Bluegrass Band
Tune into Music City Roots this Wednesday, May 22 at 7pm. It’s always a great show and we are closing it down with our brand of music! You can even watch it all go down on their LIVESTREAM feed from the comfort of you own home.
Music City Roots’ journalist, Craig Havighurst had a little something to say about the band. Check out his “Let’s be Frank” article.
This is a video from our last performance on the show.
Our new release, ON THE EDGE just debuted in the top 10 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Chart this week! Come on… that’s exciting!
BILLBOARD
Today, April 30th is the official release day of our new project, ON THE EDGE. You can get the music right from Compass Records or from iTunes and Amazon. If you just want to listen to it stream, our friend Juli Thanki has the exclusive preview on Engine 145.
“As anyone who’s attended the dinner-and-concert “Dirty Kitchen Experience” knows, Frank Solivan is just as proficient with a frying pan as he is with mandolin or fiddle. But since Taste-o-Vision hasn’t been invented yet and USPS regulations prevent us from mailing you an envelope stuffed with ginger chicken, today you’ll have to settle for feasting on Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen’s new record (out today on Compass) instead.
On the Edge is the DC bluegrass band’s second album, but its first with guitarist Chris Luquette and bass player Danny Booth. Solivan’s soaring tenor leads the band through crisp originals and a driving cover of The Box Tops’ chart-topping 1967 hit, “The Letter,” while Mike Munford’s speedy, intricate banjo picking on the fiery instrumental “M80″ is some of the best you’ll hear on any record released this year. Guests Tim O’Brien, Rob Ickes, and Megan McCormick (who’s also Solivan’s cousin) round out a fine sophomore release from one of the most exciting bands in bluegrass today.” - Juli Thanki
Get up close and personal with Frank as he prepares for his own Dirty Kitchen Experience, a feast in celebration of the eagerly awaited CD On the Edge.
This two-hour clinic is geared to build confidence in the kitchen covering basic knife skills and other practical cooking tips while Frank shows you how to make his famous caprese salad and delicious meatballs.
Enjoy a glass of wine from Virginia’s Ox Eye Vineyard, get a hands-on preview of Saturday’s Dirty Kitchen Experience menu and possibly hear a tune while the sauce simmers!
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The announcement has been made and the the rumors are true! Compass has signed FS&DK. They will be releasing the new Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen recording project – ON THE EDGE April 30th.
HERE is the official press release from Compass.
Frank Signing the Contract
Maybe by now the holidays are completely out of sight in our rear view mirrors. FS&DK has been really busy lately. We’ve been getting geared up to release a new recording. Stay tuned for some exciting news here on our website and please keep up with us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.
Who’s ready for this to hit the streets?
We just finished up a short run in California. Unfortunately, due to catching some sort of terrible bug, Frank had to cancel our last three performances. Mike got sick as well. We are very sorry if you tried to come see us and found out our shows were cancelled. We will try and make up for it next time.
Happy Holidays and Merry New Year from all of us to all of you! Stay warm, healthy and be excellent to each other.
Here are a few photos that were taken at our Black Oak Casino show.
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DannyB in the skunk ear seat
It has been an action packed three weeks let me tell you what! Since last I blogged we had just come back from our long June run at the Kluane Mountain Music festival in the Yukon, Bean Blossom, mine and Frank’s side trip to Granite Creek pickers retreat in Alaska, and the Northwestern run in Seattle and Portland. We had a few days down, then we piled in the van for Nashville to record with our hero Brent Truitt from the Steeldrivers. Brent is a grammy award winning producer with a seriously impressive resume, check out his website and you’ll see what I mean. The first two weeks in July we practically lived in the studio! We only came out to play a show at the Station Inn, which was a night for the books… John Cowan sat in
FS&DK w Cowan & Ickes Station Inn
for a bit and Rob Ickes for a longer bit. Definitely a nice change of pace from the studio and a good time at that. Big thanks to Mike Bub for doing such a good job on the sound and making my bass sound HUGE 
… Back to the studio – with the incredible ears, ideas, and monkeyfingers (that’s what his studio is called!) of Brent, we made a CD of original music that we all think is the best yet. Fresh new material from the pen of Frank, Frank’s cousins Ty Smith and Megan McCormick, our own Mike Munford, myself, and former bass player Chris Walls. I can honestly say that we all played our butts off, and we haven’t been able to sit down since!
Hot car!
From Nashville we drove back to Northern Virginia, spent a day off to let our butts heal and then loaded up the van for Grey Fox. My dad also decided to come down from Alaska and get in on the fun, so we drove my car up together. The 100 degree heat was a bit of a strain on my car, but I carried plenty of water and we made it there with without any serious problems… whew!
