Michael Hough and David Tamulevich established the folk duo Mustard's Retreat during 1974 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both Connecticut natives, the pair had previously worked as cooks while also writing songs and singing in church choirs. Their initial public appearance under the Mustard's Retreat name took place at The Ark during one of the venue's open mic nights. Hough plays Autoharp, guitar, and bass with notable proficiency, while Tamulevich contributes on harmonica, guitar, penny whistle, and dulcimer.
Soon after that initial outing the duo secured a house-band position at a neighborhood bar, marking the first occasion either received payment for a performance. Within two years their music income had grown sufficient to allow them to abandon their cooking positions entirely. The self-titled debut album appeared in 1979, followed four years later by Home by the Morning on Red House Records and another four years after that by Midwinter's Night.
Over the ensuing period Hough and Tamulevich toured festivals, bars, and clubs throughout the East Coast and Midwest. Their next full-length recording, 5 Miles or 50,000 Years, did not arrive until 1994. Two years afterward came The Wind and the Crickets, issued on Palmetto Records and produced by Garnet Rogers. Among the family-oriented songs listeners encounter across the duo's catalog are "Gather the Family," "The Volunteer Song," and "Festival Night."
