Linda Pootinella Christy

This multi-media collage painting was created from part of a much larger canvas from years prior. It holds pieces of time in various forms and textures, all related to my escapades on this planet as a human. Each part of it is connected to every other piece in the series and every other part of my life.

My title for this series of cut up art school painting collages, and various mixed media objects like metal, beads, paper, wood, glitter, string, and more was:
“Cannibalistic, Incestuous Fragments of Time, Space, and Anxiety,
or Recombinant BFA”.

Yes, people were taken aback, but then that’s one of the responses poetry/art is meant to elicit. And it was just fun to say. I truly meant it in regard to
defining the substance of the series. It’s full of visual metaphors from my
experiences, and there were a lot of twisted and horrifying events along the way.
Everything was all mixed together in one big bag of time/space adventures.

Little did I realize how extensively I was time traveling back then, as well as quantum leaping (or are they the same thing?) These days I’m having a grand time exploring the stars and the expansive quantum pinball machine overhead. There is imagery in this that I now see as clairvoyant through explorations of my psyche and all its phantom friends. As I sort, pack, and process my life to move upward and forward I’m seeing things I’d missed before.

This brings me to a SALE! Yeah, it’s always about money, huh? In this case,
it’s about lightening my load and giving me some money for moving forward from the treasures I’ve saved over the years..

This painting will be for sale. And so will other paintings from this series, and other series, drawings, scribbles, bits and pieces, ART BOOKS, and whatnot. So if you’re interested in procuring some of my art, now would be the time.

SALE will take place August 28 - 30th. OKC. Departure from this house will be August 31, and I hope to take little with me. Please come, if you can, to find an art treasure to give a new home and new life in the light.

“Tower” acrylic mixed media - unstretched canvas, paper, metal, beads, glitter.

Aaaaah, it’s blowin’ cold tonight.

stinging ice shaking the trees

she’s angry and out for revenge

she’ll play it out just as she please

she pulls down the rain

and throws trees to the sky

bites the river to devour the ice

shreds and destroys

with a shriek and a cry

daughter of the wind

flying high into the sun

daughter of the wind

spinning

soaring

............rising

all into one

she caresses the leaves

makes love to the streams

moves mountains one piece at a time

Her breath shatters the granite

it slashes the fields

it destroys all the carefully

crafted fake and phony shields.

she sings to the clouds

cries out to the moors

sweeps across vastness

through spooky slammed doors

her mother, the moon

her father, the sun

conceived in the nebulae

birthed on the run

she whispers

and she howls

and she screeches

from the devil’s jowls.

daughter of the wind

flying high into the sun

daughter of the wind

with a bright forceful spin,

soaring,

rising,

lifting,

crashing

spinning,

all into one

This is a live performance by Cajun Joe at a satellite of The Sarasota Blues Fest in early February, 2026. He had not performed for a large audience in many years, was extra nervous, and was struggling to gain his bearings. It didn’t take him long!

darkness always finds a doorway

in a vein of dark sky

seeking light in the darkness

stumbling through the other side.


there are ghosts in the shadows

ghosts of all your mistakes

spectral wisps of regrets now

in the colors of heartbreak


you cannot move in the shadows

your dreams will darken in pain

where the demons and nightwings

prowl for blood they can drain

they look like your neighbors

they look like your friends

but their faces are hollow

their lies never end

and the shadows hold your heart

in an enshrouded room

and the shadows they take your breath away

and you suffocate in the gloom

if you move through the portal

rise up on the other side

facing demons at the edge of immortal

leaving a husk relieved of your pride

As you step through the portal

find your way to the light

and face all those demons

and expose them on sight.

break free of those chains

step out of the darkness

and into the light

now baby, ooooo

just break free of the darkness

puttin up a black fence

to shut out the light

puttin up a black fence

can’t see it at night

it’ll keep out the nightmares

send em into a spin

they’ll be screechin and moanin

screamin please let us in

puttin up a black fence

it’ll keep all the bad thangs out

it makes so much sense

it will darken all doubt

you can’t hang your bike parts

you can’t hang none a your clothes

you can’t touch the black fence

honey, that’s just the way that it goes.

