Vin - that sounds like a description of Kerfuffle (sp?). Not seen or heard of them myself but their reputation has preceeded them.

Polly - I am sure you haven't annoyed anyone, there was a posting elsewhere on Mudact about why people keep coming back here when so may other folk/acoustic forums are so quiet. One reason was how much of the personality of the posters comes through on Mudcat, as this thread shows very well.

On the subject of people discovering folk music through Kate, Cara Dillon and the like, but not moving on, this is illustrative of a wider problem. People tend to establish a set of artists who they know they like and they rarely seem to take the "risk" of seeking out someone new.

This has an impact on the problem of trying to promote an unknown or new name in this scene (as in any other "market"). Clubs are understandably reluctant to book new names when the audience seems reluctant to turn up "on spec" to hear someone new. The natural result is that there exists a group of established names (Rusby, Carthy, et al) who the clubs/festivals/promoters know will pull a crowd.

I have found radio stations to be open to hearing someone new however and airtime can be generated if you keep pushing, and there is still no substitute to trawling around the country doing singers sessions and unpaid support slots. It is simply a question of putting in the leg work until you get to the "critical mass", achieved by Cara, Kate and probably Kerfuffle, at which a "buzz" is created.

Which raises another interesting point - what makes you go see a new name? What makes you "take the risk"?

Maybe a subject for another thread!

Best regards
John Robinson
http://www.JulieEllison.co.uk