I can't imagine not doing covers, but what the hell? I'm a neopsychedelic *folk-singer*. Pete Seeger once said to me, "You steal a song, they'll call you a plagiarist. You steal a thousand songs, and they'll call you- a great American folk singer." Ballads are a critical part of the historical record. If you never play a cover, then who plays your songs when you're dead? I guess I'd rather have my songs be a living, breathing artistic entity, than a Greek statue carved of digital data. Each to their own. -Richie