It looks like married life agrees with Danny Booth, who has been touring on bass this past four years with Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen. He was wed back in August to Amanda Kerr, a fiddler and music teacher in northern Virginia whom he has known since he lived in Alaska.
Now Danny has announced that he will be departing the band and opting for a stay-closer-to-home life style. But where home is likely to be seems to be the biggest question.
He shared this statement today with fans and friends…
“After some tough decisions about where and how we want to live, we have left the DC area on an extended honeymoon and are exploring some options. We both have family 4000 miles away that we miss all the time… so the westerly magnetic pull is very strong. I am planning to continue my passion of bass restoration and repair along with other hands-on pursuits, musical and otherwise. While I have no plans to join another band, I will certainly continue to play music with Amanda and my family, among others.
Huge thanks to Frank and the Dirty Kitchen crew for four awesome years! Wishing the best of success to the band in 2016 and beyond.”
Frank acknowledged the departure with grace, and announced that an old friend from Solivan’s days with U.S. Navy Band Country Current would be stepping in for a time.
“I’m sad to see my friend Danny leave the band. I’m going to miss making music with him. Musically, he leaves big shoes to fill, but our sound is always open for change and manipulation. I’ve asked my capable friend Jeremy Middleton to fill in until we are ready to decide on a permanent member.”
It looks like 2016 will include a new look for Dirty Kitchen.
This past weekend there was a bluegrass marriage in Alaska.
on August 15, Dan Booth, bass player with Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen was wed to Amanda Kerr, a prominent fiddle teacher in northern Virginia.
Though the couple makes their home in Alexandria, VA, they returned to their hometown of Anchorage for the wedding among family and dear friends.
In true bluegrass fashion, the groom sang John Hartford’s No End Of Love to his bride during the ceremony, accompanying himself on guitar. She promptly joined in singing harmony. What could be better?
Dan is the son of Greg Booth, another well-known Alaskan bluegrass musician. He performs on banjo and reso-guitar with The Kathy Kallick Band.
Alaskan dobroist Greg Booth has re-released another soulful interpretation of a Christmas classic on reso-guitar. Most years Greg records a new video for the holidays, but for 2014 he has posted this gem he initially shot for Alaskan TV in 2007.
This time it’s Bob Wells and Mel Torme’s The Christmas Song which was a hit for Nat King Cole in 1946. Such is the song’s popularity that it has been recorded in every imaginable style by what seems like every artist in the English speaking world over the intervening 68 years. Cole tracked it several times himself, with the 1961 version with orchestral backing being the most familiar.
For this cut, Greg was accompanied by his son, Danny, on bass who performs these days with Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen. Greg’s regular gig is with The Kathy Kallick Band.
The band had a strong 2013, riding its Compass Records debut, On the Edge, to widespread acclaim. In its wake, Mike Munford was chosen as IBMA’s banjo player of the year and guitarist Chris Luquette won IBMA’s Momentum Award for young instrumentalists.
After that kind of success, many bands would be content to try to duplicate what worked so well the last time. Instead, Dirty Kitchen reentered the studio intent on making a record that went over the edge and into new territory—for the musicians and their fans.
The result is Cold Spell, a 10-song collection that is the most diverse project yet from the Washington, DC-area’s hottest acoustic band. It’s bluegrassy, with jazz and blues influences, country and rock, too. There’s also more of a jam-band feel than on Dirty Kitchen’s two earlier CDs.
“We have the backbone of bluegrass, but we’re building a body around the backbone that’s just a little bit different,” Solivan explained. “Things change. I think our music is a natural progression. We want to be able to progress and progress and progress. We just want to play good music.”
The most notable change, aside from the jam band approach that’s most evident on the cover of Pure Prairie League’s Country Song, is in Solivan’s vocals. He sings higher highs and lower lows here than on earlier recordings, intentionally testing his range. It’s clear — from the opening line of the first track, Say It Isn’t So to the last lines of the last song, “Missing You” — that his voice is equal to the rest of the unit’s instruments. It was strong on the last record; it’s even stronger now.
But it’s that way for just about everything you hear on Cold Spell, or on any Dirty Kitchen release, for that matter. Each project from this quartet is better than the last one.
At 8:10, Country Song won’t be getting much radio play. But it’s the perfect showcase for Solivan, Munford, Luquette and bassman Danny Booth to demonstrate the mastery of their respective instruments. Throw on a set of good headphones and treat yourself to a master class in instrumental interplay. Each instrument speaks individually, but as part of a cohesive conversation.