oh we need that dark black fence

to shield us from the creeps

to block out the nightmares

that come to our beds in our sleep.

puttin up a black fence

to shut out the light

what a beautiful black fence

what a glorious sight

oh baby a black fence

oh baby it’s black

oh baby a black fence

you’ll find it in back

back to black

paint it black

oh baby a black fence

black fence

back to black

painted black

turn it black

black fence

painted

black

A KaLixiuM Production, featuring Cajun Joe & Co vocals., Lyrics by Linda Christy

EVERY DAY I CRY…………….

every day, every day,

every day i cry

i can’t really say the reason why

every day every day my tears fall

it’s as if i’ve really lost it all

every day every day my heart breaks

it rumbles and it aches

every day oh every day i feel the pain

of drowning in the rain.

every day, every day i cry

i can’t break free from the lie

it’s burned into my aching soul

my tender heart has turned to coal.

my falling tears are drowning me

slip in their wells and you will see

i’m going down down down down

my pounding tears are drowning me

every day, oh every day, honey, i cry

you’ve burned the bridge i don’t know why

every day, yes every day, this pain is mine

the tears flow hot like Clementine

every day, every day, my love, i cry

i can’t believe the reason why

every day, every day my tears fall

as if i’ve finally lost it all

every day i cry

every day i cry

every day i cry

“Every Day I Cry” Nail enamel on wood 6” x 6” June 2026

and baby did i mention that time don’t stop

for prayers nor money

it takes you through shattered domains of confusion

and panoramic fields of pain.

when you find yourself awakened from the syncopated dream

you’ll find fire and water transmuted into steam.

you’ll feel your heart’s awakened once again.

if it’s not too late,

salvation will prevail.

every time you step into the sacred waters

you bathe your soul in everlasting shine

your heart beats rhythms into ageless rafters

until the sages and the ages claim your time

do you see over clouds and rolling starlight?

do you see where fate is going to take you now?

do you see through mist and fog in the dark night?

when time re-animates as your soul allows?

are there angels in your passway as you enter?

are there hellhounds hard upon your trail?

have you moved into the darkest rooms of hades?

redeemed through heaven’s travail?

if it’s not too late,

salvation will prevail.

acrylic on canvas reverse image —— detail

“Shapeshifters’ Migration”…….scratchboard………7 x 10”………………..1992

They came from from all over.

from here to there

from east to west

from up and down

from all around.

The MOFOs arrived as the

heat of Austin Texas sizzled their arrival,

then washed it all with rain

to cool down the intensity of their passions.

Those passions are sonic passions ———

Music and all its exquisite accoutrements,

of which the prime avatar is Kevin Shinyribs Russell.

His powerful heart and spirit were the catalyst

to alchemize a geographically diverse group of

creative, musically hungry, and joyful people

into rising above pandemics and the difficulties

of navigating the world of global upheaval.

Who ya gonna call to come down from Heaven?

Kevin

Shinyribs sent out some shine, a beacon, and

a dedicated cadre of shine seekers hopped right into

his online sonic playroom. Ukuleles were brandished!

Laughs and stories flew around like glitter.

Songs, lyrics, melodies, confessions, declarations!

Creative voices and faces and hands all wrapped

up in hilarious exchanges in the ether, on a screen!

These were healing moments at a time when healing

was sorely needed. It was people vibrating like a

hallelujah chorus in the most sanctified church

within our possession ———

our loving spirits and sonic souls.

Kevin’s never stingy with his shine. He passes it around

like a joint at a Grateful Dead concert.

You want it? You got it!

These gatherings came to be known as Ribfrys.

(Sorry, but normal grammatical rules don’t apply.)

This motley group of wacky cacklefest denizens,

who gathered to celebrate and engage with each

other within the sparkly contrail of Shinyribs,

became known as The SHINY MOFOS.

I’ll let you transcribe any acronyms for yourself.

As happens when a tribe finds its reflections

in the mirror, this group had to journey

to make perfect concrete contact

with its counterparts, en masse.

