Last night I attended a House concert. Nothing terrible, I had a good time but I can overcome adversity. I donated a gallon of wine which was well received. Again this was a good concert and I enjoyed it bur from a free folk perspective it had a few issues. No one is perfect we all seek improvement.

1. Fee- Reservations were required. =$15. each. this makes it a concert in a house rather than a totally accessible happening. That is an alternative to a concert. Nothing wrong with this and all the money went to the artist but $30. for two of us meant that I had no money for cd purchases. Could have purchased two for that. My recently divorced musician friend could not afford to attend.

2. The performer wanted audience to join in on the choruses. This is good but I could not understand several unfamiliar chorus lines and really wanted to know what they were. I was not going to interrupt the performer but we all could have sung much better with a handout. If you just printed the chrouses you could get maybe 10 per page maybe more....it just makes the connection of audience to music tighter and you can then go home and learn them as well. And its not expensive. On part of the page you could put contact information or a performance schedule.

3. In the course of the performance I had to endure three lefty poltical rants. I was there for music. Anti War, anti big oil, anti economy....dont need this. I have conservative friends with less patience who would have walked out. The songs related to the rant were secondary to the rant which ran about 1/3 the length of the song.
Accesibility is not served when an unbalanced political adjenda comes with the performance. One can present the world from many points of view. When it is one sided you annoy the people one half the total audience on the other side. Present balance and you will increase accessibility and it is not hard.

4. Most of the songs were written by the performer or by contemporary writers. I would market it under the title singer songwriter/contemporary music rather than folk.

The music was good. The songs were good for what they were. The audience was old. At 57 I was about the youngest. The event was well advertized. I am concerned that poor accessibility has cut off the flow of new blood to the folk world.

Conrad