Aha! McG/H you touched a pivotal point there, I'm sure that much of the grief felt by fCs is caused by misunderstandings around the term "folk" or indeed what music is "acceptable" in fCs.

My favoured interpretation of folk music is "of the people, by the people, for the people". Or as Woody G said "I never heard no horse sing". But the term "folk" has unfortunately acquired dire connotations. So change it. Why not "music club"? Or if you really don't want the amps, "acoustic music & song club"?

If you really want your club to be focused on a specialist stream/thread (trad, shanties, jazz, blues), then name it accordingly and be prepared to welcome limited audience numbers.

But that is not my preference: Folk music has always thrived from the fusion of experiences and styles it encounters; American folk would be very different if it wasn't for the Irish, Scottish etc influences. Conversely, in music as well as in nature, specialisation and exclusiveness is the short path to extinction. Put it all into the pot, I say, and let the flavours help each other.