Having spent 24 years in the U.S. Navy, 20 years and 7 months with Country Current, Wayne Taylor retired to civilian life on March 21, 2008. What does that mean for a bluegrass musicians?

Wayne is in Nashville this week at the IBMA leadership class, and says his plans are to get more involved with bluegrass music. And getting more involved he is.

He has a new CD out titled Dear Mom. He just recorded an interview with Kyle Cantrell for XM Radio, which I’m told may air next Tuesday. And he’s found a new musical home.

I am playing with Bill Emerson and the Sweet Dixie Band. We’ve played a few gigs and will be hitting the festival circuit this year. Our schedule can be viewed at Myspace.com/waynetaylor.

The guys in Country Current are going to miss Wayne’s presence for sure. I spoke to Frank Solivan II, who plays mandolin and fiddle in the band, and he shared his thoughts on Wayne’s departure from the band.

Wayne Taylor has been and is an inspiration as a musician, boss, and especially as a friend. Personally he has been there for me and my wife Leah from our start with the Navy Band. From helping us move two times and helping me install drywall in my new house to personal dilemmas. I’ve been able to count on his professionalism, honesty, and good natured attitude for almost 5 years without as much as a hiccup.

His retirement ceremony last Friday not only honored his service to our country, but his commitment to family, friends and coworkers. The masses that gathered was proof of this. Many people came to honor him… from childhood friends and his Father’s best friend to local musician, friends and family. The room was charged with emotion and the golf ball in Wayne’s throat was apparent. It was evident that everyone loves Wayne. He received a number of awards, letters of appreciation, and mementos from prominent figures in our military and the President. A number of people got up and honored his accomplishments. The legacy and shoes to fill that he’ll leave behind is immeasurable. I’m sure his fine character will carry him far in the civilian world and his musicianship and vocal ability will impart emotion just as it always has. He’ll be missed and thought of fondly.

~Frank

We wish Wayne all the best in his future endeavors, and we encourage you to take the opportunity to see him this summer at a festival near you.

The International Songwriting Competition is nearing the announcement date of its winners for 2007. The field has been narrowed to 15 finalists in each genre category. The winners will be announced in April, 2008.

Our friend Frank Solivan II is one of the finalists in the Americana category, which is the closest to a bluegrass category they have in the competition.

Frank is known to the bluegrass world as a mandolin player and singer, by his tenure with the Navy Bluegrass Band, Country Current. He’s also released a couple of great solo projects that feature him on mandolin, fiddle and vocals, with an occasional guitar part as well. In addition to his multi-instrumental prowess, he’s also a gifted songwriter, penning both scorching instrumental numbers and soul felt vocal tunes.

The song Frank has entered in the contest is Day to Day from his 2002 release I Am A Rambler. The song is currently available as a free mp3 from Frank’s website.

Be sure to visit Frank’s MySpace page for his touring and mandolin workshop schedule.

NBC News4 in the District of Columbia recently ran a story online about the DC Bluegrass Union. The story is text only and featured online in the DC Scene section of the station’s website.

The story takes on the tone of a concert review while the writer recounts the experience of attending a house concert promoted by the DC Bluegrass Union. The concert is that of our friend Frank Solivan II, which the writer seemed to enjoy. The story is supposed to be about the efforts of the DCBU to promote bluegrass music in that area, and the writer does sing some praise for those efforts.

The somewhat hidden, but resourceful, DC Bluegrass Union has been promoting and supporting Bluegrass music in the D.C. area since 2001 and connects shows akin to the Lake Barcroft series and genre specific musicians in the area.

You can read the story here.

Recently we told you about a show our friend Frank Solivan II did at the Kennedy Center. That performance is now available for viewing online at the center’s website. The show is up in it’s entirety. It looks like it’s provided in a flash format so it should be no problem viewing regardless of platform or browser.

Click here to watch the show.

One of my favorite moments is the band’s rendition of Dimond Rio’s 1994 classic Bubba Hyde. It comes about 17 minutes in to the show. It’s swinging and very cool!

The band is comprised of Frank on mandolin/fiddle, Mike Munsford on banjo, John Miller on guitar, and Chris Walls on bass. All the guys contribute to the singing, with Frank and John handling the bulk of the lead.

Frank is best known for his role in the Navy Band, Country Current, but this is a great opportunity to hear him performing his own material from both his solo projects. You can find, and purchase, both of those on Frank’s website or through the iTunes music store.

Our friend Frank Solivan II has written in to let us know about a guitar workshop he is conducting with long time bluegrass singer/guitarist, John Miller. This two hour workshop with these two accomplished guitar players will take place next Saturday, February 10, 2007, from 12-2 PM. The workshop will be held at 3320 Grass Hill Terrace (Lake Barcroft) in Falls Church, VA.

The workshop is oriented toward beginning-intermediate level players, and is intended to be an in-depth study of rhythm fundamentals, chord theory, scales, arpeggios, and fingering patterns. Many styles of playing will be touched on including bluegrass, fiddle tunes, country classics, swing, jazz, and blues.

