Great thread. Since I live far from the maddening crowd I rarely get to play with anyone else, and my own choice in songs always goes to story songs, often full of emotion. I used to drive 50 miles to get to play with a bunch of people that got together on Sat. nights, but finally gave up in dispair as I was so was often accompanied, unasked, by a mando player that speeded the tune up so fast I could barely get the words out...which didn't matter much becaue the banjo player that also joined me effectively drowned me out.

In watching others play, it seems to me this sort of inappropriateness stems as often from insensitivity as it does from an overweening ego. In either case, the wholeness of the integrity of a song is sometimes lost, and music becomes noise. Talents like Trickett are a beacon in the night!