"I don't believe that folk means anything different today than it did yesterday."

Very true, and I think that there has been disagreement on how to define the term for decades. While the academics believe it has been nailed down, there has always been a significant difference of opinion such as how do you classify the writers such as Woody Guthrie or songs such as "Home on the Range".

Charley's example is a perfect one. What performer or group should be considered under "folk" in such a festival.

Even the "I" issue is debatable. It is probably very true that the more "me" type-songs have not survived or have been studied as widely as songs that are more personal. The important thing is not to generalize - it is wrong to assume that ALL of the current crop of singer-songwriters are focused on "I", when we do that - we are blocking out some beauty from our lives.

We live in a different age. Our communities have evolved and while we keept traditions alive, we are also witnessing new traditions being formed.   None of us can see what the future holds, but we can enjoy the present and ALL of the offerings available to us.