Larry (InOBU) said: "...this was, after all, about how unsigned bands are in fact, real folk, that the process of signing bands often involves a form of censorship in the US, where sex and violence is sought after by record companies, but people's politics are not..."

True, at least with some record companies. Guess it depends on the one with whom you sign. I wouldn't necessarily call that "censorship", though, but simply what the market will bear. As Jerry's post indicates, audiences need to have their awareness raised about what a folksinger is, and how (s)he differs from a protest singer... and from a "pop" singer like James Taylor or Gordon Lightfoot who will perform a folk song from time to time.

Guess it's partly a matter of finding the right promoter and the right venues, but mostly a matter of catching the wave of public interest and riding it.