Dave, it is not a ridiculous statement to expect jazz in a jazz club country and western in a country club, if i pay to go to a folk club i go expecting to hear what has been advertised., if it is Martin Carthy, i do not want to hear him sing Rave On, I WANT TO HEAR HIM PERFORM TRAD MATERIAL
if i am being paid to perform ,i have to listen to everything, that is part of the job. Ido not critices what other people do ,but i reserve the right to pick and choose what music i wish to listen to,
i could guarantee in 1970, that if i went to a singers night the standrd would be high and nobody sang buddy holly songs, they sang what are generally classfied as folk songs, the standrd was higher and the venues were packed.
is it coincidence that clubs are emptier now, is it because of anything goes material? or is it because some singers do not practise? i do not know neither do you. what i do know ,is that these days i would be selective before i visited a folk club .
in 1970, i could guarantee going to for example farnigham folk club on a singers night or the fighting cocks in kingston and the standrd was high regardless of booked guest.