as the resident 'folk nazi'..(or one of them) I will make my point again..briefly...*grin*..I like a lot of the 'older' songs, or at least older sonding songs...but a guy the the aforementioned Craig Johnson write songs with the feel of older songs...even though there are references in them that tell you that it is NOT a real old one. So- I like a category called "in the tradition"...meaning that it sort of sounds and feels like trad.

Art is entirely correct...one should play, write, or listen to, the songs they like...but in my opinion, they should strive to KNOW what they are hearing or singing...especially in the case of those who want to do it onstage and/or for a living...so that they can be advertised and presented correctly to those that like to hear them..........I DO like a lot of recently written songs, but not a large % of them. The differences are not clear & distinct always, but there ARE differences. There are trends, and there are those who will write ANYTHING if they think they can sell it. This is understandable, legal, but not easy to sort out.

To Vixen...if you 'try' to write to be remembered, you probably wont...if you write from the heart, and are pretty good, and pretty lucky, and meet the right people, then you just might. Funny..I think Craig Johnson wrote much nicer songs than Bob Dylan, but I know who will be remembered longer by the 'general' public.