First, John and I were able to catch a Mountain Heart show. The band performed some of their more requested tunes, but also unveiled some new music they’re working up. Several of the songs were performed for the first time last night. The material is great and the band sounds powerful. I really enjoyed the show. I taped part of the show and we talked to a couple of the band members afterward, with the camera running, so be on the lookout for a video later today.

Next we caught Adam Steffey’s official showcase. Adam has long been one of my favorites, and last night proved why. There’s just something cool about that “low lonesome sound” as Adam said, “High lonesome is sooooo 2007!”

Since Adam was the last of the official, main stage showcases, I headed downstairs for some “after hours” fun.

I caught Buddy Merriam’s show. Celebrating his 30th year of performing bluegrass music, there is no finer Monroe style mandolin player out there. And Buddy is just one of my favorite people. It doesn’t hurt that he’s got Ernie Sykes Jr. playing bass and singing with him. What a voice!

I stayed put after Buddy was finished and had the pleasure of hearing Frank Solivan II and his band Dirty Kitchen. Frank is a great musician and singer, and he’s surrounded himself with excellent musicians and singers. I was especially impressed with their trio vocals. They had the parts worked out and sounded good. Performing some traditional material as well as many originals, they’ve got a finely tuned sound that obviously appealed to the crowed who gathered to hear them.

After that, I visited with a few friends, picked up a couple pieces of news you’ll be reading about in the coming days, and then headed to bed. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a camera with me, so no pictures.

The song is Scorchin’ The Gravy from Frank’s most recent CD, Selfish Tears. Frank tells us that the song is a favorite of our buddy Wichita Rutherford, who features it regularly during his weekly show on Sirius-XM Bluegrass Junction.

You can hear the track here…

…and get your free download here.

Dirty Kitchen includes Mike Munford on banjo, Lincoln Meyers on guitar, Stefan Custodi on bass and Solivan on mandolin and vocals.

Of course, we’ve had talented women involved in bluegrass since the early days, but not to the extent we enjoy them today. In the next few months we’ll see new releases from Rhonda Vincent, Dale Ann Bradley, Alecia Nugent and newcomer Sarah Jaroz. We’ll be doing a piece soon on the new Bearfoot CD, but first we want to highlight a talented young singer from California who has a bright future in bluegrass music.

Patuxent Music has released Look For Me, the debut recording from Angelica Grim, which features her strong and distinctive voice on a set of 12 songs, supported by an all-star backing band. The maturity and confidence you hear in her singing might surprise you, until you learn a bit more about her background.

At age 19, Angelica has been singing bluegrass for as long as she can remember. She had the good fortune to be born into a musical family, and to find encouragement and support from bluegrass organizations where she grew up.

“My dad was a country musician so he taught me to sing as soon as I could talk. He used to say ‘Sing so the neighbors can hear you!’

In 1993 my family won tickets to the Grass Valley Fathers Day festival, and we’ve gone every year since. My first time onstage was 1995 with the Kids On Bluegrass program at Grass Valley. I participated in that for 12 years. I sang as a hobby mostly until I was about 13, then picked up the guitar to back myself up when I sang.

One year at Grass Valley I went to a vocal workshop that Rhonda Vincent was teaching and she asked for a volunteer to help demonstrate harmony. I volunteered, and after the workshop she asked if I would like to sing harmony on a song for her evening set. I of course said yes, and that week I decided that I wanted to pursue music professionally.

I got involved in the California Bluegrass Association when I was about 14. I started going to board meetings and things and eventually they appointed me as their Teen Ambassador. I went to festivals and told teens about the CBA and about bluegrass. I also emceed at Grass Valley and at SuperGrass. A couple years later they appointed me to the Talent Advisory Group for the Grass Valley festival.”

Angelica has moved away from California, and is nominally located near Buffalo, NY, though she spends almost all her life on the road. She travels with The Doerfels – she and TJ Doerfel are man and wife – and is often featured as a guest vocalist on their shows. They expect to relocate soon to Branson, MO.

Look For Me was recorded in Rockville, MD and Angelica was able to draw on the rich bluegrass talent pool in the greater Washington, DC area.