There were other MOFO gatherings. In fact,

a whole radio station in Madrid, New Mexico,

was taken over by them on a Sunday afternoon.

I happen to know there were felines on the

premises as they reshaped the sonic airwaves

with their antics. FELINE MOFOS! There are

inter-species MOFOS, PEOPLE!!!!

There was a MOFO meet in Austin, in sync

with the first ever Gourds Reunion in 2025.

That reunion was so wildly successful, there was

no other choice but for the Gourds to have another

Gourds Reunion………by popular demand!!!

The decision was made, the band members

discussed, planned, and all that other stuff

like scheduling, etc. The Paramount Theater

on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, was happy

to provide their soon-to-be-renovated theater

venue for some iconic performances as a

lead in to their changes. May 20th got sold out,

so they added May 19th.

It also happened that two of the MOFOs —-

Paula and Mark, Austin dwellers, and

highly dedicated MOFOS, wanted Shinyribs

to perform for their milestone birthday

parties, and by happenstance, Kevin’s

birthday is May 21, so TIME made the

decisions here. It summoned MOFOS and

they answered the call.

The birthday party at Sam’s Town Point

on Allred in Austin, was one of those parties

that happens once, becomes legendary, and

continues to thrive through word of mouth

over the years. It was full of ALL the emotions

and love washed over it like waves of rapture!!!

INTERMISSION (rest from the party)

Next up SHOWTIME!

For MOFOS, or anybody really, being

in Texas means having barbecue at some point.

Down the street from The Paramount Theater,

soon to explode with Gourds singing to the heavens,

is Cooper’s Barbecue….which I assume was chosen

not only for proximity to the theater, but also for

Denise Mofo’s adorable puppy, Cooper, who came

to Texas from Tennessee. He’s another inter-species

MOFO. Canine MOFO. There are several species. I haven’t

met any horses yet. I think the Mofos ate the cow.

Or it could have been The Gourds. They did sing about it.

Dan, aka Kalixium, and I, were late to the barbecue,

due to my difficulties with the time/space continuum,

but we made it in time for dessert, and for…………..

the MOFO MARCH down 6th street to the theater.

Now, you don’t expect some geezer woman with a snazzy red walker

to be leading a parade, but there it was. The person with

the least ambulatory capability was leading the charge. What is it

they say? Make it make sense! I think it was because I wasn’t

full of barbecue.

The MARCH OF THE MOFOS was one of those parades that

needed no clowns, horses, or Shriners. It was a march of

joyfully spirited lovers of Austin’s musical brilliance,

especially in the form of one Kevin Shinyribs Russell,

musical shaman; Mr. Multitudes for his

expansive creative eclecticism; Judy Russell’s beloved son;

and whose birthday we celebrated with brunch at Cisco’s.

Ooooo! Go get their migas!.

This bunch of MOFOs have become a doting family.

Kevin is the patriarch. There are ribs fried almost

monthly, where cacklefest is the mode of the eve.

The family also can include Kevin’s band members

over all time and space, along with other Shinyribs lovers.

I suppose adoptions are available for those looking

for a family with which to cackle….with a soundtrack!

As for The 2nd Gourds Reunion?

It was SPECTACULAR!

Who ya gonna call to come down from Heaven?

Kevin

Max, Kevin, Jimmy………………..May 19, 2026

Screeching Furies acrylic on paper

Lyrics: Linda Christy and Cajun Joe

Music: Cajun Joe & Co

Production: KaLixiuM Live ©

it’s time to go nightmare huntin baby

oh suit up, show up, and bring all your weapons

cause it’s time to go sack us a bad one

gimme your monsters and your ghouls, baby

cause i’m the one who kills nightmares

i can take em to school and i’m nobody’s fool

i can make your demons all disappear

cause i’m the one who kills nightmares

i know your nightmares they haunt you.

but i’ve come to drown them in light

rip off the curtain and reveal them to sight

i devour their hate and i spit out the pain!

destroy all their lies and make it all right.

i never knew how the shadows could hide

the liars, the cheaters, the dealers and thieves

comin on strong with all their dreadful sin

and lies up their sleeves.

