I'm from the US and I have a farily good idea why it's not all that popular in my area...it's just not "cool" to like it, basically because the choirs do some and no one likes the choir teacher...of course, this is my school only. Yet, some of the folks songs in choir were acutally what got me looking up certain ones...that, and my grandma and camp. So, I think it might be not having the exposure to it and never really listening with songs like "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" blasting thru the radio...and now it also seems that if u play the guitar as a teen, people automatically assume you play Alice in Chains and Smashing Pumpkins on an electric?? That ticks me off...just thought I'd mention that.