“My good friend Frank Solivan II produced the cd, and he helped me choose a lot of the material. The core band was Chris Walls on bass, Frank Solivan II on mandolin, John Miller on guitar, and Mike Munford on banjo. We wanted a more natural sound for the record and all of them have played together quite a bit. Michael Cleveland was an easy choice on fiddle and he has the more traditional sound we were going for. I also had my favorite fiddle player Nate Grower play on a few songs. Ive been a fan of the Navy band Country Current since I was a little  girl so it was an honor to have Frank, Wayne Taylor, and Keith Arneson sing and play on the CD. The coolest part by far was to have Bill Emerson and Mike Auldrige play on my record. I grew up listening to both of them and it was an awesome experience meeting them.

The songs Runaway Ramp and The Letter were meant to be sort of slower and groovy, but we bluegrassed them. I had actually never heard The Letter before (I guess I’m too young). I Still Miss Someone and She’s More To Be Pitied were songs that I had known for a while but never really thought about recording. We basically did a lot of sitting around the living room playing songs until we found one that sounded good.”

The title track is a song that Angelica wrote, showcasing both her singing and songwriting chops.

Look For Me  -  Listen now:   

“Look For Me is a song that I wrote in the middle of the night a couple years ago. I wrote it for my older sister. I didn’t really think much of it until I played it for my husband and he encouraged me to start performing it.”

The song also shows what an impact Lynn Morris has had on her singing.

“Lynn Morris is my all time favorite! Danny Paisley has had a big influence on my singing as well. I also like Sonya Issacs, Dale Ann Bradley, Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick. Ginny Hawker is another one of my favorites. There are so many I can’t even begin to list them all. I guess you could say that every musician influences me in some way.”

Another of Angelica’s influences is Hazel Dickens, and two of her songs found their way onto the CD.

West Virginia My Home  -  Listen now:   

“I’ve been a Hazel fan for a long time – she is one of my favorite singer/songwriters and I sing quite a few of her songs. I love her songwriting and the ways she rips your heart out when she sings. For some reason I was really drawn to this one and knew I needed to record it. Even though I’m not from West Virginia and have only been there a couple times, I can relate to leaving home and missing certain things.”

It looks like the die is cast for this talented young lady. Married to a full time bluegrass artist, and playing dates now under her name, Angelica is poised for a career in music.

She and TJ even met cute, at IBMA, of course.

“We met at IBMA in 2006. I got to know his sister, and we jammed together the whole week.

A couple weeks after IBMA I flew out to New York and played a few shows with the Doerfels. It all snowballed from there and I kept flying out to play shows with them. TJ and I got married on June 6th of 2008.”

The Doerfels’ sound is very modern, though they record and perform with the standard bluegrass instruments. I was curious whether Angelica and T.J. ever have conflicts over musical styles, since hers is so traditional by comparison.

“All the time! Mostly when we’re driving… he can’t stand to listen to Flatt and Scruggs too long and I can’t handle Bela Fleck for more than a couple songs. It actually works out well because I’m a fan of more contemporary music – I just don’t like to play it.”

Look At Me is a terrific CD, and a fine introduction for bluegrass lovers not familiar with this powerful vocal stylist. There are more audio samples from the album on Angelica’s web site, and you can hear bits from all 12 tracks in iTunes.

Do yourself a favor and give her music a listen.

A Canary’s Song, which features 7 songs of Horton’s amidst the 11 tracks, will hit on March 11. In addition to Kenny on guitar and vocals, the CD is anchored by Keith Arneson on banjo, Pat White on fiddle and mandolin, Mike Auldridge on resonator guitar and Jeremy Middleton on bass. Darren Beachley and Courtney Williams add harmony vocals.

Kenny stepped in last year to fill the shoes of Wayne Taylor when he retired from the US Navy, and tells us that it was a circuitous path from his childhood home in southern Missouri to Washington, DC to take the spot with Country Current.

As a boy, he was raised on bluegrass and country music, and spent many hours with one of his dad’s best friends, Bob Brumley, son of Albert E. Brumley. The elder Brumley is among the most prolific writers of country Gospel songs, including the classic I’ll Fly Away.

Horton knew from an early age that music was where he wanted to earn his living, and eventually made the trek to Music City where he found some success.

“I made my way to Nashville where I was a staff writer for publishing houses, one of which was Oh Boy Records, John Prine’s label. They picked me up as a full-time staff writer and I ended up co-writing the song A Soldier’s King with John Barlow Jarvis for Kenny Rogers’ Christmas album entitled The Gift.”

After some time singing demos and background vocals in Nashville, he made the decision to look for more secure income, and joined the Navy as an electronics tech.