i discovered their deceptive ways

they come through your heart

so your head it won’t see

they devour your soul

so you’ll never be free

they show up in clusters,

slithering in with a grin,

eyes wide open,

hands outstretched,

singing c’mon won’t you let me come in?

i’m not here to hurt you, just to take what you give

hope you don’t mind while you bleed like a sieve

cause i’m the one who kills nightmares, baby

they don’t stand a chance around me

say goodbye to all your nightmares baby

cause the dark of night falls only so i can see.

hold down all those creatures of the night, baby

the lessons scare me more than the beasts

that’s when i stop and listen to my heart, baby

it’s when i see the light inside the heat.

cause i’m the one who kills nightmares

they’ll all be gone soon

right down that drain,

no more swirling in shadows

cause i’ll be shattering your demons

no more unbearable pain.

cause i’m the one who kills nightmares, baby

cause i’m the one who will set you free

i’m the one, i’m the one

baby, i’m the one.

cause i’m the nightmare killer, baby.

This song was inspired by a character who came to my house with an agenda. He sat down on the couch, looked me dead in the eyes, and said,

“I’m the one who kills nightmares!” You have things you want gone? I can fix it for you!

Instead, I wrote this song and sent it off to Joe, who returned TWO “killer” versions of this song.

After I played both versions of the song, repeatedly for a day or two, my yard was covered with dead nightmares. There were so many they started to smell! I had no idea what nightmares smelled like until then. They’ve since dissipated, and not so many new ones have shown up. At least I know how to get rid of them now if they do. Cajun Joe - Nightmare Hunter!

Here’s the other version.

Monkeys Acrylic on vinyl 2.5” x 3.5” each 2004

Lyrics by Linda Christy and Cajun Joe
Music by Cajun Joe and KaLixiuM Live

How many monkeys are hangin out on my back

if they were ducks it’d be a deafening quack

i gotta get em all offa me right now

i’d do it myself but i just don’t know how

Too many monkeys crawlin round on my back

i can feel em scratch, bite, leavin tracks

how many are there now

count em up and let me know

honey my head is getting ready to blow

too many monkeys

too little business

gotta get em offa my back

how many monkeys should there be on my back

these monkeys got my whole life all off track

countin up the numbers gotta add up to win

well you’ll just let other monkeys come in

how many monkeys do you want on your back

take all you want and seal em up in a sack

too many monkeys

too little business

please get em offa my back now

how many monkeys will you take off my back

if they’ll behave so cut em some slack

why don’t you take a few home with you

chain em all up and they’ll bother you too.

how many monkeys just fell on my back

i can hear em all groovin

and smoking some crack

be careful not to let any of em inside

cause they all way too loaded to run and hide

too many monkeys

too little business

gotta get em offa my back

how many monkeys are still on my back

i can hear em all singin amy’s back to black

see i just knew they weren’t trying to leave.

and i just knew they had some more jokes up their sleeves.

how many monkeys gonna stay on my back

i’ll have to just feed them,

just give em a snack

really I’d hoped they would all want to go

now i just gotta roll with the wild monkey flow

too many monkeys

too little business

gotta get em offa my back

“Ferris Wheel” Acrylic on Canvas 16 x 20 Collection of Estrella Evans 2004

“KISS” acrylic, watercolor, marker on paper 3” x 3” 04 13 2026

i love you in all my favorite places

my chakras dance up and down for you

my fire rises root to crown, baby

my heart flames with love so true

you stay in my mind

all day and all night

my brain’s so crowded

my thoughts cannot breathe

i can’t get you out now,

try as I might

i don’t know what to do

I need a reprieve!

