Join us on May 2 at the Bewley's Cafe Theatre, where KEITH DONALD will be performing a version of his one-man play NEWBLISS. There will be music, a Q&A, and Keith will also be signing copies of his memoir MUSIC AND MAYHEM, published in March by the Lilliput Press. Doors open at 7PM. Show starts at 7.30PM.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
MUSIC AND MAYHEM charts the immersive and explosive life of KEITH DONALD, one of Ireland’s most important musicians, plus the golden decade of Irish music that he was at the very centre of.
In a career that has spanned over five decades, Keith has played on over eighty albums and worked with artists including VAN MORRISON, CHRISTY MOORE, RONNIE DREW and LOUIS STEWART, among many others.
His story begins in Unionist east Belfast, hurtling through vivid memories of a childhood as a musical prodigy, first performing at the BBC aged ten. His story takes him to the classics department of Trinity College Dublin in the early sixties, a hotbed of new ideas, before he becomes enveloped in the beauty of tenor sax.
The seventies saw Keith building a music career in Dublin and Europe, coping with addiction, a crumbling marriage, and forging a separate life as a qualified social worker. It was the 1980s however, when his greatest breakthrough came to pass with the formation of the Celtic rock supergroup MOVING HEARTS. With the Hearts, Keith was tour manager, star performer and inspiration, alongside bandmates including CHRISTY MOORE and DONAL LUNNY. Their combined fusion of jazz, rock and traditional music created the soundtrack of an era and paved the way for a generation of Irish musicians.
ABOUT NEWBLISS:
NewBliss was written during 2014 and is a one-man show consisting of verse, prose and music. Keith’s journey from addiction to redemption is an inspirational story, complete with both laughter and lessons.
In the show, Keith recounts the highs and lows of his six-decade long career, half of which was spent under the shadow of alcoholism. It is an insight into the life of a musician, from pit orchestra gigs to pay the bills, all the way through to sold out stadium tours.
