Incidently I got this on my facebook today and thought it perfectly time for posting by a member who no rarely gets involved in discussion here.

Note: This is longish, but the TLDR version is: you guys are great.
(posted in the music page - but wanted to share here too)
Being a folky is not a mass-market thing, it’s alternative, it’s off-the-beaten-track, not mainstream. If you’ve taken the folky path, and been inclined that way for a while, you know that it has waxed and waned in popularity, but you know fine that you didn’t get into it because everybody else was into it. In fact, there’s a chance maybe you got into it precisely because other people weren’t. Let’s face it, you may be the kind of person who chooses really bitter dark chocolate, or loves liver with onions – the things that other people give a great big bodyswerve.
And it’s not like it’s an easy or obvious category of music to define. It’s almost impossible to say what “folk music” is, and I have no intention of attempting it (so you can stow away the “never heard a horse sing” quote) – but that’s equally true of almost every other genre of music – each label is loosely applied to a continuum, and the edges are very blurry indeed. I’ve given up trying.
So, having wandered, or plunged headlong along the folky road to Kingdom Come or Fiddler’s Green, and been reconciled to the fact (and perhaps slightly pleased) that it’s not every one else’s cup of tea, it can come as a surprise that you’ve found lots of other people who like what you like. Or at least, they like some of the stuff you like, and other stuff that you hadn’t known about. And when they share that stuff with you, you find that you like some of that stuff too. Then you find some other people, who like the music that you have just discovered -and they seem to like some of the music that you love. And it’s like ripples in a pond (thank you, Ozark Mountain Daredevils) and the ripples overlap, and make new patterns.
So then you find yourself looking for new songs to bring to your folky friends – because that’s what you have found: friends. And they do the same, the circle spreading outwards over time, making more connections and sharing songs. A community of friends, who encourage and support each other, and do the music thing because it’s what brings us a shared enjoyment, a community. The community of tunes, songs, singing and listening. That’s my community.
So, I want to thank my family and my community of friends, and friends of friends, for your support, for the gift of the songs you have given me, and for accepting slightly wonky-looking bouquets of songs I have offered you in return. Thank you for coming along to sing with me, and making an unfamiliar room instantly warmer by your presence. You guys are great.
Thanks
Steven