Jawbox on Cello - A Benefit for Cal Robbins

Speaking of Dischord, Gordon Withers has put out an all-cello tribute to Jawbox. The record is a benefit for Callum Robbins, son of J. Robbins, frontman for Jawbox, Burning Airlines, and Channels. Cal was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which affects the brain's ability to communicate with muscles. He cannot stand, crawl, or sit without support, and faces a lifetime of this, as SMA has no known cure. It's heartbreaking that his parents are thinking about a wheelchair for him at age three. Their only income comes from Robbins' work as a producer and engineer (he did Modern Life Is War's Midnight in America, Clutch's Robot Hive/Exodus, and Wino's upcoming solo record for Southern Lord). See the links below for more information on Cal, SMA, and how you can help.

Motorist (Gordon Withers)
Motorist (Jawbox)

Next to the human voice, the cello is the most expressive musical instrument. Its extremely wide range allows it both to growl and shriek, and Withers fully utilizes it. String tributes to bands are decidedly hit-or-miss; the relative simplicity of rock often feels flat when stripped of distortion and percussion. Not so with Jawbox, whose music exhibits counterpoint and harmonic ingenuity surprising even to me, a longtime fan. Withers has preserved much of the power of Jawbox's songs, while exposing the melodies behind their electricity. The result is not as explosive, of course, but then again, prime Dischord tempered aggression with abstraction.

Savory (Gordon Withers)
Savory (Jawbox)

Jawbox were arguably the best at adding emotion to that mix; "Motorist" devastatingly casts friendship/romance as a car crash ("So turn your back / Just drive on past / Cause nothing is better / Than getting out fast"). Robbins' voice here sounds a bit like Page Hamilton's; Zachary Barocas' kick drums flutter desperately under Kim Coletta's Kim Deal bass line. As for "Savory," to this day I still have no idea what it's about. (The video for it is even more baffling.) But as music, it's breathtaking - pulsing dissonance, weeping bends throughout, the afropop-esque miasma of the pre-chorus. The chorus is relatively upbeat, until the relative minor chord at 3:12 pulls everything out from underneath, as Robbins' voice trails overhead. It's like a rollercoaster just before it plunges.

Jawbox on Cello is available physically from Gordon Withers' MySpace, and digitally from Amazon, iTunes, and eMusic. All proceeds from CD sales will go to the Cal Robbins Care Fund. You can also make a direct donation via PayPal here.

Cal's story
Cal Robbins blog
Interview with J. Robbins

For Callum is another benefit record for Cal. Its two discs compile tracks by Channels, Jawbreaker, Joe Lally, Mission of Burma, Travis Morrison, and others. It is available physically and digitally. All proceeds will go to the Cal Robbins Care Fund.