so kiss me soft

and love me hard

baby, i can’t

get enough of you

you fill me up

when you lay me down

baby, I can’t

get enough of you

My soul feels your touch

from the stars, baby

you don’t even have to

be present to win my heart

caressing my face

from the ether my sweet

there was no question

about letting you in

and i crave the

feel of your breath

on my cheek

feel the heat of your touch

my thoughts hold

you close to my breast

oh my love, it hurts

how i want you so much

so kiss me soft

and love me harder

baby, i can’t

get enough of you

you fill me up

when you lay me down

baby, I can’t

get enough of you

time won’t wait

for this inspiration

time won’t wait

for those looking back now

time won’t give you

the affection you need

only my love provides

all the things you won’t find nowhere else

so kiss me soft

and love me hard

baby, i can’t

get enough of you

you fill me up

when you lay me down

baby, I can’t

get enough of you

Lyrics - Linda Christy
Music & Vocals - Cajun Joe & Co., Dan Taylor, Linda Christy
Production - KaLixiuM Live

WHAT COLOR IS A KISS?

what color is a kiss?

how many colors is a kiss?

is a kiss a rainbow?

is it black?

is it white hot?

is it purple?

is it orange as it tastes orange?

is it lemon yellow?

peppermint striped?

sewage green?

is it electric blue?

is it lava rock red?

is a kiss the color of a sunset on a december eve?

is it the color of a deep ocean wave?

is it the psychedelic dazzle of a hungry cuttlefish?

is a kiss the color of a mountain in the distant twilight?

is a kiss the color of a far away star?

is it the color of a light tracer on your syncopated retina?

what color is a kiss?

is it the nucleus of a sparkler on the 4th of july?

is it pool in which you see your own reflection?

is it the melody upon which your heart cries?

is a kiss the color of rapture in the dark sacred night?

is it the color of clouds too bright on an uncloudy day?

is it the snow flashing white, melting into a dream?

is a kiss the color of your joy when you sing?

what color is a kiss?

how many colors is a kiss?

is it hot pink

and then

gold

and silver

and ruby red?

what color

is a kiss?

i don’t want an ecru kiss.

i’ve had them.

not a good kiss color.

nor a gunmetal kiss.

some people might.

not i!

a kiss the color of a

primary crayon box

can be quite nice.

a kiss the color of

pink fairy dust

is glittery and fine.

a kiss the color of

roaches in the ashtray

isn’t what is promised.

What color is a kiss?

It’s the color of love.

What color is love?

The mystery of the little blue chairs. About the size to seat a basketball sized gourd. Toddler size. How did these bright blue plastic kindergarten mini seats become the only places to plant one’s derriere while grooving to The Gourds at their long awaited reunion at Ramsay Midwood’s Sam’s Town Point?

What is the story?

Was there a Wizard of Oz convention at Sam’s and they left their chairs?

A pre-schoolers’ music camp for Austin musicians’ kids?

A Lilliputian gathering for religio-political purposes?

Kindergarten musical chairs dance club?

A super-duper deal from a delinquent day care center?


Does anyone have a plausible explanation that could be documented so this
mystery can be laid to rest?

Or how about a fantastical explanation that could be an art piece?

The widely, and wildly, anticipated reunion of The Gourds, April 12 & 13, 2025, was an event of soulful proportions, as one would expect. This band was revered for its uniquely innovative and creative approach to making music. From 1994, through almost two decades, this remarkable group of musicians created a powerful sound and force of musical spirit like no other.

Kevin Russell, Jimmy Smith, Max Johnston, Claude Bernard, and Keith Langford
alchemized a breadth of varied musical experience combined in these dedicated artists. They vulcanized the musical mash-up into high art from a lowbrow perch. That takes a special genius!

Their musicianship was continually on the rise as they honed their skills on the job. Road stories, wacky antics, and all the other textures that take place with a touring band, only served to enhance the passion in their music.

They could take the most common element of every day life, elevate it with wit and intelligence, while turning it all into a poetic buffet for anyone who could groove to their sparks. They touched the familiar, made it magical, and connected with listeners through their favorite chakras.

No matter how commercially successful they became their music was always ART….yes, with a capital A! It came up from their depths as manifestations of visions that probably pre-date their individual births. That creative force was in their DNA. The Gourds were original and unique. There has never been and will never be another like this band! A multitude of Gourds fans would likely agree.

