As per the hot players, I was specifically talking about local guys, like Joel (who was a strictly local guy in those days)that we used to feature in our Folklore Society related concerts--We also had banjo picker Charlie Smith and guitarist Jeff Tordoff, who could play hot bluegrass at a time when there weren't many bluegrass pickers around--we also had guys like Norman Blake and Andy Cohen,show up from time to time, as well as Mr. Thieme from above--the other acts were sponsored by the University.

As you say, though, the hot picking emphasis is a fact of life nowadays though the idea that fast, flashy picking was the ultimate goal of music was an unfortunate idea that inhabited the 60's rock/blues world spread to other kinds of music like zebra mussels--

There is a movement in the opposite direction, though, a and there are a lot of players who consciously avoid polished and flashy playing.

Best of times and worst of times, I guess.