this is my first attempt to jump in one of what appears to be a variety of swiftly moving streams of discussion...i dig this site and look forward to participating more in the future.

with that said, i think in relation to this particular topic, it's beneficial to look at the words we're using and their meanings. "folk", plain and simple, is the music of the folks. people's music...the everyday joes and janes that work hard for their buck and like to unwind at the end of the day with a little music to soothe their souls.

defined as such, "folk music" will always thrive...it is ubiquitous. it just takes some digging to find sometimes if you live in an isolated area like the american suburbs where everything is of the generica variety...patterns repeated indefinitely for the sole purpose of efficiency and profit. in these areas, it's hard to find someone with the time, let alone the drive, to actively involve themselves with music.

"pop" is just whatever's popular, and we all know this comes and goes with the times (and the "folks")...and it seems increasingly that those times change all the faster in this modern age of mass communication and the whole notion of "staying ahead of the curve."

but even so, be careful in harsh judgment of such music, as "popular" merely indicates that it resonates with alot of people...the very "folks" that are described above. anything "folk" was at some point considered "popular" in the sense that it was liked and practiced by a majority of the people in a given community.

there is a difference, but only in terms of "style," which is rather tenuous grounds upon which to base an argument for or against something. we all have varied tastes and ideas about how music sounds best...allow others the same freedom to choose as you do.

find your voice and use it. everything else is periphery.