All right, I'll jump in and ruffle some feathers. There's plenty of folk and folkish music that's not political. For example, though there are plenty of Irish rebel songs, there's also "The Little Beggarman", "Bridget Flynn", and "The Star of the County Down". Personally, I find most overtly political songs rather tiresome. I also find it bothersome that virtually all of them are from the same (usually leftist) point of view. Have you ever heard a folk song (or any song) that speaks of the negative aspects of trade unions? This may be hard to relate to for those of us who have "activist" mentalities, but I can assure you I'm not the only one who finds it less than pleasant to feel I'm being preached to in the name of art and/or entertainment.

I don't mean to pick on InOBU, but the examples are here so I'll refer to them. The "Bread and Roses" song doesn't grab me (that's reading the lyrics, I haven't heard it). It just comes across as espousing a cause, and though I shudder at the injustices it describes, I frankly don't care to embrace every worthy cause out there. The "Other Side" song strikes me as a joke. It may purport to show the other side, but it clearly comes from the same point of view as the first song, only nominally trying to put voice to the "bad guy". Nobody does anything without a reason. Sometimes the reasons are godawful or irrational, but they're there. Most likely in this case there is a longstanding hatred of Gypsies with roots that go deep into the past. A close study of the Balkans or Northern Ireland may give some insight into the history that shapes feelings and attitudes that often seem somewhat senseless to outsiders. It's a pretty safe bet that someone who didn't get much out of singing the first song isn't going to feel any more inclined to sing the second one.

I accept that many folkies are politically inclined and want to incorporate that into some of their music. Heck, Peter, Paul, and Mary couldn't take the stage without championing their favorite cause(s). But please be aware that not all of us are oriented that way or want that out of our music. Presumably, this is the case with the 6 band members who quit. I'm sure there's someone out there who can fill the bill as the right singer for the band, but please don't castigate those who don't fit that mold.

Well, that's my piece. Flame suit on, fire away! (BG)