Men of Worth return to Susanville
Great good news for folk music lovers sure to burst your COVID doldrums — the Knights of Columbus bring Men of Worth back to town Saturday, Aug. 27 at Monsignor Moran Hall. The Men of Worth duo — Scotsman Donnie MacDonald and Irishman James Keigher have appeared several times locally, and they always delight their audience with an eclectic mixture of old and new music that trods way back into the Celtic tradition — those wonderful old modal melodies that form the basis of the music of the British Isles — and then scampers forward to songs that are as modern as today. Keigher, one of those Irish tenors, might offer classic favorites such as “Danny Boy” or with music by legendary Irish performer Sean Tyrrell (who sadly passed last October). And MacDonald is sure to pull out a number or three with words and/or music written by himself or his mother. And he even sings songs in that ancient Gaelic language that seems to somehow resonate in the DNA of those of us of Scottish ancestry.
Both men are multi-instrumentalists, and they play a variety of folk instruments from their homelands — accordion, tenor banjo, bodhran, concertina, guitar, mandolin, mandocello and octave mandolin and more. The two members of this international touring act are consummate musicians who play the living heck out of any instrument they choose to pick up. And let me tell you, they both can really sing, too. They have released many albums since their formation in 1986, and they even host and lead intimate tours to their homelands of Ireland and Scotland every year.
And if that’s not enough, they’re pretty darn funny as well. Why one fan even recently likened them to the Smothers Brothers. Here’s the deal — MacDonald’s brogue is soft enough our inexperienced American ears can easily comprehend his between song banter as he bumbles his way through some of the most incredible and eyebrow raising stories that feature seemingly impossible and improbable situations that are completely beyond all imagination or understanding as poor Keigher stands to the side playing his corpsing role to absolute perfection. Trust me — audience members can count on many, many belly rumbling laughs and comedic interludes to go along with some mighty fine music.
OK, I’ve said enough already. If you’ve seen Men of Worth before, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’ve never seen them, you have a pleasant and enjoyable surprise in your near future.
Proceeds from the Men of Worth show benefit many local families. A spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread and salad dinner will be served from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The dinner costs $15. The concert begins at 7 p.m., and tickets for that are $25, or $40 for both the dinner and the show. Tickets are available at Margie’s Book Nook.
For more information, call Richard Roman at 257-2274 or 249-2274.