65 f


I seem to be enjoying and reading more of the mag just lately – keep up the good work!


Still loving it. On occasion I have bought something on the basis of a review only to conclude that the review was a bit over-enthusiastic. I understand you have to promote sales and you like to get reviews from fans of the artist/genre but sometimes a bit more impartiality would increase your authority even more.


Maybe fRoots could open up a bit more towards other musical directions – where roots music crosses borders and touches, let’s say, electronic music and jazz.


Although it is the only place you can find out about music you’d never stumble across by chance, I sometimes feel that there is a touch of the pursuit of the obscure.


Review as much new music as possible.


I think that fRoots is doing a great job and has become more open and receptive in recent years i.e. to the younger and more experimental.


Keep on doing what you have been doing so well for the past 30 years and con- tinue to maintain the current balance between the various musical genres, tradi- tional and modern, new and old, you cover.


Some of the Editor’s rants are putting me off re-subscribing!


Keep up the Editor’s rants – obligatory reading for these beleaguered times!


The Editor should concentrate on writing about music and stop bleating on about politics.


I like subscribing to fRoots, it’s like being part of a movement. The quality of the magazine is excellent, in terms of both content and style. I feel that the ‘values’ of the magazine reflect my personal values and I really like the independent nature of the magazine and the way it’s not afraid of taking a political stance on events. I feel I can trust fRoots, in the way that I ‘trust’ Billy Bragg or Tony Benn. I only wish I was wealthy enough become a life subscriber! I wouldn’t hesitate.


fRoots helps me keep in touch with what is going on with real music. It is a breath of fresh air in this world of shallow consumerist passivity.


Since Charlie Gillett died and Andy Ker- shaw has gone from the air-waves I have no-one else to advise me of what’s going on. I don’t know anyone locally who shares my love of and obsession with music.


Once I could afford it, I subscribed to


fRoots and have never regretted it. I find it endlessly informative and, as I have grown to know it better, have appreciated the stance the magazine takes. So even if I don’t agree with it, I know I can rely on the writers to be accurate. I take Songlines for another point of view, but regard that as a coffee table work of no similar substance to the erudition of fRoots.


I would prefer more shorter articles, I often only skim the articles of several pages.


The one section in the magazine I find a total waste of space is the photo features of some award ceremony or event.


More festival photo features and live reviews please.


Without fRoots there would have been many genres of folk music that I would have missed. It is essentially my only source of information about new CDs.


I


have been quite disappinted by fRoots tacit support of a behemoth like Amazon. Can’t you see that a magazine that supports ‘local music from out there’ should support inde-


pendent suppliers of that music, and not the Amazon investors’ pocketbooks? Stop using Amazon’s sales chart. Have an inde- pendent store’s chart. Or have they all already disappeared?


Wonderful, informative publication that I wish I’d discovered years ago. Thank you very much!


I find the fRoots Forum very intimidat- ing in that I read it but would never con- tribute. This is because the forum is domi- nated by (a small number of) musicians and critics and I feel, rightly or wrongly, that I either would have nothing worth- while to contribute or would be open to ridicule. Something somehow needs to be done to open the Forum out to a wider participation. I am sure that I am not the only one that feels this.


The monthly podcast is something I eagerly await, we could do with Mr Ander- son filling the great broadcasting void that the late and very great Charlie Gillett has left. Any chance that an occasional guest could be interviewed in your podcast ?


I would like to see the introduction a regular monthly feature of an historical nature, maybe a career overview of a signif- icant and noteworthy artist/band or a detailed analysis on a sub-genre of the music you cover. Perhaps a Classic Album feature could also be added. Yours is proba- bly one of the best music-related magazines out there, and most certainly unbeatable in the area of folk, roots and world music.


The quality of your writing keeps you at the top (including the honesty of the And The Rest... reviews)


Sometimes the writing’s a bit amateur and sometimes too it enrages the pedant in me (do you sub copy at all?)


I often find interviews/ artist features disappointing in their concentration on musical influences, creative and recording processes etc rather than giving insights into artists’ characters, background, atti- tudes about non-musical issues etc.


The day-to-day lives of most artists are pretty boring to read about. You should concentrate more on the music with more back catalogue reviews / recommenda- tions and more live reviews.


“Could you produce a version in Lingala…?”


fRoots unquestionably keeps me look- ing forward to good quality fresh music and it particularly helps in keeping me informed about gigs that may otherwise pass me by. You are doing a great job. Long may you continue.


I would be quite happy if it wasn’t so glossy.


I think that the layout and design of the magazine could be a lot more hip and attractive.


Absolutely invaluable magazine in a world where avenues in the press/radio/tv for roots music are again being closed down during a period where gains in pre- vious decades are being minimised or lost. Editor has done a magnificent job through the years and long may he carry on, the enthusiasm and love for the musics cov- ered are second to none. Love the format, far better than a certain glossier rival.


A great magazine which I read from


cover to cover, although I initially sub- scribed just for the folk content. Going twice monthly with the podcast is excel- lent news – having everything in one download means that I listen to artists that I probably wouldn’t have sought out myself on the web.


I do enjoy reading fRoots and look forward to receiving each issue. Not every- thing is of interest to me in the magazine, but it has introduced me to artists I may not of heard of. Many thanks for that.


Tendency for some of we old-timers and our one-time faves/established artists being swamped by newer flavour of the month but the balance remains good. Sometimes a bit more on what is general roots scene in other countries, as generic articles, would be good for some context.


A short semi-annual summary of over- seas festivals would be nice. Critiques of the festivals themselves as opposed to the artists would be great for your overseas visitors contemplating visiting.


You’ve probably a lot of non-UK read-


ers. Why don’t you tell in which country the main fRoots acts are touring in the near future?


Started with Southern Rag in 1983 and have stuck with it ever since. Look for- ward to each new issue with just as much enthusiasm as the very first copy I pur- chased. What can I say... brilliant!


If it aint broke don’t fix it!” F


Photo: Jon Lusk


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