People have said to me, "You rock!", perhaps because I take the music which I love and give it my all. I play what I consider to be folk and rootsy blues music. I've never, until very recently, played with a drummer but have worked with a number of washboard players and only on occasion had the pleasure of working with some very fine upright bass and tub bass players. I associate drums and electric bass with a more rockish sound. 'In general' most of the bands that are considered rock bands have a strong drum and electric bass present in their arrangements. They are also more likely to include electric guitars which again is something I've tried for years to avoid. I have had to use pickups on my acoustic guitars just to be heard in some of the locations where I've performed. To some that may be considered stepping away from a folk thing into another area. Well, the lines do get blurred. Is it vaguely folkish rock or vaguely rockish folk? I guess I swing in both directions with my taste. Some of the more interesting folk or early folk/blues has always moved me but it can be difficult to present it on stage. So, I, as many others have, have adapted some of the amplification techniques that many rockers have used to present their shows. It's an economic choice on my part. If I can't be heard from stage, who will listen? Of late I've made more of an effort to play smaller venues that either do not need amplification or need very little.

Beyond the volume differences and instrumentation there too seems to be a difference in the intention from the get go. Folk rock came along right when the big sixties folk scare was dying and it seemed to be trying to catch the next wave by adapting to the rock format. Again combining certain elements of rock, like more volume from electric bass, guitars and drums, which gave them a more rockish appeal. Of course all of this is just shooting from the hip here with no basis for my claims other than I lived through it and am still alive and kickin' it around.