Students will use these tools to learn, play and retain songs faster, improve tone and enhance the tunes they already know. All will walk away with not only a better knowledge and respect for the guitar, but will have a handout/syllabus to study.

Cost of attendance is $45 per student. For more info and reservations visit www.franksolivanii.com

In addition to the workshop, Frank and John will be performing with Mike Munford (banjo) and Chris Walls (bass) at a couple of upcoming concerts.

One week from today, February 8, 2007, they will be performing on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. The concert starts at 6 PM and is free to the public.

Then on February 10, 2007 in the evening following the guitar workshop, they will be performing as part of a bluegrass concert series at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Herndon, VA. This show starts at 7:30 PM and the ticket price is $12. Reservations can be made by calling 703.437.1883 or 703.435.8377.

More information about all of these events can be found on Frank’s website.

The Wammies, or Washington Area Music Awards, are a function of the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA). Each year the Wammies recognize significant achievements by Washington DC area musicians. Nominations and balloting come from the association’s membership.

This year’s awards, the 21st Annual, will be held at The State Theatre in Falls Church, VA on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 8 PM EST. Tickets are available to both members and non-members of the association, and can be ordered online.

This year’s ballot can be viewed and submitted online. Voting is restricted to WAMA members only.

Our good friend Frank Solivan II wrote to tell us that one category of the awards is open to voting by non-members, the Fan’s Favorite Award. Frank is nominated this year for Bluegrass vocalist of the year, Instrumentalist of the year, and Album of the year. Congrats Frank! And good luck.

UPDATE 1-11-07: Sometimes contributor here on The Bluegrass Blog, Kip Martin, is also nominated for a number of Wammie Awards. Kip is included in two Album of the year nominations in the bluegrass category, and one in the country category. He’s also involved in a band (One Horse Town) that is nominated for a New Artist of the Year award. He’s also involved as a bass player on projects that are nominated in several categories. Congrats and good luck Kip!

Frank Solivan II has announced plans to hold a one day Mandolin clinic in Alexandria, VA on Saturday January 13, 2007. Frank plays mandolin with Country Current, the US Navy’s country and bluegrass band. We interviewed Frank recently on The Grasscast and you can hear samples of his playing in that episode.

The clinic will be two hours in length, running from 1pm to 3pm, and the cost is $40 per student. Frank encourages students to bring pen & paper and a recording device, in addition to their instrument.

A hands-on workshop with Frank Solivan II, touching on traditional bluegrass songs, fiddle tunes, swing standards and country classics. An in-depth study of rhythm fundamentals, chords, scales, arpeggios, and use of fingering patterns to mentally map your fretboard. Students will use these tools to build musical solos, learn and play faster, improve tone and enhance the tunes they already know. Everyone will walk away with a handout referring to topics covered and a better knowledge of their instrument. Skill Level: Beginner-Intermediate

You can contact Frank via email at info@franksolivanii.com

Where: 523 N Payne St Alexandria Va 22314

Times: Saturday January 13, 2007 1pm-3pm

Listen now: (IE users click to activate)

This episode of The GrassCast features an interview with Frank Solivan II. Frank plays in the Navy band Country Current. He performs on mandolin and fiddle when the band is doing bluegrass and also plays electric guitar in the country version of the band. In the interview Frank and I discuss the Navy band, what their mission is, what is it was like to audition for the band, and the bluegrass component of what the band does.

In addition to playing in the Navy band, Frank also has two solo CDs out. The latest one, Selfish Tears, came out late this summer. Frank and I talk about the CD and specificially we discuss, and preview, three of the songs on the disc. We also brush on Franks other obsession, cooking. Check out the photos in the enhanced version of the podcast (see iTunes link below), I’m gonna have to eat dinner at his place one of these days!

Direct Download: ep48_frank_solivan_ii.mp3

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Here is one more gallery of photos from Saturday at IBMA. I took these in the exhibit hall.

Cherryholmes	Jim Van Cleve	Casey Henry	Steve Huber
Megan Lynch	Reno and Rigsby	Sizemore and Lawless	Dan Miller
Murphy Henry	Tony Williams	Fank Solivan II	Joey Cox

Here are the rest of the photos from last night’s Awards Show.

Photos by Tami Roth © 2006

Vince Gill with The Del McCoury Band	Del McCoury and Vince Gill	Rhonda Vincent	Joe Wheatley, Country Current
Frank Solivan II, Country Current	Tim O’Brien accepts as Male Vocalist	Marty Stuart improvises when the audio goes out	The Grascals with Steve Wariner
Jamie Johnson, Terry Smith and Terry Eldridge	Darrell Adkins accepts Album Of The Year Award	Marty Stuart	Bobby Osborne and Marty Stuart
Sonya Isaacs and Ronnie Bowman	Vince Gill announces the Entertainer of the Year	The Grascals accept as Entertainer for 2006	Lewis Family tribute