uNi Coffeehouse Concert Folk

The name uNi is derived from the first three letters in Unitarian Universalist but punctuated to be pronounced similar to the phrase, "You and I". This name expresses the sharing which occurs among performers and audience at these intimate concerts. The series has been running since 1985.

The concerts are held one Saturday each month, September through May. One or two additional special concerts are sometimes added to the schedule.

1. WHO'S COMING NEXT?
2. GENERAL INFORMATION
3. DRIVING DIRECTIONS AND MAP
4. COMING SOON TO THE uNi
5. ADVANCE LISTINGS
6. THE uNi FOLK FAMILY
7. LINKS TO OTHER FOLK SITES
8. LINK TO UU SOCIETY OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD
9. SEND US AN E MAIL

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Sat. May 9 at 8 pm, only $15 at the door

Join us for our Season Grand Finale Concert with
Mustard's Retreat

David Tamulevich and Michael Hough

Mustard's Retreat (David Tamulevich and Michael Hough) is celebrating its 35th anniversary of entertaining audiences with its special brand of folk music, "Music to cure what ails you".

Highly acclaimed, not only songwriters, but as interpreters of traditional and contemporary songs and stories, their show is full of enthusiasm, good humor and fine musicianship.

Multi-instrumentalists (acoustic guitar, electric bass, dulcimer, mandolin, harmonica, penney whistle), their large repertoire draws on the dual influences of the 60's as well as the singer-songwriter movement. Traditional to pop and all points in between, their show includes equal doses of humor, history, insight, and emotion.

Garnet Rogers said of them:

Mustard’s Retreat represents everything that is best about folk music.  Their music is community music.  It comes from our common roots and traditions, pays tribute to those roots and traditions and expands on them.  It is music that speaks to peoples hearts and lives and binds them together as an audience.

To watch a Mustard’s Retreat show is not to see a formal ”performance” but something more real and precious: a sharing of songs and experience- Michael and David unfold their songs, whether traditional or contemporary or their own extraordinary compositions and one sees the audience being invited into their world and drawing closer together.  One watches couples react to the songs-the shared laugh, the sidelong glance, and smile of recognition- “ this song is about us!:- the squeeze of the hand or shoulder.

It is music for real people about real things- life, love, sex and death- the big stuff- and the songs have entered the lexicon  of “ anonymous” folk songs and are being  passed from hand to hand- which is the ultimate tribute to a songwriter.

In an every widening “ market” where everyone seems to be “ the next big thing” and we are overwhelmed by and endless string of sensitive sullen poseurs who keep one eye on the bottom line and the other on the nearest mirror, David and Michael stand out as the real thing: two grown men singing grown up songs for all the right reasons; writing to make sense of their lives, helping us to make sense of ours, sharing much, talking little, trying to find the most graceful path and being able to laugh at the inevitable stumbles and head bumps along the way

Visit their own website at:
http://www.mustardsretreat.com

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GENERAL INFORMATION

• All coffeehouse style evening concerts begin at 8:00 p.m.and typically end around 10:30 p.m.

• All seats are $15 at the door (unless otherwise indicated). For reservations or further information contact Ed & Beth Brown at edbethui@comcast.net .....or by phone at (413) 562-3990. Reservations are recommended.  Reservations are held only until 7:50 p.m. and are not for any particular seats. We recommend arriving earlier for best seating and parking. Doors usually open about 7:00 p.m. 

• All coffeehouse style evening concerts are held in Friendship Hall of the Unitarian Universalist Society Meetinghouse located at 245 Porter Lake Drive where Springfield, MA borders on Longmeadow and the lovely, wooded Forest Park.

• The hall seats over one hundred and features:
  • - lovely wooded location bordering on Longmeadow and the Forest Park woodlands
  • - easy access from anywhere via Interstate Route 91. Parking lot, plus space along road for later arrivals
  • - acoustic music (not electric, not excessively loud), some very old songs and tunes, some very new
  • - experienced performers from across the United States, Canada, and Great Britain
  • - coffeehouse style atmosphere, relaxed, informal, low stage, candle-light, but no alcohol, no smoke
  • - lively concert hall sound in an intimate setting; performers often mingle with audience during breaks
  • - refreshments available: home made baked goods, hot spiced cider, coffee, teas, & just popped popcorn

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Driving Directions to uNi Coffeehouse Concerts:

All coffeehouse style evening concerts are held in Friendship Hall of the Unitarian Universalist Society Meetinghouse, 245 Porter Lake, Drive Springfield, MA bordering on Longmeadow and the lovely, wooded Forest Park, easily reached from Interstate Route 91. Occasional special Sanctuary Concerts are held in the lovely sanctuary space at the same meetinghouse location.

1. Getting close (how to get to Converse St. in Longmeadow)

1a. Coming from the North, East, or West
NOTE: The directions below assume that you have stayed on I 91 to Exit 1; please do not make the mistake of leaving I 91 before Exit 1 if you are coming
- from the NORTH: I 91 South to Exit 1
- from the EAST: Mass Pike (I 90) to Exit 6; I 291 West; I 91 South to Exit 1
- from the WEST: Mass Pike (I 90) to Exit 4; I 91 South to Exit 1
Take I 91 Exit 1 (Longmeadow); follow Route 5 south (Longmeadow St.) to the THIRD traffic light; turn left onto Converse St.