“Then when I found out that they had bands that did something other than march as a parade band, I switched over and started fronting Navy Band Horizon in Chicago, IL. I spent 5 years there, then moved to Pearl Harbor, HI for two years and finally to Memphis, TN.

All this while I had my eye on this position and kept an ear to the ground on what Wayne Taylor was doing. The group had such a name, not only in the Navy, but in the bluegrass world that it was hard not to pay attention to them.”

When word went out that Taylor planned to retire, Kenny quickly called for an audition.

“I was nervous because I knew that the spot was and is the brass ring of what I do for the Navy. The guys brought me in with the audition material and tried to make me as comfortable as possible. I realized one thing about nerves during that audition. A person’s nervousness in an audition situation is directly attributed to how badly they want the gig. I was pretty much able to control the nerves, except for my left leg – I couldn’t get it to quit shaking during the whole audition. I looked like a bad Elvis impersonator.

Thankfully I got the call and one month to the day after receiving the phone call telling me I got the spot, I was in rehearsals for three days and then off to the Withlacoochie Bluegrass Festival for my official breaking in. I immediately stepped into the job of fronting the band and I have to say, I was more nervous about pleasing that audience than I was in my audition. Folks had come to expect Wayne to be there, and to fill those shoes took a lot of stuffing and duct tape, but they seemed to enjoy the show. I was very relieved about that one!”

Once he had settled in with his new navy gig, Kenny started looking towards producing a solo bluegrass project – a break from his previous releases, which had more of a country rock feel.

He wanted to include fellow members of Country Current, and enlisted banjoist Arneson, fiddler/mandolinist White, and bass player Middleton as his primary rhythm section. Before the tracking began, Horton made a point of telling everyone that he wasn’t looking for a stressful, perfection-oriented studio experience, and was determined to make the recording sessions fun for all involved.

“I wanted that part to come though on the album. I’m not one that is so concerned about everything being perfectly lined up, spit and polished. I didn’t want that mechanical type of sound. We all wanted the project to be great musically, but not by relying on what the computer could make us sound like. One thing I am most proud of about this album is the fact that when you see us play these songs live, you will understand that what we did in the studio is what we are doing on the stage. It’s real.

One statement that I have made about recording is that it is my belief that it isn’t about perfection. It is about finding or writing the best songs you can that YOU truly believe in, working with the best players you can find that you have FUN with, play those songs and have the most fun you can with it!”

Audio samples from A Canary’s Song, and Kenny’s two previous albums, can be heard on his web site.

Kenny also shared a word about the newest member of Country Current. Joe Friedman will soon join the band, taking the mandolin/vocal spot held until recently by Frank Solivan II.

I caught a bit of the Songwriter Showcase hosted by Ron Block and Sierra Hull during the afternoon. The duo performed one of Sierra’s own compositions for the assemblage, before introducing Cia Cherryholmes to oversee hosting duties. Due to a pressing business appointment I was unable to stay longer to check out the young songwriters who were taking the stage as John and I left. So many great songs, so little time…

I made it to only one “official” showcase Tuesday evening, and that was to hear Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice. Junior has been one of my favorite singers for years. I love the material he writes, and the soul that comes through in his vocals. I just had to hear him at least once while I was here. This was my first time hearing the new band live. They sounded great with Junior leading the way.

Later than evening as I meandered the halls, I attempted to find a way into the room for a bit of a listen to Dailey & Vincent. It seems I wasn’t the first to have that idea! The crowd was spilling over about 10 feet into the hall. I managed to make it almost to door frame before reaching such a density of listeners that I could proceed no further and just snapped off a photo over the top of the crowd.

I later listened as G2 visited with fans in the hall before proceeding to present their brand of Swedish influenced bluegrass. It was a great set, featuring original material that sounds as if it originated in the Appalachian Mountains rather than Northern Europe. Absolutely amazing that a group of young guys that far from the home of the music have grown into a bluegrass band deserving of being heard at any festival here in the heart of bluegrass country.

I was excited for an opportunity to hear my friend Frank Solivan perform with his band Dirty Kitchen. I’ve been hearing about this band for some time. I’ve heard most of the principles at various times in the past, but never as a unit. Frank recently announced his departure from the Navy Band to pursue his own musical endeavors, judging by what I heard Tuesday night, his future is bright.

I also managed to put an ear to the sets of Gold Heart, Liberty Pike, and David Peterson before retiring for the night. IBMA, there’s nowhere else like it!

