Frank Solivan landed a high-profile fill-in gig while his band, Dirty Kitchen, is on its winter break. He’s playing 10 gigs with the Earls of Leicester, the all-star band channeling Flatt and Scruggs.
Solivan, fresh off a Grammy nomination, will be filling in for Tim O’Brien in the band that won the coveted award. O’Brien, is focusing his attention on Hot Rize, the band that had been his primary gig for years.
Solivan’s first gig will be Feb. 26 in Rocky Mount, VA. The schedule gives him two gigs before making a hometown appearance with Jerry Douglas and the boys next Saturday at the DC Bluegrass Union Festival in Vienna, VA.
O’Brien is still performing at the indoor festival as a solo act. But in a statement he made it clear that Hot Rize is his first call.
“Currently, I have no future performance dates with the Earls of Leicester,” he said. “It’s pretty unusual being an integral part of not one but two strong Bluegrass releases…The Earls are wonderfully fun to play with and they music of Flatt and Scruggs that they play is near and dear to my heart. However, my Hot Rize identity – deep in my musical DNA these past 36 years – takes the front seat now and I’m very proud and encouraged by our comeback.”
Ronnie McCoury and Shawn Lane have filled in on mandolin for the Earls during other dates.