Once I start listening to them, I have difficulty stopping. Each song is as enigmatic and entertaining as the last. I want to keep feeling those rolling and swirling grooves that pull you in to become part of the structure of the song. It’s easy to see why they have such a dedicated following. That reunion was like a religious revival! A soul to soul recognition of human experience in musical form.

Gourds lovers came from all over to pledge reverent devotion to this illustrious quintet of musical oracles. It was standing room only on the crunchy, dusty
dirt of the grounds outside Sam’s Town Point….except for a several dozen
toddler sized blue chairs sprinkled about in irregular rows at about mid-point
of the crowd. Their size insured the seats would be behind standing, grooving,
entranced Gourds lovers, blocking vision of the stage with their rapturous bodies. It didn’t seem to bother anyone much. There was nary a still body
in the pulsating congregation.

The little chairs seemed to be there for those with the discipline to meditate on the sonic charms of Kevin, Jimmy, Claude, Max, and Keith. Otherwise the situation was a mass of writhing joy cravers crowded toward the stage lit up with creative talent unique to the American sonic sphere.

You shoulda been there! If not, however, I hear tell of another event of mega groove proportions created by the Gourds because this one of which I speak was
so fabulous they decided to continue the thrills when the fates allow.

Indeed, you will find NEW thrills through two more Gourds revivals at The Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin on May 19 and 20th, 2026, although they may both be sold out now. You’ll have to buy tix for next year’s reunion NOW!

Woodburned (pyrography) gourds, by Pootinella, 2005-06

The Gourds -

Kevin Russell, Max Johnston, Jimmy Smith, Keith Langford, Claude Bernard

Poster from Glide Magazine -
https://glidemagazine.com/308458/the-gourds-announce-2025-reunion-show-in-austin/

Prismacolor on paper 1995

After I posted this poem here on Substack, KaLixiuM produced this recording, with some great additions.

There's a fissure in the earth below me
to swallow me into the fire
I look down at Gaia's heartbreak
releasing all hope and desire

the darkness has a final presence
hoping to crush me from the dream
refusing to make any sense
as i swallow all my screams

the fissure opens and
i burn from the heat
crying to goddess as
I go into retreat
my heart crashing faster
from a dissonant beat

oh gaia what have we done to you
oh gaia, our mother, what have we done
how do we soothe you?
is our race now run?

oh gaia what have we done to you
you loved us well,
you gave us care
we tortured and beat you
and still you were there

oh gaia what have we done to you
you were our heart
we tore you apart
you were our beacon
we darkened your shine
we face you with reckoning
if we run out of time

There's a fissure in the earth below me
to swallow me into the fire
i look down at Gaia's heartbreak
releasing all hope and desire

and the fissure opens wider
as we dance on the pyre
and darkness swallows
every human desire

oh gaia what have we done to you
oh gaia, our mother, what have we done
how do we soothe you?
is our race now run?
oh gaia!
gaia!

Moon Goddess Scratchboard 3” x 5” 1996

in the great wide world of wonder

as we wander under star kissed skies

prophets speak through great rolling thunder

as venus laughs, dances, and sighs.

there was never a time when we weren’t together.

time can’t untie this tether

we’re children of stardust laid bare to the bone.

our life force subscribed to a telephone.

I can’t focus now, can’t see through the haze

scrambling to idols and grasping for praise

The planets keep on spinning.

The stars hot to shine

the moon shines on grinning

and the dragons drink wine

and Gaia speaks…………

as the idols shout out, clamoring for time

laying down in the crowd and ignoring the signs

your big picture, it falters, and the moment has won

losing sight of the altars, our time forged in the sun.

we search in the fissures, our treasures inside

overlooking the warnings, imprisoned by pride.

our hearts remain shattered if we don’t heed the call

lurching in rebounds, crashing into the wall.

The planets keep on spinning.

The stars hot to shine

the moon shines on grinning

and my dragons drink wine

Can’t you hear Gaia speak

as fools we know laughter but ignore it in shame

when what we’re all really after is to stop playing the game

we fight with the mirror in a hellscape of blame

until you lose the great battle and you head into shame

now can you give it a name

we’re all been given chances. too many to count

no more advances to transcend

it’s to find a way out.

The planets keep spinning.

