Bundle & Go—David and Suzanne Rhees—will be appearing at the Cascade Resort Pub on March 15-17. The duo is used to casual venues, like this session at Keegan’s Pub, where they were joined by their adorable grandson, Vincent.
Over the last 10 years, Michael and Maureen O’Phelan have featured Irish music during their annual St. Patrick’s celebrations at Cascade Lodge. And this year, for the second year in a row, they are bringing in a wonderful duo called Bundle & Go.
Bundle & Go is David and Suzanne Rhees, two stalwarts of the Twin Cities Irish Music scene.
The musicians have interesting “day jobs.” Suzanne is a planner with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in St. Paul, working on floodplain management. David is director of The Bakken Museum, a small, unique museum devoted to “exploring the mysteries of our electrical world.”
They take their name Bundle & Go from a jig played by a famous traveling fiddler and tinsmith, John Doherty. Reached by phone as they were preparing for the trek north, Suzanne said, “We like the idea of carefree, spontaneous travel—rarely the reality for most of us.”
Together David and Suzanne play an eclectic mix of traditional Irish dance tunes, slow listening pieces, and unusual songs, with a generous sprinkling of tunes from related traditions – Cape Breton, Welsh, Scottish, and Quebecois.
Their instruments are equally diverse: Suzanne plays Irish flute, whistles and button accordion, while David plays fiddle, banjo, and (new this year) a baritone ukulele. Suzanne also plays with accordion master Paddy O’Brien’s group, O’Rourke’s Feast, and they both frequently play for set dances and informal sessions.
“We’re fascinated by the strange paths that tunes and songs take as they move from one country and continent to another, changing in the process. Recently we’ve been exploring a 19th century manuscript of dance tunes found in Racine, Wis.—tunes were brought from New England by the local fiddle and dance teacher. So we’ll be playing a few of those,” said Suzanne.
And, they’ll be enjoying the great cross country ski trails at Cascade Resort. “We love visiting the North Shore,” said Suzanne.
Bundle & Go will be playing at Cascade Restaurant and Pub on March 15 and 16 from 6 to 9 p.m., and March 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
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