As many of you now know, I am the moving force behind the Borderline Folk Music Club of Rockland County which uses the House Concert format to present its shows. In this capacity I am constantly being bombarded with e-mail messages and unsolicited CDs from performers who would like to play our venue. Some of these are quite good and worthy of consideration while others are just not traditional or folky enough for us. I also get calls from performers who are very much in the folk tradition and have been for quite some time. Many of these singers can even be considered icons who have shaped folk music into what it is today. The problem is that they have for all practical purposes lost their voices and are way past their prime. If my entire audience was made up of all hard core traditional folkies I would have no problem booking them. The late Stan Hugill, sans voice was still a featured attraction at Mystic because of who he was. However, much of the audience that I attract are ones who I am trying to convert to the cause of folk music and want to hear someone who has a good singing voice in addition to his or her songwriting abilities and reputation. I am in a particular area with a lot of competition. I have to compete with the Hurdy Gurdy, the Turning Point, the Walkabout Clearwater, and the Town Crier Cafe, all of who present class acts as well as what is going on in NYC. Were I to present someone whose voice is way past their prime I would lose much of my audience. The question is; "How do I tell these performers, many of who I have known on a first name basis for 30 plus years that they no longer have what it takes to play my venue, without hurting their feelings ? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
                                             SOL ZELLER