I should shut up now, but Dan my brother, you said a mouthful. In regards to this thread, I think we've finally reached the point where it's not the answere, but the question that has become unclear. Since we don't know what s/s songs will be around in 200 years, and which songs we presently call folk will be long gone, I really believe we're beating a dead horse. Now don't get me wrong, I understand the ire of paying 30 bucks to get into a boxing match and finding out it's Karate. It's clear that some sort of classification is needed to differentiate between traditional and contemporary folk, but maybe before you go you should call the box-office or check out the bio of the performers. I think maybe calling anyone an elitest or nazi precludes that we're all entitled to our opinions and preferences, but Im sure no offence is meant here. I learned many decades ago that my music is not going to thrill everyone who hears me, but my creator has been kind to me and a lot of people play my songs. This is allways going to be a tough subject since the answere is going to be SOMEONES opinion. I play a lot of FOLK festivals, but hear very little traditional folk. Maybe that's not too bad a way of looking at it....Traditonal and contemporary...or not. Personally, I know everything except what everything is....Peace, :-)> BD