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Releasing an album for children is the next logical step.

"Somebody at one of my concerts in March or February said I should have a children's record," Tabor said. "His 10-year-old said, 'I don't think so Daddy. After the first song, all the kids would be crying.' "

Tabor will preview some of the songs from "Edge of Despair" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at McPhetres Hall. Tickets are $10 at the door. McDonnell, a bass player, and mandolin player John Hartle will perform with Tabor. Blues fingerpicker Pat Henry will open, and Collette Costa will emcee.

The show is being billed as a "Live Hernia Aid" for "uninsured Americans without medical insurance." Tabor, a house painter without health insurance, needs a hernia operation.

"I'm not going to do everything from 'Edge of Despair,' but I'll be doing stuff from all my CDs," Tabor said.

"I'll probably play some bluesy tunes, a combination of covers and my songs," said Henry, who jams with Tabor weekly. "I'm going to try and contribute. Buddy's almost unfailingly good."

When finished, "Edge of Despair" will include: "Fetal Position," a lament for parents of the mentally ill; "Medicated Family," about an 8-year-old on Ritalin; "Brand New Jesus," about a compassionate conservative in the form of the second coming of Christ who comes back to Earth as a Republican to cut the budget and dump the poor; and songs about starving children, war, and school shootings.

"There's also a couple love songs," Tabor said. "Lots of happy, positive stuff for everyone."

The CD artwork includes photos of Tabor at a graveyard, hugging teddy bears.

"I thought it would be kind of warm and fuzzy that way," he said.

"Edge of Despair" will be fairly stripped-back compared to Tabor's previous albums. Most of the songs are just him playing guitar with traces of bass and harmony from McDonnell, bits of mandolin from Hartle and a little harmonica playing by Sean Tracey.

"It's a little more bare bones," Tabor said. "It's cheaper that way, and also I've had some people tell me that they'd like to see something a little less produced. That way when you have good songs, you don't have a lot of stuff messing with them."

Tabor has written 14 songs in the last year. That's quick for him. His sixth album, "Earth and the Sky," released almost a year ago, took him about two years to finish. Tabor had no explanation for his sudden muse.

"It's like (singer/songwriter) Kris Kristoffeson said, 'Every song is partly truth, partly fiction,' " Tabor said. "Some of them are experiences of my own kids, and some are experiences of other kids."

"I personally think the whole world should be on an intravenous Prozac drip," he said.