Hello,

Like anything, folk music has to evolve to survive. It has been evolving since Ug found that a song about killing a bison gave him a good feeling and helped him keep his spirits up when said bison looked as though it didn't want to be lunch!

This evolution is called the folk process by some and normal by others.

Folk clubs come and folk clubs go...some go on for ever! Why? because they cater for all tastes and are not locked into a static image of what "folk" is.

The music will continue to evolve. A blind alley will still be travelled every now and then, but the songs that are worth singing will survive...whether you stick your finger in your ear or not!

Where the songs survive there will be groups of people who will go to hear them.

BTW when you saw some-one with their hand clamped to their ear in "the old days" it meant they were a traditional singer. Nowadays it means they are using a mobile phone!

Best wishes,

Pete