The Michigan Daily-Sunday, September 23, 1979-Page 5 McCASLIN-RINGER AT THE ARK: A dose By ERIC ZORN There is perhaps no more etherially beautiful experience in folk music than to hear Jim Ringer and Mary McCaslin perform "The Bramble and the Rose." Their voices rise and fall, laced together in perfect harmony as inex- pressably sweet as the lyrics them- selves. 'In concert, they have no in- strumentation other than their two six string guitars, and we are spared the Longines symphonette string section that shows up on the album cut. Ringer and McCaslin thus give all one could ever ask for: A good song simply and powerfully performed. As a duet, Ringer and McCaslin offer no less. Never has male-female har- mony sounded quite this good or have two voices seemed better suited to each other. No, fans, not even Carly Simon and James Taylor. They couldn't pack Ringer-MeCaslin's lunch, TO BE SURE, both Ringer and Mc- Caslin are capable performers in their own rights, and this weekend's concerts at the Ark gave them plenty of room to showcase their talents. "Our singing together at the end of the concert is only good 'after the people have seen us play separately first," insists Mary Mc- Caslin. "Just together doesn't show enough of what we can do." What McCaslin can do is write good songs, sing them very well, and accom- pany herself solidly and imaginatively on the guitar and banjo. Her stage charm (she was not particularly funny) won the audience' right away, in marked contrast to the lackadaisical and uncomfortable .set she played a year ago at the Ark. Ringer met McCaslin seven years ago during a camp-out for folksingers in Sierra mountains of California, and they have been together ever since. They are now married, and live in a house "in what would be called the slums" of San Bernardino, Ca. "WE'RE BORDERING on middle class now," Ringer says. "The nice think is we're making a living doing what we want to do, playing music." A rugged, burly man, .Ringer scar- f fiowe cely looks the part of the droll, ironic raconteur that he plays on stage. His act, as opposed to McCaslin's, is pep- pered with funny songs and keenly timed remarks. "If you gotta classify me, you gotta say I'm country," he says. But his medium tempo ballads and laments, capably growled in a ser- vicable bass, cover a large area of folk music. In every way, though, when the two of them finish the evening together on stage, the best aspects of both sets come together and build to a remarkable climax. It is not necessary to see them individually first. "The Bramble and the Rose" alone stands as proof. McCaslin, who sings with a slight, engaging lisp as does Ringer, has a rich, soaring voice. When it entwines with Ringer's, the effect is to smooth out any wrinkles the both of them might have, and the blend is outstanding. The instrumentation gets a boost because McCaslin's sturdy finger picking now has Ringer's clean strums behind it, and the overall sound is full but simple. "If our album (The Bram- ble and the Rose, the only one they have recorded together) is over-orchestrated with strings and allthat, it's because I like it that way," says Ringer in an- swering his critics. "I'd like to travel with a band behind us. If we had the money, we'd do it that way.19 WHICH MAKES us glad that Ringer and McCaslin aren't any more suc- cessful than they are. Both have four solo albums out on various lables, and they are performing regularly, but Ringer was just recently able to buy his first new car. Just the two of them on stage make for not only good music, but a good show. Ringer's disarming wit and Mc- Caslin's conspiratorial mugging with the audience is a bit like the old Sonny and Chertschtick, only funny and without the cutesy, ponderous put- downs. "We get along amazingly well con- sidering we have almost no time away from each other,"'says McCaslin. "In fact, a lot of our disagreements happen on stage," adds Ringer. "We'll let each other know how we feel, and that relieves tension between us." The magic is clearly there, but both entertainers are set- on the idea of separate identities and careers. They promise "eventually" to do another disc together, if any of us can wait that long, but never, they say, will they combine their acts permanently. Their ring folk charm appearances as a duo will remain just a tasty dessert to their solo appearances. It's impossiple to complain: The en- tire concert was a class act, best sym- bolized by the exquisite moment of "The Bramble and the Rose." 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