Actually, I'm in complete agreement with Danger Danger's assessment of the folk scene, and it equally applies to the nature of the folk scene in the US, which is even more moribund as a result of the middle class middle age revivalist syndrome.

It also makes for shit, unimaginative music most the time, and complete denial that most people who perform folk music are technically trained, note reading musicians, not the self-taught.

There is some truth to the idea that other genres of music have become today's folk music, if we use the same yardstick to measure contemporary music as we do historic "folk" music. Punk is one area of music where this is true. So are hybrids of traditional music of one or more ethnic music traditions combined with contemporary pop, rock, punk, jazz, blues, dance music, etc.

It is the traditionalist purists that have made sure this is museum music, for only them to perform for schools, community centers, etc etc while the spirit of living traditions is slapped down and demonized as "crap".

I say here, here to Danger Danger.