FS&DK GreyFox Main Stage
Grey Fox is definitely in the top 5 best festivals I’ve ever been to, and definitely the best east coast fester for me yet. The lineup is a who’s who in the bluegrass world: from progressives like the Stringdusters, Punch Brothers and Della Mae, to the more traditional acts like The Lonesome River Band, Jesse McReynolds, The Del McCoury Band and Hot Rize. Throw in some Dawg, Deadly Gentlemen, Dirty Kitchen and season it with the Steeldrivers, Old Time Kosmic Trio and Tornado Rider, you have all the makings for serious musical mayhem! We had SUPER responsive sets at all three stages, and everybody we talked to liked the new band
DAD!
members. Chris and I joked into the mic, “yeah Frank and Mike are doin’ pretty well.” A highlight for me was having my dad sit in on dobro for Great Divide and July You’re a Woman. If you haven’t heard of Greg Booth, do a youtube search for “AKSlider” and you’ll see what I mean… a hoss! A big highlight was when all of Dirty Kitchen joined Tim O’Brien (with fiddlers Mike Barnett and Brian Wicklund) for a tribute set to those who’ve passed on. It’s not every day I get to play and sing with Tim O’Brien on stage, or ever for that matter. We were joined by banjoists Noam Pikelny, Sammy Shelor, Pete Wernick, Ryan Cavanaugh and Ira Gitlin for a tribute to Earl at the end. It was a 20+ tune Earl Scruggs medley… Not always easy for the bass player to pick the tune that way, but it was big fun and got an huge audience response. Top it off with some great jamming and I had the time of my life! Enormous thanks to Mary Doub, Chuck Wentworth, and Mary Burdette for such a fantastic festival!!
Tim O'brien w FS&DK Grey Fox
We are back in DC for a couple days off, gearing up to go back out for Falcon Ridge Folk Festival tomorrow morning… time to git’er again! Til next time, this is your Lonesome Unit signing off 
Git’er,
Danny
Fretboard Journal
Hello Friends! Danny Booth here for your Dirty Kitchen weekend report, and I’m happy to say we are getting her DONE! This weekend in the Pacific NW has been full of excitement, starting with a radio show at KCBS Seattle and then an interview with Fretboard Journal. Stay tuned for the interview on their website with pictures and video!
FS&DK @ the Tractor Tavern
The weekend has been filled with a variety of great shows, starting with one we had been anticipating for a long time… the Tractor in Seattle. Thanks to the Gloria Darlings for warming things up for us and bringing a good vibe. Chris’ fans definitely brought exceptional enthusiasm, and new fans from Wintergrass and Seattle Folk Festival helped to round out the audience.
We love getting to share our brand of bluegrass with all kinds of audiences, and we definitely covered the gamut this weekend! From a rocking stand up crowd at the Tractor (see video), we drove to Portland to play at Mississippi Pizza. Mostly sitting but very lively and appreciative hipsters at this venue, with great food and a wonderful staff that treated us right! Thanks to Four on the Floor for starting off the night. You guys were great.
Danny & Frank visit an old friend
We also got to visit a special Alaskan friend on her birthday – Annalisa Tornfelt! For those who don’t know her, she was the singer songstress of the Alaskan band Bearfoot, now playing with members of the Decemberists in the great band Black Prairie. So great to see her, Darian and John McDonald doing well.
Chris and Mike spotting submarines in Puget Sound
From there we drove back to Seattle, then next morning took a ferry across Puget sound to the Port Ludlow Bay Club. Yet another completely different audience of mostly retired folks that belong to the PLB Club. They were so enthusiastic, I thought we were back at the Tractor for a moment! This is a brilliantly executed concert series in a beautiful location, and we would definitely like to come back.
the band rallies behind Mike at the climax of Line Drive
The tour was capped off by a well-attended house concert at Lexx Collier’s house in Seattle. The weather decided to perk up on us, and we played in their back yard. Yet another energetic audience of die-hard acoustic music lovers. The long, eventful weekend only added to the band’s energy (see pic!). What a great way to end a two and a half week tour! It feels great to share what we do and connect with so many different types of people. We really appreciate your support in the Pacific Northwest and can’t wait to come back.
Now back in the DC area grabbing a quick rest and regroup before heading to The Red White and Bluegrass Festival on our way to Brent Truitt’s in Nashville where we are recording the new album. We have been running our new material extensively for the last several months and can’t wait to throw it down in the studio! Stay tuned for updates from the rest of the band on the recording front… it will be exciting to say the least. Until then, git’er!
Your lonesome unit,
Danny