The gig involves playing mandolin with the bluegrass unit and electric guitar with the country band. Frank tells me that playing fiddle and contributing harmony vocals would be a big plus as well.

The job comes with a starting salary of around $53,000 per year with full health benefits and retirement (after 20 years service).

There is about a 50/50 mix of jobs between bluegrass and country shows. The bluegrass unit travels all over the country performing festivals and some high level protocol jobs in Washington. The country unit performs a 3 week fall tour each year traveling to a different part of the country each tour.

I talked with Frank about the gig and he spoke very highly of the job.

The Navy Band is a good gig with financial stability, health coverage, and perfect for the family man or woman, because there is no moving around. Its a permanent duty station. Many people make it a career and its an honorable job. Where else would you get to play music (bluegrass) and serve your country. We have a unique position to be able to play American music for dignitaries and officials from other countries. On top of playing for The Joint Chiefs of Staff, Congress, or on the US Capital Steps, or at the White House we also play other venues like bluegrass festivals, public concerts and large performance halls.

It is an interesting balance of structure and creativity, and it works for many people. But my time with them has run its course and it is my turn to pass the torch to the next musician for Country Current.

You may remember that it was around this time last year that Wayne Taylor announced his retirement and the band began the search for a new guitarist. I’ve also learned that electric bass player Joe Wheatley is retiring as well, and a replacement has already been found for that position. Chief Musician Patrick J. White shared his thoughts on those recent changes.

We have replaced Wayne Taylor with a fantastic singer/songwriter/acoustic guitar player named Kenny Ray Horton. He has elevated the band’s sound for sure and is a great addition to the unit. Also, Joe Wheatley is retiring from the Navy after 20 yrs active duty. We have filled his position with an incredible bass player Jeremy Middleton. These are very exciting changes for the band and the sound just keeps getting better.

To audition for the current vacancy, you mustby between the ages of 18 and 34, as well as meeting the Navy’s appearance and weight standards. The Navy will supply instruments and equipment for the selected musician.

Audition information is available online.

First, it is the title of a track from his first CD, I Am A Rambler. But why even name a song Dirty Kitchen, let alone carry that name over for the band?

Frank has a love for the kitchen that nearly rivals his love of bluegrass. In fact, he’s quite the chef. Many bands are starting to include blogs on their site to journal their road trips and keep fans connected. Frank is blogging about food on his site! The blog is called The Chopping Blog.

I thought it would be a good idea to give folks a clearer understanding of why the band is called dirty kitchen. I’ll eventually have sheet music of mine to check out on there and new recipes a couple of times a week.

No sheet music yet, but there are four or five excellent looking dishes that Frank has prepared and is graciously providing his recipes for. He tells me he’s working on writing out the mandolin part for the tune Dirty Kitchen and will feature it soon on the blog.

It may be a week or two before he finds time for it though. He’s currently on the road with the Navy Band, finishing up his last tour with the group. Tonight they play in Lakeland, FL. There are only 10 more dates after tonight, and then if you want to hear Frank, you’ll hear him with Dirty Kitchen.

You’ll find The Chopping Blog on Frank’s site by clicking the appropriately named link.

It has been a great job and sense of financial security for sometime, but I have decided to move on and focus my energy on my own music. I’ll be leaving the Navy Band at the end of my enlistment, April 14th 2009. This has been a difficult decision, but I know I have made the right choice for me.

Focusing on his own music means fronting his own band, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen. The name is taken from an instrumental on Frank’s first solo project, I Am A Rambler. The band has already been performing on a limited basis, working around Frank’s Navy schedule. Most recently, they just returned from a short tour in Alaska, Frank’s original home state, and enjoyed an enthusiastic response from the crowds there.

The band is basically the core group of musicians who were on Frank’s last recording project, Selfish Tears. Band members include: Mike Munford on banjo, John Miller on guitar, Stefan Custodi on bass, and Frank on mandolin and fiddle. Frank is excited about the group of musicians he’s put together.

They are a bunch of extremely talented musicians and close friends. A winning combo if you ask me!

The band will be performing at a number of late night showcases at IBMA this year and are currently booking dates for 2009.

Frank tells me he has been composing some new material for a recording project and hopes to get the band in the studio sometime this fall or winter.

Visit Frank’s website for schedule/booking info, and to hear mp3 samples from his two solo records.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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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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