Mustard's Retreat

Michael Hough and David Tamulevich formed the folk duo Mustard's Retreat in 1974 in Ann Arbor, MI. Both men were cooks, Connecticut natives, songwriters, and former members of church choirs. As Mustard's Retreat, the two friends performed in front of an audience for the first time at The Ark on one of the coffeehouse's open mic nights. Hough is accomplished on the Autoharp, guitar, and bass. Tamulevich lends his skills with the harmonica, guitar, penny whistle, and dulcimer.

A short time after that amateur appearance, the duo landed the job of house band for a local bar. It was the first time Hough and Tamulevich earned pay for performing. In less than two years, they were earning enough with their music to leave their cook jobs behind. In 1979, Mustard's Retreat recorded a self-titled debut album. It was four years before a sophomore work was completed, Home by the Morning, released under the Red House Records label; another four years and another album, Midwinter's Night.

Hough and Tamulevich spent the next few years traveling across the East Coast and through the Midwest, performing at festivals, bars, and clubs. It would be 1994 before the duo recorded its next full-length offering, 5 Miles or 50,000 Years. It was followed in 1997 by The Wind and the Crickets, recorded under the Palmetto Records label and produced by Garnet Rogers. Some of the family-suitable tunes folk fans can find on this duo's albums are "Gather the Family," "The Volunteer Song," and "Festival Night."