The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #147557 Message #3420608
Posted By: Will Fly
16-Oct-12 - 06:50 AM
Thread Name: Is Folk Dead
Subject: RE: Folklore: Is Folk Dead
You seem to take a 'mass market' view of the music - but environment and form are everything.
As far as 'traditional' music (interpret that as you will) is concerned, I see no sign of its demise down here in Sussex, with several busy ceilidh bands, sessions galore, and singers and musicians delivering the music all over the place - plus several clubs in which traditional music is still sung and played.
I don't take any interest in many "folk" festivals, but the recent Lewes Festival - hugely successful, by the way - didn't have anyone of the ilk of Jools Holland or any of the others you mention. So, my view would be that, at grass roots level, the music is alive and well and healthy - and who cares about what's on the radio or the TV? At the last acoustic session at the Bull in Ditchling, we had around 20 musicians - almost too many for comfort at times - and they were a mix of all ages from old greybeards like me to kids in their teens. And the musical content was 99% traditional tunes with the odd song here and there.
Dead? No - just minding its own business and getting on with it as usual.