John says Dick’s harmonica parts on both “No Good Songs About the War” and “For Their own Ends” are perfect. One part down. Still need to record the lead guitar, for which I think I’ll use the Strat—gives the sound engineer (John) better control. He’d like to record the lead guitar four times and then mix and match pieces from the four leads. Him da boss. He said he’ll make sure we have “No Good Songs About the War” done in time to send to England for the Dylan-wannabe contest. (Deadline is the end of August.)

I had an idea for the band for the Southern Pigfish album. The new music teacher for the school district had created, over an 8-week period this summer, three middle-school rock bands from scratch; they performed at Garibaldi Days, and were quite good (one band was very good). Would they—or any of them—be interested in “being” Southern Pigfish for the album? I wanted to use total unknowns, and an impromptu band of middle-school rockers is about as unknown as one can get. Figured it was worth asking. (No answer yet.)

Said music teacher also happens to have a recording studio. I don’t plan to use it for the Joe Album; John’s got the recording equipment now, and is having too much fun with it (and getting excited about its possibilities). It’s fair game for Southern Pigfish, though—a band that doesn’t exist can record anywhere, right? The important thing is being able to do it for no money. I have no money.

What I have for the Southern Pigfish album at present is:

For their Own Ends (title cut)

Bedpans for Brains (which really needs to be a music video)

Vampire Roumanian Babies

Love Trails of the Zombie Snails

Test Tube Baby (the old Dodson Drifters hit from the 1970s)

--and just maybe the Norwegian Black/Death Metal song, “Evil Dead Fairies in My Mobile Home.” “Bedpans for Brains” is the only country music song, and it can be rocked up easily—our band could do it. In a pinch—if it were necessary (or possible) to do the album right away—I could add:

When I Jump Off the Cliff I’ll Think of You

Rotten Candy

Born Again Barbie (if co-writer Scott Rose is willing)

“Cliff” has been recorded by a rock ‘n’ roll fellow, and it came out real well (I played lead on the recording); it may have been written as a bluegrass number, but it crosses genres well—it’s even been done as electronica, by Jerry Miller (dba zonemusicinc), and that’s my favorite version. I expect “Rotten Candy” would rock well, too—and I could include that sticker that proclaims “Includes The Song Rejected By American Idol!”. That would fit the whole mystique of Southern Pigfish, I think. The “Barbie” song is rock ‘n’ roll, too (Scott was a rock guitarist), and I’ve scripted that one out as a music video, too—using (what else?) a cast of Barbies. I have a crateful in the garage.

That’s nine songs, just barely enough for an album. As time goes on, I’m sure I’ll have more. Southern Pigfish are too good an outlet for the really weird stuff.

OTHER STUFF: I haven’t managed to make the webcam record on the laptop, and I don’t know why. I’ll switch it back to “Alice” the desktop, and try some of the things I learned working with the laptop, and see if the change in “venue” makes a difference. Otherwise, I’ll have to write off the webcam as a bad investment, and see if I can do the “Joe Show” a different way. I have a video to do for Performing Songwriters, too.

Joe