It’s almost as though the music is alive, growing and changing. A terrific example of the metamorphosis is Missing You, written by Solivan’s cousin John Cruz. Solivan has been hearing his cousin’s spare arrangement since the mid-1990s, so his first pass in the studio was just him, voice and guitar. The song started changing when Booth and Munford tracked their parts. The new version needed a mandolin, but Frank chose not to play it – the guitar, mandolin and vocal would be “too much me.” So he called in Sam Bush, who also added the low harmony. Then John Cowan added the top harmony, Luquette traded his guitar for an octave mandolin, Rob Ickes added Weissenborn guitar and the song was reborn.
“It morphed into something that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Solivan explained. “Something cool happened in the studio.”
His words for how he approaches songs – “work in progress, constantly changing” – could serve as the band’s mantra as well. You never know what you’re going to hear when the band takes the stage or make a new record.
There are some touchstones, of course. Most of the songs were written by band members and their friends or relatives. There are a couple of stout instrumentals (Munford’s Yeah Man and the band’s Chief Taghkanic). Plus a carefully chosen cover.
It all fits with the band’s main rule: No filler. You won’t find Salt Creek here, or on any other Dirty Kitchen release.
What you will find are some thoughtful, well crafted originals, including the title cut, from Frank’s pen, and two stunners by his cousin, Megan McCormick – Better (Days Go By) and the previously mentioned Say It Isn’t So.
You’ll find music that expresses common themes – longing and desire, heartache and hope — in uncommon and creative ways. Music that means something. Even music that makes you think.
And when the album drops August 12, you’ll hear the end result of four friends riding down the road in the van, dissecting one just-finished show, trying to make the next show, the next CD, even better.
Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen is back in the studio this week in Nashville, starting work on a second Compass Records project as a follow-up to the much heralded On the Edge.
The band has been test-driving new material in recent shows, including at Saturday’s open house for WAMU’s Bluegrass Country and the previous Sunday at a benefit for the late Kip Martin.
Expect a couple of ripping instrumentals propelled by IBMA Banjo Player of the Year Mike Munford and the flatpicking of Chris Luquette, winner of an IBMA Momentum award for instrumental prowess, along with a solid foundation established by bassist Danny Booth and Solivan’s solid work on mandolin and fiddle.
But the bulk of the album is likely to be built around Solivan’s powerful voice and strong harmonies from Booth and Luquette, featuring originals from Solivan and others.
No word yet about an official release date, but it’s a safe bet you’ll hear songs from it in plenty of time to qualify for this year’s IMBA awards.
Kip Martin’s friends filled a church sanctuary Sunday in Crofton, MD, opening their hearts and wallets for the ailing bass player.
The former Sunny Mountain Boy was hundreds of miles away, surrounded by family in a hospice setting near Nashville, where relatives said he was comfortable in his final hours. But he was certainly in the DC suburbs in spirit, as a string of former music colleagues swapped songs and stories about Martin for the 200 or so folks who filled the pews.
Keith Arneson, who organized the benefit, said more than $4,000 was raised through donations at the door and in a raffle for festival tickets, music lessons and gear, and a handful of instruments, including a mandolin donated by Eastman Strings, a guitar and a harmonium. A few thousand more was sent through an online donation site set up for those who couldn’t attend.
Wayne Taylor, who hosted the event at his church, set the mood for the three-hour show, singing the last line of What a Wonderful World, and then, as the final chord still rang, adding, “We love you, Kip.” For the rest of the afternoon and evening, many of the musicians who performed had something to say about the man they were honoring.
Despite the somber reason for the benefit – to help with medical bills and final expenses – the mood was upbeat, much like a memorial service for a much-loved uncle who was talented, intelligent, funny and, well, somewhat of a rascal. Kip Martin is all of those things.
The stage and the audience were sprinkled with well known personalities from Washington D.C.’s vibrant bluegrass scene: Frank Solivan and his band mates from Dirty Kitchen, fiddlers Chris Sexton, Wally Hughes and Patrick McAvinue, band leader and radio host Lisa Kay Howard-Hughes, Dudley Connell of the Seldom Scene, radio host Katy Daley and many more. The DC Bluegrass Union, which Kip founded before moving to Nashville several years ago, was well represented.
The night ended with an open jam, with nearly two dozen pickers, pros and fans alike, joining in Will The Circle Be Unbroken. There were more than a few misty eyes at the end. But there was also proof, once again that the bluegrass community knows how to take care of its own.
Alaskan reso-wizard Greg Booth has created a tradition of recording and distributing a dobro version of a Christmas classic each year.
