About heroes...

I feel very fortunate to have the musical heroes that I have.  They are not distant.  They don't have private jets.  They (maybe) have touring vans.  They don't have several vacation homes.  They have a mortgage.  They don't have nannies or butlers.  They have extrodinarily supportive husbands and wives.   They are people that have had the great fortune to be able to do something they love yet still suffer the everyday struggles, the same everyday struggles that you and I have.

I said that I feel very fortunate to have these people as my musical heroes because, unlike the pop culture zeitgeist, they and other Triangle bands give me the confidence that maybe I could do that.  I could do what they are doing.  It doesn't take a private jet or a Chateu or a 'hot' producer or American Idol.  Just the want and the will. 

The great gift of punk rock.

I had the pleasure of meeting one of my heroes, J. Robbins, after his band Jawbox played in State College in Pennsylvania.  I was probably just out of my teens.  I think they were touring for their album, For Your Own Special Sweetheart, still a favorite of mine.  He was extraordinarily nice, asking questions about us.  I talked with Zach Barocas, the drummer, a bit about film.  He just finished his first short film and was considering going to film school at some point. 

They loaded up their Ford and off to another town they went.

I couldn't believe what had just happened.  I not only saw one of my heroes but I talked with him.  And not just "Uh, hey".  But a full conversation.  I wasn't just a fan or a ticket buyer. It was an amazing experience, one that everyone in car talked about on the two hour drive home.  That band and others of their ilk had such an impact on me, changing and solidifying my taste in music and setting me in a course that has lead me here.

I can only try to imagine what it must be like for someone who is a big fan of say Rod Stewart.  There's Rod up stage.  Hot Legs, baby.  Hot legs.  Performing for just me...and my closest 20,000 friends. Hold on, let me count the hands in the air.  Yep, for the 20th year in a row ,by a vote of 20,000 to 0, we all think you're sexy. Then he finished his set and off he goes.  Young hearts be free in that limosine!  Taking his downbound train to a chateu in France with Maggie May. Dear Maggie May.

But what just happened at that concert?  What did people walk away with?  Just a good time?  Maybe Rod inspired a few people that night into a rock and roll career.  I'm sure some young ladies and laddies thought, "I could do that". 

All it takes is a thirty year career to achieve what I just witnessed.  That's it.  Just thirty years. 

 Or maybe a spot on American Idol.

Author's full disclosure: I am a huge fan of Springsteen and I could've just as easily used him as an example but for some reason ol' Rod was the first that popped in my head and I just ran with it.  But I could've just as easily said Bruuuce!  Born to Run...right to your private jet, etc. etc.

Back to the matter at hand:

For my musical heroes (well, except for one of them), the effect of seeing their shows is immediate.  I can do that.  I can play here.  I can travel to other cities to play my music.  I can record at my home.  I can release an album all by myself.  I don't have to be a 'great' musician (although Jawbox certainly were/are).  I don't have to have an interview in Rolling Stone. I don't have to sell millions of albums (or thousands of albums or even hundreds of albums).

This may read as a trivialization of punk/indie/hardcore's skills but I don't mean it that way at all.  In fact, their skills in self-management and self-production and self-reliance and self-booking, far outweigh the skills of Bruce and  Rod any day of the week.

You really can do it and these bands proved it every single night.

After Jawbox, J. Robbins was in several other bands but (maybe) most notably he went on to be a producer.  He produced an album by some friends of ours, fellows that now play with The Lowercase Thieves in Charleston and Aloha in DC.  He also produced an album by the Greensboro band Kudzu Wish whose former member Eric Mann now plays in the Chapel Hill band Fighting Poseidon. 

Do you think you can maybe get your heroes Rod and Bruce to turn a few knobs for you at the control booth?

In the beginning of this blog I mentioned that my musical heroes have the same mortgages that we all do.  They have the same problems that we do.  Sometimes, their problems are significantly worse than anything we can ever imagine.  And I don't know if I'm letting the cat out of the bag here for any of you non-musicians, but there is no Union Medical Insurance for musicians. 

