Reading the other posts to this thread, I find I'd like to add my two-penneth worth: A big problem in England does seem to be a distinct image problem. I'm 20 and my parents are both Folkies. The few people of my age who like to listen to folk are, in the main, either music students or who, like me, have been introduced to the music as children in their familes.

This is a problem to some extent, as folk is a 'living' music. It doesn't exist in a vacum. If people of my age become uninterested, we could lose out, as folk needs to be played, and enjoyed to keep alive.

I know there are many, many people that love folk, but I have become slightly worried as I have got older. I have been looking to find other performers to sing and play with and that at least in my area (Yorkshire,UK)there seem to be so few people of my own age who are willing to listen and appreciate the that I love.

There seems to be such an appreciation of our own Traditional music and culture overseas, at least compared to where I live, that I think my best bet is to move abroad to be able to perform the music I enjoy

Catlin