It seems in this thread, we're all in agreement about a 'mix' being important - but as performers who write new and sing old too - we find we are not welcome at many venues. It ain't the listeners, it's the organizer/booking folks. The venue that I metioned above, that got pissed off because I played some songs I didn't write - I received a long, standing ovation from the crowd. They loved it - but the folks running the venue didn't.

Music listeners always respond to the mix. I don't know how, as a song writer I could sing my songs without using the backdrop of trad music, or even songs from other writers. For me the mix is absolutely necessary. For some venues, it is one or the other (so I don't fit).

That, I think is the nub of the discussion.