One of the casulties of today’s listening audience is the impatience to be entertained as a diversion. Today’s audiences generally have lost the ability to absorb quieter and more subtle entertainment. Flash rules.

The many-versed Anglicized folk ballad often called boring or tedious requires a different set of ears. Story telling in song is
an art that finds a somewhat limited audience. It’s like the taste of an apple that has been seasoned with chemicals designed to make the mouth water. Typical of fare, these days. Flash food rules.

The ideal situation whereby the audience member can actually hear what the performer is doing would be a comfortable seat,
an acoustic environment that is exceptional, a foregone knowledge of what was going to be presented, and a performer who cares what they have to say to an audience. The listener
has to slow down their responses to receive the performance.
The worst place to do this is when the audience is saturated
with alcohol and boisterous. In a pub in England or Ireland, a condition is met where the performer is given the respect of an ear despite the flow of alcohol. The content of the performer is sufficiently important enough to pay attention to it. This generally is not here in the States unless you pay exorbitant ticket prices for a classical music concert. Check the story of Joshua Bell who played in the subway of New York for an indifferent passers-by and commands a sizable amount for a pricey ticket at his concerts.

In schools that offer a jazz program will find students rapt at
a demonstration or workshop by a well-known seasoned jazz musician. My hope is that this can be met for folk musicians as well.

The modern day troubadour is to my mind like a newspaper
reflecting on the times we live in.