I don't really see why you need to be so rude as to mention acts that you didn't like by name. By and large with folk artists, what they do on stage is what they have done with their lives - often at terrific personal cost. Nobody is dumb enough to be in it for the money.

if you knew anything at all about folk music you would know that pub venues where there is no cover charge need at least one act that is 'flameproof'- that is to say: knows their instruments really thoroughly; can pull together cohesively an audience when some dodgy experimental songwriter has half emptied the place - not everybody in bull ring gets to kill the bull - not everybody gets the privilege of making demands on an audiences attention in the way that say Martin Carthy does and his many fans expect of him. the people you are criticising are doing a different job, and I was quite impressed with the skill with which they did it.

anyway the workshops had my attention, I wish I could have attended them all. It was a great weekend. thanks to all organisers and players.

al