The stars hot to shine

the moon shines on grinning

while our dragons drink all the wine

Can’t you hear Gaia speak?!!!

Can you hear her voice

because it rises through you

“HeartFace” nail polish on canvas 3” x 3”

So, I have love songs I’ve written. I guess when you’re a songwriter you just can’t help it. And there’s so much to love in the world. And so many wonderful beings to love. And, for many of us, there can be one particular person we connect to in the romantic cosmos, and oftentimes more.

It’s love, after all, and it expands with use.

This is my Valentine for those of you out there with clicks and interest.

I added some covers imbued with passionate homage to LOVE.

Won’t you please be mine, and listen to my Valentine?

Digital production by KaLixiuM Live ©
Music by Cajun Joe & Co Vocals: Cajun Joe
Lyrics by Linda Christy

”Heartbreath”

“So Far Away”

“If Hearts Wore Love”

“When You Bleed” (version 3)

“Solitude” (Duke Ellington cover)

“I’ll Be Seeing You” (Billie Holiday cover)

“Dream A Little Dream” (Gus Kahn 1931 -
Cajun Joe Live @ Saratoga Blues Fest. Feb. 2026, )

Mixed Media Acrylic - card

Dan had been working with the music producing app, Band Lab, and was creating lots of music he was sending out to be performed by various artists to record. Band Lab is a platform that offers all the elements, created by artists all over, to make songs .

You can find singers, instrumentalists, lyricists, producers, and anyone who creates various aspects of original music. If you have lyrics you can find a performer to interpret them. If you have a melody, people can pluck it to make it work for their lyrical ideas. Whatever you need to make your musical ideas come to life can be found on Band Lab.

Over the years I had written lyrics to songs whose melodies were in my head and then left to steep in my songbooks or journals. I mentioned to Dan that I had them and he said, “Let’s see what you have.” So we looked through some of them and “There Ain’t Nothin’ the Devil Ain’t Done” popped up as if it knew it had a destiny with fate. So Dan sent it in to Band Lab to see what would happen.

In a matter of days an artist out of the swamps of Florida, calling himself “Injun Joe”, grabbed it up exclaiming, “I’ve been looking for this all my life!” He took the lyrics, created music that was very much like what I had in my head, and made the whole thing come alive with devilish excitement. Dan and I were shocked that something so fantastic had come of this casual submission.

We got really excited when the recordings by Joe, along with some of his friends and family, started showing up. This devil song had inspired a lot of action! We had around a dozen versions - all very different, all interesting, and all full of life. They were really GOOD and sounded professional right out of the gate.

It was a beginning. I kept submitting lyrics and Joe kept sending back magic he was creating from them. When I told friends about this they balked at the racist connotations of the moniker. At the age of 10 he’d taken on the name of a notorious Mark Twain character to annoy his great-grandfather, a friend of Samuel Clements, who despised the character, Injun Joe. So, in the interest of art and its imperatives, and to avoid racist accusations, he changed his artist’s name to Cajun Joe.

We’re still creating from my lyrics , but at the same time, Dan has had creative ideas about Joe’s vocal gifts being used for some interesting musical experiments. I’m going to share these amazing offerings because you’ll never hear these songs the same again. The immense passion in Joe’s voice is transformative. He bathes everything he does in the deepest parts of his soul, and I’m so grateful to have encountered this astonishing artist, and am so honored that he connects to my vision and wants to use his immense talent to make them come alive.

Cajun Joe has created his own style of music that we’re calling Swamp Stomp. Considering that there’s not even a Swamp category in the listings, it seems Swamp Stomp might stand out as the unique sound it is. Despite that, Joe is also contributing to some mash-ups combining Swamp Blues with KaLixiuM’s DnB Industrial music, and it’s new, exciting, and great for listening and dancing.

Here, on my Substack page I’m sharing this music because it’s become my passion and I want others to hear this magnificent voice bringing my words and visions to life.

Please enjoy the powerful sounds of Cajun Joe, with his soul that transcends the everyday, to become part of the eternal Music of the Spheres.

because they both make me cry

from their beauty. They both

deserve to be shared.

