Please Read This

This is J Robbins, formerly of the bands Jawbox and Burning Airlines, currently of the band Channels. That is his son, Cal. Cal was born with an extremely serious disease which will make it extremely likely that, if he lives long enough, he will never walk. J is like many Americans, self-employed (as an extremely talented recording engineer), and lacking health insurance for this type of situation. J and his wife Janet are pursuing "alternative" assistance for their situation, and it's expensive. They need financial assistance. Links below will explain better than I can.
DeSoto's Site. J's Site.
Why is this on Squeaky's blog? because without J's influence in my life, musical and otherwise, Squeaky likely wouldn't exist. One night, after getting off work as a dishwasher at a Vietnamese restaurant, I rode my bike to the hardback to see some bands. All I knew about Jawbox was that they were on Dischord Records and they were touring with Helmet. That single show changed the entire musical trajectory of my life.
I immediately started drawing cartoons and sending them to Jawbox, and to my surprise, they wrote me back. I became penpals with Jawbox, attented every show in Florida that I could, and eventually saw them in Chicago and maybe Champaign, IL (I can't remember). What strikes me about seeing them and talking to them before and after shows is how cool it was to just talk to a band that I idolized, and how obvious it was that they cared about themselves, their fans, and remaining true to both. They were businesslike, serious, goofy, and having fun. Whether consciously or not, they were my personal model for how a band should operate. And I'm not talking music, although their music was of course an inspiration to me personally.
I happened upon DeSoto's website recently, while at work, and had to go into the bathroom to keep from crying out loud when I read about Cal. As a parent, and as a person, this story slayed me.
Anyway, when Steven heard about J's situation, he immediately had the idea to organize a benefit show, which hopefully we will be able to put together for next month. We don't have a lot of money, but we can play music and hopefully get some people and bands together. Keep an ear out.
thanks,
H/Sq