"You don't own a genre by growing a beard..... "
I want that on a t-shirt or a badge. lol!

Can I speak as and Essex girl who fits the bill of one of the british teenagers who over 20 years "have been increasingly exposed to restricted play-lists on radio stations, TV and websites – fuelling a interest in acts like Lady Gaga and N-Dubz."

Only folk music I was ever introduced to was nursary rhymes (which I enjoyed in a way no one else seemed to I loved looking them up in books and finding extra verses no one else knew). Other than that it was pure 'pop' diet for me. I even bought 'smash hits' and 'CD:UK' magazines to keep up with the pop gossip. I own Spice girls/steps/sclub7/britney spiers albums.

I have tried every genre trying to find music I 'liked' feeling unfulfilled by mainstream pop. Particularly in my late teenage years. (Used to watch the festivals like glastonbury on TV hoping to hear a new band I like so I could go find their album)

It was quite a fluke I 'stumbled' on folk music through the what I would call 'pop folk' stuff. (Like Bob Dylan etc.)
I've started with that kinda not really 'strictly' folk stuff and kinda worked my way towards the Trad end of the genre.

I play anglo concertina, melodeon and just taken up the fiddle.

Before this I had no musical experience except making a racket on a recorder in infants school. I'm really annoyed by this I WISH I had had some exposure to traditional music and instruments earlier as I feel like I'm constantly having to catch up.