Hello all,
HELP! I am new to this site and I am looking for some Mudcat expertise.

I heard many beautiful songs at Sunny Camp that I want to learn. I will use "Orphan Train" by Utah Phillips as an example.

My normal procedure to learn this song, would be to go to Alta-Vista, select audio, enter "orphan train", then open the selections until I find an MP3 of the song. I don't download songs I don't own, but I can listen to it on someone else's site, until I get it into my head. Then I google "orphan train", and can find the lyrics ( and occasionally, the chords). Once I've printed the song, I figure out the chords myself, or play the MP3 for a musician friend who is an ace at putting chords and lyrics together.

I noticed that Mudcat allows you to join Digital Traditions for a lifetime fee of $34.95, which advertises 8 billion songs. Is this worth doing? Can I do what I was doing above all from Mudcat? Is there an easy way to ethically get the MP3, the lyrics, and the chords, for new songs that I like?

Thank you in advance,
Gary Paine

p.s. - a second Mudcat question. The thread for Sunny Camp appeared at the top at some times, and way down in the list of threads at other times. Is there a way to make a particular thread always appear first in your list? (or to alphabetize them, so you can find a particular thread quickly?)