Martyn Windham-Read, the British singer of Aussie songs, stares at the floor some six to eight feet ahead of him while singing. He tells the audience that he does it, and that it isn't because he doesn't want to look at them, but it's just how he does it.

I often close my eyes, and can't tell you why. I do it whether singing unaccompanied or playing guitar, but don't seem to do it when playing banjo or mandolin, or when I'm performing with Sidekicks, my western-music trio. I've been known to sway when the "groove" gets me, too, but it's not a normal activity. Perhaps I just don't hit the groove often enough, hey?

Bob Clayton