Guest,

Relax! You seem to be doing a lot of reading between the lines and making assumptions. Sorry if we weren't clear!

I'm sorry you infer things that aren't there. I wasn't knocking Irish or bluegrass fests - I just pointed out the difference. Folk Festivals GENERALLY try to incorporate a lot of various styles. In effect the folk festival is the stage for people to discover new sounds.

Your statement "Why, just because you think your music is more special than everyone else's, should the rest of the music cultures of the world NOT be who they are" is really presumptious. I don't believe any of us tried to make that statement and I really resent your assumption. I will try to word it another way - folk music represents a world of cultures - not just an individual with an acoustic guitar. I find it to be a sampler if you will and the greatest gift I receive from it is finding the common thread that exists.

As for "looking to keep your own gig going", hell yes!! Why do you have a problem with that??? I'm also hoping that organizations and individuals like Pinewoods, the Hurdy-Gurdy, Comhalas Celtori Eireann, Sing Out!, Dirty Linen, Smithsonian Folkways, Folk-Legacy,Arhoolie, Gene Shay, Sonny Ochs, Robert Sherman, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie, Pete Seeger, Tommy Makem, the Old Songs Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, and thousands of other individuals and groups keep their gigs going. I'm proud to be a very small link in big and still growing chain.

Guest, I'm still not sure why you are think we are "whining" about the demise of folk music. A human body needs constant excercise and attention in order to live fully, so does a genre of music that many of us on this site happen to love. Don't begrudge any of us for trying to participate.

Ron