"But the other side of that equation is that the reason many of us are folk musicians is out of a deep resonance with what i can only call the spirit of blues and folk music. This spirit is what makes Mudcat feel the way it does,as far as I am concerned -- a happy irreverence, a ready sense of humor, a strong historical perspective informed by the incredible range of past poetry contained in our folk and blues legacy, and a feeling for the long truths that emerge from that legacy over centuries rather than merely weeks." Thanks Amos. I've copied this bit cos it seems a long way up the thread. I'm new to Mudcat, though I first heard about it years ago. I sing very little, with less accuracy. I play - almost, slowly, and not by ear. I have danced, for about ten years. BUT I have been brought up on traditional music, ritual dance, the rhythms of customs throughout the year, and value the links these make with the past in an almost spiritual way. All day I speak with, listen to and attempt to find common ground with people who find me at best a little odd, at worst an easily-dismissed subject of ridicule, simply because of these interests. At least here that is not an issue. So it's fun to 'talk', listen, joke, moan, laugh, argue and on and on, knowing there is one point of contact between us all. And that's why I seem to contribute to chat threads. Though I read many more, others have much more knowledge than I, so I keep quiet.(Unusual, that, actually!) So thanks, all of you, for also being weird.