Mustard's Retreat January 18, 2002
The 2002 Get In The House concert series was launched by Ann Arbor-based duo, Mustard's Retreat. David Tamulevich and Michael Hough first began performing more than twenty-five years ago, when both were working as cooks at the Brown Jug café in Ann Arbor. Although their personalities seem quite different, they have a terrific rapport and ease with each other. This ease extends through friendliness, which radiates to the audience, and we enjoyed a show of remarkable warmth, humor and lovely songs - both their original pieces with usually extensive introductory stories, and an eclectic selection of works by other writers. Their newest recording, of five, is The Wind and the Crickets. With an assortment of acoustic and electric guitars, a bass guitar, a pennywhistle, and a dulcimer crowded around their feet at the end of the living room, they quietly launched their show after Kelli's typically brief introduction with a lovely a capella rendition of "Gather The Family" - sung in a shape-note hymn style.
In two sets, they created a cozy, comfortable framework for their music. Most of the audience that had ventured out on this cold January night were unfamiliar with Mustard's Retreat, but were soon caught up the by the contagious enthusiasm these men bring to their music. Michael explained they like to group songs in sets of threes that have some sort of connection, and then to shake things up with a surprise, or a change in mood. They certainly did that for us with interesting covers, thoughtful personal songs and even a few philosophical pieces -- including a lesson about past lives ("Remembering My Incarnations"). A crowd favorite, though, seemed to be "Hopelessly Midwestern" - based on the amount of laughter as our midwestern audience members recognized themselves in the lyrics. Michael's gentle love song to his soon-to-be-ex wife about fly fishing, sunbathing and outdoor passion also elicited smiles of delight, despite the audience's basic skepticism about Michael's fascination with fishing videos and television shows. We also got treated to the "true" story of how the mosquito became Michigan's state bird, courtesy of Paul Bunyon and were invited to sing along to help the story progress to its tragic conclusion (a pest with a stinger at both ends). Another lovely piece, "Watching The Pines," apparently has great appeal to children who will sing it repeatedly on car trips, according to Michael, but which offers beautiful images, rich harmonies and an interesting melody. The sets were diverse! David provided a lovely whistle accompaniment on a Celtic-style tune, "Mallon's Bridge," while Michael played railroad spikes as percussive instruments in a spirited rendition of "Sixteen Tons."
It was obvious that they have played together a long time. When one tried to end a song before the other was ready, it was quite entertaining to watch them both scurry around the frets on their guitars to bring the song to a mutually satisfying conclusion.
One regret from the show was that David played his Appalachian dulcimer on only one song. It is a beautiful instrument and had a lovely, quiet tone that perfectly suited the music.
A spirited sing-along of "Let's Hear It For The Volunteers," followed by a cover of Tom Paxton's first recorded song, "Come Along Home," helped to close out the evening - a beautiful song that sounds quite traditional in its structure and harmonies.
Both David and Michael were enthusiastic about people turning off their televisions and gathering together in a community to share music. The second birthday of Get In The House was a mere three days after this concert - the audience took a moment to express their appreciation to Kelli for having the willingness to open her home to musicians and to us, as well as for all the work that she undertakes to produce these concerts.
In their other lives, David is the Tamulevich of Fleming Tamulevich and Associates, the most influential and respected folk music talent agency in the country. Michael is a gifted commercial photographer. Check out their website for more information: http://www.flemtam.com/mr.html.
-- David Barnett,
January 2001