Having just returned from John's Clearwater (FL) concert, I want to post this while it is fresh in my mind. John is, as always, an engaging story-teller and a consummate musician.   Over the past year, John has penned a number of songs that are more topical than ever, and when it came time to do the usual "CD plug" before intermission, he alerted everyone that "to save time and the people at the CD table," his newer songs such as "Ashcroft's Army" and a very special "Collaboration" are not yet on his CD's, but can be found as MP3 files on his web page (www.folkmusic.com, then click on "The Music" and then on the mp3 icon in the left frame). Not all of his newest material, but a gooodly sampling.

Kudos to John!!! I have always known him to be a champion of just pay and benefits for performing musicians, as well as copyright observance, and have read his advice to beginning performers about becoming true professionals, setting realistic and just expectations about the business of e.g., self-insurance, copyright, and contractual issues. Now, at a time when so many "commercial artists" - my words, not his - are fighting tooth and nail to protect their words and music from the evil Internet, John's concert comments and his web page both acknowledge that - to him, at least - getting the music out to his audience while it is still relevent so we can hear it, and learn it, and share it, and spread it, takes precedence over holding it back for release and sale. Gosh, that sounds like downright Folk Process!!!