If you've been to a Red Collar show, you've probably met or at least seen our friend Brian.  Brian was one of the people that I was in the car with on the ride home from the Jawbox State College show.  He recently told me that J. Robbin's son was born with a genetic motor neuron disease.  It is a very sad story and I will refer you to here to read more about it if you so wish:

http://www.desotorecords.com/cal/

Jawbox has meant so very very much to me and I am quite sure that my life would have been significantly different if I was not effected by the paths that they and others like them in the indie rock scene paved.  They gave hope to many kids from very small towns that wondered for years why they can't relate to the radio anymore, teenagers on the brink of being card-carrying members of the Cynic Society after arena rock circus acts lost its glitz and glam.  But those bands playing on those small stages out of crappy PA systems, they made believers out of us.  They made us think that we can do anything and we need nothing.  I will forever be grateful for what their hard life wrought and will do what I can to help alleviate the even harder life the Robbins family is living now.

Red Collar will be playing a beneift show for Cal this Saturday at the new community/arts space called Bull City Headquarters at 723 N. Mangum St. in downtown Durham. We are playing with Caltrop and Fin Fang Foom.  We would greatly appreciate your presence at this event.  If you are unable to attend, please consider donating to the Desoto website here:

http://www.desotorecords.com/cal/index.shtml

I probably don't have to say this but I will: no donation is too small, the cost of a cd, the cost of a lunch, the cost of a local show.

Sincerely, thanks,

j

All the King's Men

About fifteen years ago, I was playing a little pick-up basketball at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  I was only playing 'a little'. 

I was rolling around on the ground in pain 'a lot'.

This was the first time I tore my right ACL (a ligament in your knee).  I got it operated on a few months after the injury.  I did my physical therapy and all that.  Got a brace.  Everything was fine for about three years...

..until I was playing 'a little' pick-up volleyball.

That's when I tore my left ACL.  ACL injuries are kind of weird because they never really heal.  It's not like the ligament will reattach itself or some internal scab forms.  You can do physical therapy and strengthen the muscles and avoid the invasive surgery.  But it never truly heals.  And as long as you don't pivot on your knee, you'll probably be okay.  So I never bothered to get it operated on.  I figured someone was trying to tell me something-I should stop doing this whole weekend warrior sports nonsense.  Although I was never really any good at sports, I was pretty successful at turning down friends that asked if I wanted to go 'shoot some hoop' or 'crack the crouqet'. But then I was at a family reunion and had a couple of cold ones and then I think to myself, "Boy, haven't had any trouble with that knee for a coupla years now.  I bet I'm okay to play a little backyard volleyball.  No harm in that."

CUT TO:

JASON, lying on the ground finding out that indeed, there was harm in that.

And then I'd let it heal up and everything would be fine until the next backyard BBQ when everyone wants to play some badmitton or whatever and I have a coupla beers and think, "Man, it's been a few years since I had any problem with that knee.  I bet it'd be okay to hit the ol' birdie around."

CUT TO:

JASON, lying on the ground, with birdie and ego beside him.

But after ten years, I still didn't get it operated on.  Until one day (one of the greatest combinations of words in the English language...until one day...something really good is about to happen or really bad.  In this case, you don't need an English Lit degree to know...), I was working on the roof of my house and I'm not sure how it happened, but the knee just kinda slipped out of place a little.  When this happens, it's not like you can see it.  My kneecap doesn't go off to the side or anything.  It's some internal repositioning.  So I was on the roof of my house. 

And no one was home. 

And it was about to rain.

I had to pull a Mel Gibson/Lethal Weapon move and kind of jerk it back into place.  At this point I pulled a Danny Glover/Lethal Weapon and said, "I'm getting too old for this shit" and got the left one operated on soon after this incident.  I noticed a change in my physicality though after this day.  Because twelve or so years after my first knee operation, I notice that the opposite hip starts to hurt because I'm overcompensating with the oether leg.  Hip surgery is scary.  So I got the left one operated on and everything was fine, until one day...

