Yes, the festival continues to evolve. The way to help it evolve in your direction is to make sure that they can at least consider your material.

I agree that many of the groups are "commercial." One of the things I have learned in the art business is that if you work for free or don't make a living, you starve. I would rather that we were our old, pure selves doing our old, pure stuff but we have to show the festival committee that there enough of us out there to justify going in that direction.

I recently did a demographic study of our ticket sales. 90% came from a 20 mile radius of the festival site. Show me a way to bring in people from outside the circle and we will act on it.

I have been fighting to keep our circle of song in existence. It looks as though I have succeeded by pointing out that much of the problem management is having is due to telling the people at the circle what they want done.

PS, Barry, There is not a close deadline for next year but it will be sometime during the summer. I am going to be crass and ask you to send me an extra for myself when you do send the CD along. Eric