about 11:30 on Friday night. Tomorrow, Saturday the 13th, we are going to get up, pack a rented van, and drive to New York for our first show in 9 months, at Mercury Lounge with Pilot To Gunner, Nakatomi Plaza, and Avec. In the past week of rehearsals I have broken numerous guitar strings, forgotten entire verses of songs from our EP, rewritten verses of new songs, lost my voice (it's mostly back now), and yesterday my Marshall heaved a crackling electronic sigh and unexpectedly blew both fuses. Is someone up there trying to send me a message?<br />I AM NOT LISTENING.<br />If you are a New Yorker reading this: hope to see you there.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and we've confirmed a Talking Head show for Sept 9.J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1121315034058034392005-07-13T21:18:00.000-07:002005-07-13T21:23:54.063-07:00BASTILLE DAY.<br />The Channels calendar is starting to look good, with shows in NYC August 13 (at Mercury Lounge with Pilot to Gunner, Nakatomi Plaza, and Avec), Brooklyn September 14 (at North Six with Life and Times), and Philly September 15 (at Khyber Pass, also with Life and Times). DC and Baltimore are on the drawing board.<br />New songs are getting fleshed out; writing lyrics is still the same pain in the ass it has always been but I've got the Rhyming Dictionary out along with a stack of J.G. Ballard paperbacks for inspiration when I get stuck (that's a joke friends) and it's coming along.<br /><br />See you soon.<br />JJ.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1119932882534935772005-06-27T21:20:00.000-07:002005-06-27T21:28:02.536-07:006.26.05<br /><br />WE HAVE A SHOW.<br />Saturday Aug. 13 at the ever-lovin' Mercury Lounge in stylish downtown NYC<br />with Pilot to Gunner, Nakatomi Plaza, and Avec.<br />Who knows? Maybe there will be more of these show-type things to come.<br /><br />We also did some recording last month that we're all fired up about. Looking to finish overdubs and vocs etc sometime in July or August, but we now have basic tracks for 10 songs! That's one more than Duran Duran had for the "Rio" album, TWO more than Siouxsie & the Banshees "Tinderbox" ... but I think we'll need a couple more before we can call it a Channels full-length.J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1119501955667128552005-06-22T21:44:00.000-07:002005-06-22T21:45:55.673-07:006.22.05<br /><br />So, we were talking about maybe playing a show or something sometime soon ... hopefully we'll fill in this rather hazy picture before too long.J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1108354359651566972005-02-13T20:11:00.000-08:002005-02-13T20:18:36.390-08:00California dreamin' ...<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.jrobbins.net/channels/darrenweiner.JPG" />J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1104475814308654902004-12-30T22:25:00.000-08:002004-12-30T22:50:14.306-08:0012.31.04 <br /> <br />Yesterday we took over Phase Recording Studio down in College Park and busted out 5 basic tracks for the eventual Channels full-length: Lucky Lamb, $99.99, New Mandarins, Hug The Floor, and Mercury (a slightly rearranged and Channels-ized version of a Seraphim song, written by our good friend Peter Mansinne. Seraphim was a great band that never played a show, and this was one of their best songs, so we figured it deserved a second act). We have a few others that are ready to go (working titles: 4AD, Napoleon in Dundalk, and the imaginatively titled Newest One), but as yesterday stretched into this morning, we figured it was better to stop at 5 great takes than to try for more and burn out beyond the point of diminishing returns. Very adult of us. It looks like we won't be practicing again until early Spring, so we thought it was a good time to do some recording, before we get rusty again & have to start from scratch. <br />Among other things, it's so exciting to finally hear the drums sounding as huge and detailed as they should. Let's hear it for 96 kHz! <br />We also took our song for Kim Coletta's children's comp into the home stretch, with a major contribution from the talented Mr. Damon Locks. Can't wait for Kim to hear it. <br />Have a Happy New Year everyone; let's hope 2005 brings us all at least some turns for the better. <br /> <br /> <br />J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1101871919249142552004-11-30T19:11:00.000-08:002004-11-30T19:31:59.250-08:0011.30.04 <br /> <br />OK. First: thank you Simon, Roman, and everyone at Talking Head for a lovely evening last Wednesday. Thank you Fascist Fascist for your aggro and your badass banner and for being nice folks. Thank you Pilot to Gunner for your swagger, your anthemitude, and of course for the Mystery Shots. Thanks everyone who came to the show. Especially you. <br />We are spending the foreseeable future holed up in our aerie in the Hour Haus, writing and demoing new songs. It is fun as shit and we are very excited about what we've been coming up with. Louder, faster songs for Janet. Songs with no identifiable genre. Covers of bands that never played a show. We have 8 songs ready so far; who knows, by this time next year we might even be ready to record a full-length. <br />Celebrate whatever you can - see you in 2005! <br /> <br /> <br />J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1100560798773437412004-11-15T15:15:00.000-08:002004-11-15T15:19:58.773-08:0011.15.04 <br /> <br />I made flyers today! I haven't done that in about 4 years ... I even took them around to record stores. It was fun. These flyers advertise the bittersweet event: our last show of 2004, next Wednesday 11/24 at Talking Head, with Pilot to Gunner and Fascist Fascist. <br />On tour, someone told me he couldn't find our show calendar on this website, so here I say: look up and to the right for the word "calendar" and cllick on it ... voila. You are there. <br /> <br />J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1099513870343923532004-11-03T13:27:00.000-08:002004-11-03T12:31:10.343-08:0011.03.04 <br /> <br />Back from the West Coast and a good time was had by all. Thank you 50-Foot Wave for being the most gracious tour-mates ever, and thank you Hot Snakes for adding us to your San Diego show ... thanks Dan & Peter for putting us up in SoCal and for all your help in every way, Christine & Rich for your hospitality in Berkeley, and Heather & Mike for delicious dinner in San Diego. Thanks to everyone at the venues for being so kind. I should have some pictures to share here shortly. I'd do it now but I'm too depressed about the election ... see you in the Brave New World! <br /> <br />J.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6691888.post-1098639653473554312004-10-24T10:33:00.000-07:002004-10-24T10:51:47.716-07:0010.24.04 <br /> <br />It's a cold, grey afternoon in Baltimore & we're getting ready for CA. Practiced this morning; we might even debut "Fear is a Man's Best Friend" live. Excited to have a couple days of vacation time out there after the shows too. Though it's hard to believe the election will be over when we come home. I voted absentee last week and though I thought I'd walk away from the Election Board office feeling all bouyant and empowered, I am more nervous and scared than ever. But hey, at least there's rock on the agenda between now & then. <br /> <br />And look, while I'm here, knowing this will probably be my last blog before the election, let me spell it out: <br />VOTE KERRY. <br />Please. <br />Even if you have to hold your nose, just do it. The only way we're going to get Bush & co. out of our lives is if voters turn out in record numbers to give these people their walking papers. Even if you think it doesn't impact you, or you can't have an impact, or you're incredibly cynical about the whole thing, how hard is it to get to your local polling place and vote? It's easy, really. And even if you just think about it in terms of stacking up votes AGAINST Bush/Cheney, that's got to warm your heart a little bit, right? Imagine how good you'll feel if the smug smiles get wiped off their self-satisfied faces and the only mission they'll have to accomplish is to clean out their desks ... <br /> <br />Whew. 'Scuse my rant. <br /> <br />OK, well, see you in CA anyway. <br /> <br /> <br />J.