James Robbins, better known as J. Robbins, is an American rock musician.
Career
Robbins began his career as a bassist for
Government Issue
Government Issue was an American hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C. active from 1980 to 1989. The band experienced many changes in membership during its nine-year existence, with singer John Stabb as the only consistent member in an eve ...
, and has also led five of his own bands:
Jawbox
Jawbox is an American post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1989. The band currently consists of J. Robbins (vocals/guitar), Kim Coletta (bass), Zach Barocas (drums), and Brooks Harlan (guitars/vocals). The original lineup consis ...
,
Rollkicker Laydown,
Burning Airlines
Burning Airlines was an American rock band from Washington, D.C. J. Robbins and Bill Barbot of Jawbox formed the band with Peter Moffett (formerly of Government Issue) in 1997. The band released two full-length albums, a self-titled 7", and sp ...
,
Channels
Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to:
Geography
* Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water.
Australia
* Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...
, and
Office of Future Plans.
He was a touring bassist for
Scream and played bass on the debut 7" from Jack Potential, which was issued by
DeSoto Records
DeSoto Records is an American record label based in Washington, D.C.
History
DeSoto was founded in 1989 and is run by husband and wife team Bill Barbot and Kim Coletta (both formerly of the band Jawbox). It was first founded by members of the ba ...
in 1993. More recently he played bass in Report Suspicious Activity with
Vic Bondi, which released two albums on Alternative Tentacles Records.
In 2011, Robbins, along with
Kerosene 454's drummer and fellow Channels bandmate Darren Zentek, bassist Brooks Harlan, and guitarist/cellist Gordon Withers, released an EP under the name
Office of Future Plans.
The band, who had been playing since 2009 and released an album on
Dischord Records
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.–based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release '' Minor Disturbance'' by their band the Teen Id ...
in November 2011, but as of October 2016, they are not together anymore. In May 31, 2019, J. Robbins released his first solo album, ''Un-Becoming''.
In February 2024, Robbins released ''Basilisk''.
Producer
Robbins is also a successful producer and engineer for bands such as
War on Women,
Ponytail,
Clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...
(and side project
The Bakerton Group),
Jets to Brazil,
Braid
A braid (also referred to as a plait; ) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing three or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair.
The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strand ...
,
Hey Mercedes,
Shiner,
Mock Orange,
Bacchae (band),
The Pauses,
The Life and Times, Miranda Sound, Time Spent Driving,
Faraquet,
The Dismemberment Plan
The Dismemberment Plan is an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C. on January 1, 1993. Also known as D-Plan or the Plan, the name was derived from an industry phrase used by insurance salesman Ned Ryerson in the 1993 comedy film ...
, The Monorchid,
The Promise Ring
The Promise Ring was an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that is recognized as part of the second wave of emo. Among various other EPs and singles, the band released four studio albums during their initial run: '' 30° Every ...
,
Dwindle,
Pilot to Gunner,
Paint It Black
"Paint It Black" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European influences and lyrics ...
,
None More Black,
Jawbreaker,
Discount,
Against Me!
Against Me! is an American punk rock band, formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...
, Goodbye Soundscape,
Modern Life is War,
Stapleton,
Murder By Death,
mewithoutYou
MewithoutYou, usually stylized as mewithoutYou, was an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band consisted of Aaron Weiss (vocals), Michael Weiss and Brandon Beaver (guitars), Greg Jehanian (bass guitar), and Rickie Mazzott ...
, Black Cross (hardcore),
Lemuria
Lemuria (), or Limuria, was a continent proposed in 1864 by zoologist Philip Sclater, theorized to have sunk beneath the Indian Ocean, later appropriated by occultists in supposed accounts of human origins. The theory was discredited with the dis ...
, Caustic Casanova,
The Sword
The Sword is an American heavy metal band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band is composed of vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III for most of its ten ...
, Debate (from Sao Paulo, Brazil),
Coliseum,
Hammer No More the Fingers,
Small Brown Bike, Broadcaster, Noyo Mathis and Nakatomi Plaza.
Personal life
In 2007, Robbins's son Callum was diagnosed with
spinal muscular atrophy
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare neuromuscular disorder that results in the loss of motor neurons and progressive muscle wasting. It is usually diagnosed in infancy or early childhood and if left untreated it is the most common geneti ...
, an incurable nerve disorder.
A number of benefit shows for Callum Robbins have been organized and played in cities such as Chicago, Washington DC, Minneapolis, and New York.
References
External links
J. Robbins producer/engineer and Magpie Cage Recording Studio– Official website.
Office of Future Plans– Official band website.
on Aural States (Oct 2009)
Interview with Robbins and his new band, Channels, from ''Punk Planet'' 64Interview with Robbins from punknews.orgInterview with Robbins from Sound Bites Dog E-Zine*
Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal – Ep96: J. Robbins
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, J.
Living people
1967 births
20th-century American guitarists
American male guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
Songwriters from Washington, D.C.
Government Issue members