Backwoodsman - unlike some of the posters to this thread I am in the enviable position of having experienced a number of UK and American song circles and folk sessions. I go regularly to SINSULL's events, indeed, we hatched the idea of these sessions together, and, when in the UK, get to at least one in Lincolnshire as well as others wherever in the country I can make it. Sooz at Gainsborough has been good enough to class me as a regular, albeit an occasional one!

I can confirm that the tenor of sessions in both places is very similar. It is a group of people, who become friends, getting together to share the music that they love and to entertain themselves, mostly, rather than sitting back and being entertained. Here in Maine we try to encourage new singers and have fulfilled the ambition of one of our group to be able to sing in public for the first ime in her life.

I am lucky in that I have only once come across a session in which the regulars took themselves very seriously and it was clear that, unless you were known to be knowleable about folk and could sing well, you were not going to be allowed to sing at all. At that time I was still learning a lot about the art and my voice was not very good. I didn't go back to that venue again and now, although I am a little more steeped in the tradition and my voice has improved somewhat I really would not want to go back to such an exclusive group. I like the buzz that comes from hearing the improvement in the performance from one of our number month by month and the opportunity to hear new material which, if asked, is generously shared.

By the way, I've met the 'perverts' in Lincolnshire and as nice a group of fellas I have never seen.