I talked about this with Mark Moss when I visited Sing Out! in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, last month. There are a lot of harsh things said about the magazine at Mudcat, and it hurts the people who work so hard to keep it alive. The folk music community in the United States is neither large nor prospering, so it's important that we support each other.

I can't find the current issue just now - I think that's the one that has a wonderful obituary for Sandy Paton. The issue I found right away was 52/4 (March/April/May 2009). It has articles on the Tannahill Weavers, Nimrod Workman, and Billy Edd Wheeler, plus an article about Croatian music (complete with pronunciation guide), plus the Faith Petric and Joe Hickerson columns I read religiously, plus a CD of music I haven't heard before. And I always use the reviews to guide me to the new music that's available.

Yes, I suppose it's a magazine oriented more to folk music consumers rather than to people who make their own music - but there's lots of stuff for us music makers, too. So, before you criticize the magazine to loudly, take another look - it's all we've got.

-Joe-