Fayetteville Free Weekly Review
Redwings by Ginny Masullo Donna Henschell and Kelly Muhollan, of the thriving band Still on the Hill, will be performing as a duo-at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Arsaga's Crossover and Mission Road location. Henschell and Muhollan who also perform children's songs as Toucan Jam each have a wealth of work that is not performed by either Still on the Hill or Toucan Jam. For the Arsaga's show, they will each peform individual sets accompanied by the other. They have also revived an old tradition. Borrowing from the chamber music days of 100 years ago, when people gathered in drawing rooms or salons to listen to live music, the duo has recently begun to offer "house concerts." A host provides the space and invites friends for a suggested donation to pay the musicians. For the Arsaga's performance, Henschell will perform songs from her newly released CD Redwings. Redwings is a collection of original songs written during years of personal exploration. The songs address the themes of motherhood, addiction, family, abuse, the roles of women, love and creativity. Although Henschell probes some heavy themes, her music is upbeat and embellishes the underlying current through Redwings: redemption. "For years," says Henschell, "these songs have bee gestating inside me, just waiting to be birthed." While Henschell declares that the songs and the accompanying art pieces were her own personal therapy, she created works that touch unrecognized places in each of us. Two of the songs, Redwings and Run were written coming home from art therapist Budhi Kling's process painting class.
Musician-songwriter Emily Kaitz says of Redwings, "I have heard plenty of artists whose work is self-indulgent. Not at all so Redwings. In fact, I was surprised that my favorite song is the song about motherhood and I am not even a parent." Redwings' first 200 copies, which are well on the way to being sold after just two weeks, have handmade covers and a color photograph of Henschell's art pieces as well as a hand printed photo of Henschell and Mulhollan by photographer Michael Crow. Although Donna wrote all the lyrics and music (with one exception) Mulhollan was instrumental in "layering, mixing, and creating Redwings. It is as much his CD as it is mine," says Henschell. One of the songs was written for Mulhollan after a songwriter's circle where he challenged fellow songwriters to write a song with no chorus, not bridges and no unnecessary repetition. Henschell rose to the challenge and wrote Spinning, a refreshing love song which is one of the many high points of Redwings. Ask around town and people will tell you of Mulhollan's musical skills and generous energy. He is proficient in several instruments and takes delight in accompanying and helping others create fine music besides playing and singing in Still on the Hill and Toucan Jam. What people don't know is that he does at times, take off his hat to actually sleep and that he has been writing songs for almost 20 years. Art songs, which have a long tradition, are poems set to music. Mulhollan has composed music for poems like The Garden of Love by William Blake, Allen Ginsberg's last poem Gone, Gone, Gone, and Victor Hugo's To Make People Happy. Other poets Mulhollan has set to music include Langston Hughes, e.e. cummings, W.H. Auden, and Wallace Stevens. Mulhollan's repertoire is wide and always accessible. He also researches and reads poetry of various indigenous cultures and sets their words to his music. This genre of music, says Mulhollan, never has had a large audience. This doesn't bother him and he is excited to bring this work public. Born of Mulhollan's early obsession with classical music and inspried by composers like Monteverdi and Charles Ives, Mulhollan is breathing new life into this musical genre. While the term art song is apt, Mulhollan is uneasy that audiences might be put off by the term, thinking it means art so high it can't be grasped, he is thrilled to prove otherwise. These songs have lyrics that reach deep with their rich archetypal images and music that makes the heart dance.
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Recorded with her musical and life partner Mulhollan, Henschell says the work has been
more about the process than the product. The focus on process has produced the genuine
article: songs you want to hear again, songs whose lyrics you want to read, songs who
dance with you into your dreams.