WOW! this is turning ethereal!! Too true, for me-- I rarely any more even think of playing for pay; I sing, play, often "cheat" by having the words (in large print) in front of me, and will do it most any time I can find the energy and don't have other obligations I can't get out of, all for free; in college I was more anxious/hopeful to get paid - needed it more then, and it sometimes helped a lot. Like Alice=>the fact is I want to go on singing and playing as long as possible... I'm a UU now, so I don't any more know if there IS a great jam session in the sky, but if there is, I'll be there.

BTW; just to be a curmudgeon, I guess, I do quite like some of Loreena Mckennit's work, esp "All Soul's Night," not so much some later stuff, tho she seems a bit taken with herself.. from the jacket notes.

For celtic punk, try the Pogues, esp Bogle's "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda." It's REALLY gritty.

Cheers, BK