I'd really like to hear clarification of Jim's position on what is 'stylistically similar enough to 54folk' - and particularly how that is to be democratically ascertained - to be deemed appropriate in a folk club?
'Cos this glaring inconsistancy in Jim's argument, renders it unsustainable IMO.

As I said further down, to my ears MaCcoll's songs are no more and no less 'traditional sounding' than anything else one might happen hear played on an acoustic guitar at an 'anything goes' singaround environment, and as songs they are no more and no less interesting likewise. But that's my personal response to them.

This is why I said further down again, the key for me is not to try to curtail what others enjoy doing 'in the name of folk' (be it at formal folk club or informal singaround) but in establishing more self-organised dedicated tradsong groups, for amateurs (newbies and dilletantes both) interested in discovering, exploring and SINGING traditional songs for themselves among themselves.