Back in November, when the weather is just right for some football and guys and gals like me want to re-live the 'glory days' (although with me, my high school football glory days consist of me and my buddy Bill going, 'Do you wanna go to the game?' 'I dunno, do you wanna go to the game?' 'I dunno, do you wanna go to the game?'  and we'd end up going to Denny's for five hours), I was playing flag football and the right one, the one from fifteen years ago, re-tore. 

So I'm having it re-done in three weeks.  Red Collar will be on a two or three month hiatus until it heals up.  We have three more local shows until then: tonight at King's, this weekend at BCHQ and the week after at Broad Street Cafe.  As much of a drag as this surgery is, the break will be nice to work on new songs and do some new recordings. 

Although I guess I could've just asked the band for a break instead of this whole Look-at-me/Feel-bad-for-me routine. 

All the King's Men

About fifteen years ago, I was playing a little pick-up basketball at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  I was only playing 'a little'. 

I was rolling around on the ground in pain 'a lot'.

This was the first time I tore my right ACL (a ligament in your knee).  I got it operated on a few months after the injury.  I did my physical therapy and all that.  Got a brace.  Everything was fine for about three years...

..until I was playing 'a little' pick-up volleyball.

That's when I tore my left ACL.  ACL injuries are kind of weird because they never really heal.  It's not like the ligament will reattach itself or some internal scab forms.  You can do physical therapy and strengthen the muscles and avoid the invasive surgery.  But it never truly heals.  And as long as you don't pivot on your knee, you'll probably be okay.  So I never bothered to get it operated on.  I figured someone was trying to tell me something-I should stop doing this whole weekend warrior sports nonsense.  Although I was never really any good at sports, I was pretty successful at turning down friends that asked if I wanted to go 'shoot some hoop' or 'crack the crouqet'. But then I was at a family reunion and had a couple of cold ones and then I think to myself, "Boy, haven't had any trouble with that knee for a coupla years now.  I bet I'm okay to play a little backyard volleyball.  No harm in that."

CUT TO:

JASON, lying on the ground finding out that indeed, there was harm in that.

And then I'd let it heal up and everything would be fine until the next backyard BBQ when everyone wants to play some badmitton or whatever and I have a coupla beers and think, "Man, it's been a few years since I had any problem with that knee.  I bet it'd be okay to hit the ol' birdie around."

CUT TO:

JASON, lying on the ground, with birdie and ego beside him.

But after ten years, I still didn't get it operated on.  Until one day (one of the greatest combinations of words in the English language...until one day...something really good is about to happen or really bad.  In this case, you don't need an English Lit degree to know...), I was working on the roof of my house and I'm not sure how it happened, but the knee just kinda slipped out of place a little.  When this happens, it's not like you can see it.  My kneecap doesn't go off to the side or anything.  It's some internal repositioning.  So I was on the roof of my house. 

And no one was home. 

And it was about to rain.

I had to pull a Mel Gibson/Lethal Weapon move and kind of jerk it back into place.  At this point I pulled a Danny Glover/Lethal Weapon and said, "I'm getting too old for this shit" and got the left one operated on soon after this incident.  I noticed a change in my physicality though after this day.  Because twelve or so years after my first knee operation, I notice that the opposite hip starts to hurt because I'm overcompensating with the oether leg.  Hip surgery is scary.  So I got the left one operated on and everything was fine, until one day...

Back in November, when the weather is just right for some football and guys and gals like me want to re-live the 'glory days' (although with me, my high school football glory days consist of me and my buddy Bill going, 'Do you wanna go to the game?' 'I dunno, do you wanna go to the game?' 'I dunno, do you wanna go to the game?'  and we'd end up going to Denny's for five hours), I was playing flag football and the right one, the one from fifteen years ago, re-tore. 

So I'm having it re-done in three weeks.  Red Collar will be on a two or three month hiatus until it heals up.  We have three more local shows until then: tonight at King's, this weekend at BCHQ and the week after at Broad Street Cafe.  As much of a drag as this surgery is, the break will be nice to work on new songs and do some new recordings. 

Although I guess I could've just asked the band for a break instead of this whole Look-at-me/Feel-bad-for-me routine.