Dave the gnome, in your 20 Aug 06 - 04:17 PM post to this thread, you wrote that you are want the folk club that you run to continue to "lean heavily on English folk music." You wrote that "If someone wants to come and give us some Bangra music, no problem, but at the end of the day we are still a Folk club".
-snip-

And do I correctly understand your comment 21 Aug 06 - 07:21 AM that your definition of English folk music does not include the Bangra music or other "roots' music [performed by the 2nd and 3rd generation black and Asian [immigrant] population? Do you see it as a mark of these peoples assimilation that they play and sing "your" songs and music without any alteration?

Thank goodness, Mudcat's definition of folk music {as I have experienced it} is not that limited.

Maybe it's a cultural thing. See this excerpt from a quote from GUEST,Mike Miller in this Mudcat thread
Compare US/UK approach to 'festivals'

"I have played at festivals in U.K., Ireland, Israel and the USA and they are different, reflecting the cultural mores of the country. Americans are more into picking sessions than singing sessions. Our love affair with improvisation is evinced in the popularity of such forms as Blues, jazz, rock and bluegrass. Our European fascination with precision and tradition has been tempered with an Afrocentric response to rythmic variety and complexity."
-snip-

If Mudcat's definition of folk music were only music from White people from the UK, I may have read some threads and learned some interesting information about songs & customs, but I wouldn't have joined this forum and actively participated here. Though it's a whole nother subject, I think one reason why there are so few people of color posting on Mudcat is that people of color {from the UK, the Americas, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and where ever} may think that Mudcat's definition of "folk music" is limited to "White" folk music. Maybe it was at one time. Maybe it mostly is now. But I don't think it needs to be so limited {perhaps "focused" might be the "politically correct" word, but I'm not interested in being but so politically correct here.

Which brings me to my final point before I ease down the road to work {and won't have access to the computer till this evening}.

With regards to Johnny Silvo {given the previously posted discussion on this thread}:

Johnny, I hardly know you. But I hope you are not playing to the crowd either by putting yourself down or by putting Black people down as a race. If so, no matter how wonderful your voice may or may not be, I have no respect for you.