1b. Coming from the SOUTH there is no access to Exit 1 from I 91 when coming from the south

Take I 91 Exit 49 turn right onto ROUTE 5 north which becomes Longmeadow St. Go JUST OVER 3 MILES to turn right onto Converse St. (at a large intersection with a traffic light)

2. Final Directions (from Converse street)

- follow Converse St. slightly less than one mile to turn left onto Porter Lake Drive
NOTE: if you miss the turn for Porter Lake Drive, you will see a Jewish Community Center on the left. Turn around there & try again watching for Porter Lake Drive on the right now.

- UU Meetinghouse is less than a mile along Porter Lake Drive, on the right. It is a low brick building with a parking lot.

NOTE: if you miss the turn for Porter Lake Drive, you will see the Jewish Community Center on the left. Turn around there & try again, watching for Porter Lake Drive on the right now.

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THE uNi FOLK FAMILY:

The uNi Folk Family includes the dedicated volunteers who do all of the work to make these concerts happen and the long list of performers who have shared their music and stories with us.

The dedicated team of special people who make these wonderful evenings happen continues to be praised by both our audiences and performers alike as one of the finest on the folk music circuit. Regular team members include (in alphabetical order) Ed & Beth Brown, Jimmy Dunn, Kathy and David Hillard, Betty Sue Lentz, Karl Moore, Ellen & John Philip, Tom and Sue Sawyer, Dean Szostek, Dave & Carol Tivoli, Sherry Williams, and Pam Woodward.

The performers are drawn from folk music communities across the U.S., Canada, and the British Isles. Both traditional and contemporary folk performers have graced our stage including Gordon Bok, Ed Trickett, Bill Staines, Priscilla Herdman, John Roberts and Tony Barrand, Jeff Warner, Magpie, Sally Rogers and Howie Bursen, Robbie O'Connell, Johnny Collins, Dave Goulder, Tom Lewis, Bob Franke, The Short Sisters, Cindy Mangsen & Steve Gillette, Pat Humphries, Justina and Joyce, Paul Kaplan, Charlie King & Karen Brandow, Magical Strings, Fred Small, Dillon Bustin, Kim & Reggie Harris, Kallet, Cicone, & Epstein, Lorraine & Bennett Hammond, Judy Polan, Susan Trump, Ruth Pelham, Bob Zentz, Tony Cuffe, Anne Dodson & Matt Szostak, Hot Soup!, Atwater- Donnelly, Dick Swain & Nancy Mattila, Chris Timson & Anne Gregson, Gail Rundlett, Debra Cowan, Sara Grey, Joe Hickerson,Taproot, Geoff Bartley, Anne Lister, Woods Tea Company, Betty and Norman Mc Donald, Castlebay, Dan Milner & Bob Conroy, Mike Agranoff, Skip Gorman & the Waddie Pals, Lui Collins, David Roth, Jodee James Band, The Johnson Girls, Dan Milner & Bob Conroy, Jeff Davis, Brian Peters, Ian Robb, Shelly Posen, & Ann Downey of Finest Kind, Cece & Ruth, Robin Huw Bowen, Work o' the Weavers, Doofus, Just Harmony, Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen, Geordie McIntyre & Alison McMorland, Sparky & Rhonda Rucker, Mad Agnes, Small Potatoes, and many others.

The series is sponsored and supported by the congregation of the The Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield.

LINKS TO A FEW OTHER FOLK SITES:

Mattunes House Concerts http://www.mattunesmusic.com/index.htm
- Professional, acoustic & unamplified, mostly instrumental, classical, traditional, world music held on eight Sunday afternoons a year in an intimate setting, a Victorian row house on historic Mattoon Street in downtown Springfield, MA
P.A.C.E. = Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton (MA) http://www.pioneerarts.org
- presents a mix of concerts, open mic nights, jam sessions, theatrical productions, classes and more,
Musi-Cal - A very comprehensive listing of concerts and festivals; you can even search by performer to follow your favorites.
NEFFA: New England Folk Festival Association- A well constructed site with special emphasis on the northeast but with many links to other sites
Folk Legacy Records - An excellent source for folk music recordings
Dirty Linen - A strange name perhaps, but a wonderful magazine and major internet presence providing information about the folk music scene.
Folk Alliance - A major force in supporting the interests of folk music in North America
SingOut! - The premiere folk music publication, publisher of "Rise Up Singing", and so much more!
New Song Library - a unique song resource library that collects and preserves songs about people's lives, hopes and struggles, and helps performers, teachers and community activists share these songs with a wide variety of audiences
Robin Blecher Celtic Arts - Includes a calendar of Celtic concerts within 100 miles of Boston,
updated weekly plus information about over 200 venues, radio outlets, and more
Song and Story Swap - Provides a chance for anyone in the Pioneer Valley to share their songs and stories with others.
Dulcimer Folk Association of CT- a wonderful, welcoming group of folks who encourage others to join them in making music together just for the joy of it. Beginners warmly welcomed and helped with learning to play; also NOT LIMITED TO DULCIMERS, all acoustic instruments and voices welcomed.
Sounding Board Folknotes http://folknotes.org/
- online version of the newsletter of the Sounding Board which has presented the finest of folk music for over 25 years; lots of other venues' schedules as well as folk radio and festival listings
ezFolk.com -- Folk Guitar, Banjo, and Ukulele Website with Free Tabs & Tutorials!

Folk Festivals
Click below for the
Excellent Listing of Festivals by Dirty Linen Magazine
http://www.dirtynelson.com/linen/special/events.html

Watch below for just a few festivals that we have personally enjoyed in the past, as the time for each approaches again.

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