The first is the original he recorded.

That’s Joe on harp.

The second is, well, the second one:

WHEN YOU BLEED

when you bleed

i’ll be there for you

when you hurt

you have my heart

when you need someone

to comfort you

count on me now

from the start

sharing time

it’s all we have you know

it fills my soul

with timeless smiles

nothing more

could keep me

living now

nothing more is

worth the trials.

when you cry i’ll be

there for you

when you fall you

have my hand

when you call

i’ll come with love to you

when it’s time

i’‘ll make the stand

when you bleed

i’ll share my vein with you

when you need me

call my name

share my light

to rise inspiritu.

together now

we share the flame.

look in my eyes

we are the same

we are the same

This one is first directed at myself.
A love song, if you will.

DON’T TELL ME ALL YOUR TROUBLES

don’t tell me all your troubles,

cause i’ve heard it all before

you got nothin new to cry about

there ain’t nothin you can cry about no more.

don’t tell me all your troubles

don’t tell me all your woes

so you’ve had your heart broken

everybody’s had one of those

your troubles aren’t really special

you think nobody’s got it worse than you

all this cryin isn’t very sexy

i can’t even tell how much is really true

i see you now, i see you

can’t you see we’re deep in the woods

dontcha know that all your wailin

really won’t do you any good

cause nobody’s listenin

you’ve got nothin new to say

your complaints are on a zip line

but they’re not gonna go away.

i’m not here to fix you

that’s not what i’m here for, ya know

you’re all on your own in your misery

you can leave all that drama at the door!

just fuckin go!

my heart isn’t here for your trashin

i save it for those who hold it dear

it’s clear that you can’t see the treasures here

your bitterness enshrouds them in fear

don’t tell me all your troubles,

cause it’s all been said before

you got nothin real to claim your pain

I don’t need to hear it anymore.

By Linda C Christy, Joe T, and Dan Taylor

To me, music is high holy praise to life no matter what genre, style, artist, or whatever. Some of it I adore listening to. Some of it I despise or don’t want to hear. But that doesn’t detract from my assertion that this vibratory, universal, essential aspect of creation is one of the most ‘holy’ aspects of human endeavor.
It connects us to the sonic substance of the universe in a cosmic dance.

This love of music is why I’ve concentrated on it more recently, putting visual art on a back burner, for a short while, though there will come a time……..

I’m praisingThe Sarasota Southern Baptist Choir for doing my recent song.
I sent them these lyrics and this is what I got back!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Praise the lord to the heavens!`

He’s got the key to the church!

he’s got the key to the church, baby.

he’s gonna sing it up to God

he’s got the key to the church

and the angels they praise him

as his light shines within

heaven showers her blessings

he’s redeemed from his sins

He’s got the key to the church!

he’s got the key to the church, baby.

he’s gonna sing it up to God

he’s got the key to the church

and the great holy spirit

washes the stains from his soul

as he sings praises of righteousness

he speaks, thunder rolls

He’s got the key to the church!

he’s got the key to the church, baby.

he’s gonna sing it up to God

he’s got the key to the church

his heart is on fire with the holy design

his soul feels a calling of high sacred praise

he knows devotion to song moves spirits to shine.

he’ll sing high holy praise for the rest of his days.

He’s got the key to the church!

he’s got the key to the church, baby.

he’s gonna sing it up to God

he’s got the key to the church

the great glorious hall holds the secrets of time

stained glass glowing prisms blend night into day

the choir flies with the sonic spirit of rhyme

and in the divine word of prayer turn song into praise!

He’s got the key to the church!

he’s got the key to the church, baby.

he’s gonna sing it up to God

he’s got the key to the church

His heart is holding the holy and sacred

his spirit is flooded with light beyond time

in his eyes shine love against hatred

his spirit clean and protected, so sweet and so fine.

He’s got the key to the church!

he’s got the key to the church, baby.

he’s gonna sing it up to God

he’s got the key to the church

Praise the lord, Hallelujah!

He’s got the key to the church!

Watercolor, paint pen, and marker ———————————————————-