Mail check payable to:
Mustards Retreat
408 Westwood Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Hello friends and fans.
As many of you know, for almost 50 years Mustard’s Retreat has traveled the country performing most anywhere and everywhere, from festivals to concert halls to living rooms – anywhere discerning people, like you, 🙂 gather to celebrate, have fun, share a moment and find community. Live performances have been our lifeblood, both spiritually and financially, and like a lot of other artists, the past two years of a pandemic have really been a challenge. It has also been a time of transition. Michael Hough’s retirement after 40 years in the band left some mighty big shoes to fill and with Michael’s wholehearted support, Libby and I have worked hard to reinvent the band and find our own unique sound.
We were looking forward to getting back on the road this year with the return of live music but I have had some issues with my knees and prostate ( all looking good by the way 🙂 , so we’ve had to cancel many of our summer appearances.
The good news is that, instead, we’ve decided to return to the studio to record a new album!
Libby and I are thrilled about the project. We have pretty much decided on the songs ( with help from a number of your requests- thank you!), Grammy-winning songwriter and producer, David Barrett (also of the Yellow Room Gang) has agreed to act as our producer. He gets us, gets our music, and knows how to make recordings sparkle while keeping true to who we are.
But it can’t happen without you.
Making a CD is an expensive endeavor and we don’t expect a return on our investment from sales, given the state of CD sales. We are guessing the project will run in excess of $20,000, given the cost of the musicians, studio time, production, distribution, and promotion, etc. We are reaching out to you to join us in bringing the CD to life.
If you have some money to spare and are looking for something you can feel good about supporting,
Please consider supporting us!
In return for your donation, we will add your name to the “Thank yous” printed in the CD booklet, we’ll autograph and send you a CD once they are in our hands, and you will have what we think will be our best recording ever.
It is difficult to make this request. We know how hard times are. The band has always managed to fund our recordings in the past, but circumstances have changed. We are asking you to become our partners in this endeavor and be our Patrons of the Arts. Unlike some other genres, folk music has never had labels with deep pockets or corporate sponsorships – at least not for a long time now. We rely on you, the people for whom our music resonates, who feel its deep roots in their communities, and for whom it has made a difference in their lives.
Thank you for considering this, and even if you can’t make a financial contribution this time please know how much we love and appreciate you, and how grateful we are for your support and all you do to keep our music out there.
The best ways to send money, where there are no handling fees taken out, is either by check made out to “Mustard’s Retreat” and mailed to 408 Westwood Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48103
or to use our Venmo account
https://Venmo.com/David.Tamulevich-1
Paypal will work as well https://paypal.me/tamulevich If you check the box Sending to Friends and Family, they should not take a %