The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #155357 Message #3656740
Posted By: michaelr
03-Sep-14 - 08:08 PM
Thread Name: What makes a new song a folk song?
Subject: RE: What makes a new song a folk song?
"...just how limited an audience there is (as in, little or none) for exclusively traditional songs..."
There's the problem, no? Performers who do strictly, exclusively, trad material will have a hard time getting gigs. Therefore, if you want an audience, it makes sense to mix it up a bit and include more recent material, and perhaps more modern arrangements. There are a lot of good songs around that fit the bill, whether for a solo performer or a band.
IMO, all this squabbling about whether they can be called "folk" is silly. People DO call them that, for better or worse. It's pointless trying to push the river. 1954 was a loooong time ago.