was listening to ,” explained Paul . “ The singer-songwriter thing is about ‘ me ’ and folk music is about the ‘ us .’ I think that ’ s the main difference . Singer-songwriters talk about their personal lives in a way that doesn ’ t often translate to the plight of all of us . It can be a love song that ’ s universal , of course ( and most of them are ), but I ’ m talking about the day to day things . Like when am I getting paid ? How am I getting life insurance and health insurance ? How am I able to work ? Those kinds of songs are definitely folk songs .” Paul thinks we are in a great era for folk music with Americana and bluegrass artists on the rise and the success of artists like The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons . One thing he notices is missing lately is the traditional role of folk music to identify what is going on in the world . “ Folk music needs to address some of the stuff that ’ s happening in our political lives ,” said Paul . “ I ’ m hoping that we ’ re one