For 2013, it’s Sleigh Ride, written by Leroy Anderson and popularized by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, with Amanda Kerr on fiddle and Danny Booth on bass. Danny plays with Greg as a member of The Kathy Kallick Band, and Amanda is a noted fiddler and fiddle instructor in Anchorage.
You can check out all the Christmas bluegrass we have covered at Bluegrass Today by following this link.
For a couple of years now, Frank Solivan has been like a Triple AAA baseball phenom, extremely talented and just one lucky break away from getting to the major leagues and staying there.
Each CD he put out was better than the last. Each live show gained new fans. The top levels of the bluegrass game were tantalizingly close, but remained ever so slightly out of reach.
With On the Edge, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen’s Compass Records’ debut, that all may change. The 10-song CD is his strongest effort yet and seems like the perfect vehicle to take the band and their leader to the next level.
Calling On the Edge the band’s best work doesn’t mean earlier projects weren’t up to snuff. It means this one is spectacular. Solivan’s bands have always been instrumental powerhouses. But newcomers Chris Luquette (guitar) and Danny Booth (bass) join Solivan and banjo monster Mike Munford to make this iteration of Dirty Kitchen one of the strongest instrumental units around. There may be better players around on any particular instrument, but as a unit, there is no better picking crew this side of the Tony Rice Unit or the Boxcars.
But the vocals are what make On the Edge really sing. Frank’s lead work is smoother than before but still tinged with emotion. And the harmonies from Luquette and Booth are an upgrade from earlier lineups.
The vocals grab attention right from the start, with Booth’s tenor, Luqette’s baritone and Solivan’s lead carrying I Fell Short far beyond the typical song about an unfaithful lover. The tight harmonies never falter through a series of dark songs about mental illness, alcoholism and long winters.
But dark topics don’t mean gloomy music. Continuing a grand bluegrass tradition of presenting downcast songs in an uptempo style (think Footprints in the Snow), the band practically races through the playlist here.
The best new material is On the Edge of Letting Go, a song about mental illness and its toll on relationships, written by Solivan and Jon Weisberger. Also standing out is No Chance, another fast-paced number that tells of a man about to simultaneously reach the bottom of the bottle and “rock bottom” in his life. That one was written by Solivan, Weisberger and Paul Fowler.
The project’s two instrumentals, M80, written by Munford, and Bedrock by the whole band, are powerful, too. The first is one of three songs featuring guest Rob Ickes on Dobro.
But if you could only listen to one song on this project to get a feel for Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, I’d recommend The Letter, a stirring remake of the Box Top’s late 1960s hit that helped make rock singer Alex Chilton a household name. Dirty Kitchen’s version breaks the speed limit after a meandering introduction, yet Solivan’s lead vocal is polished and controlled. It’s got all of the hallmarks of a Dirty Kitchen performance: breathtaking picking, tight harmonies and a first-rate arrangement.
This is not traditional bluegrass, though the purists will feel right at home with parts of this CD, especially the Solivan-authored Day to Day. But Munford’s work on the five-string keeps everything accessible to bluegrass lovers while still appealing to those who want to test the genre’s limits.
Don’t be surprised a few years down the road to find Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen among the best in the business, and to look back and see that On The Edge pushed them over the top.
First, Frank Solivan cooked a satisfying dinner and his bandmates served it up to about 85 lucky guests. Then the band took the stage and they all cooked.
So went Saturday night’s CD release party for Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen’s Compass Records debut project, On the Edge. It’s a fitting title. Dirty Kitchen lives on the edge of great music, just this side of crashing and burning, where exhilarating things happen. And it was a fitting event, marrying Frank’s passions for food and tunes. Plus, in a nod to Frank’s career as musician and chief of the Navy’s bluegrass band, Country Current, the event was held at Washington D.C.’s Hill Center, a gloriously refurbished structure that started its life as a Navy Hospital around the time of the Civil War.
The evening started with a three-course dinner with wine – “Frank’s Famous Caprese Salad,” “Frank’s Meatballs with saffron Risotto,” and a frozen custard with a fruit compote topping. That’s a long, long way from Bill Monroe’s legendary – and perhaps invented – downing of stale ham on biscuit sandwiches. (This isn’t a food review, but it’ll probably be a long time before I serve my version of a Caprese salad. I thought mine was good. I was wrong.)
The food was outstanding, but the best course came next door to the twin dining rooms, where Frank and his band energetically romped through a set that was heavy on the material from the new album.
The album’s official release date is April 30, but those who attended Saturday’s bash received advance autographed copies. I haven’t listened to the CD yet, but if the live performance is any indication, On the Edge will easily be Frank’s best recording yet. And that’s saying something. The band’s first release, Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, holds a semi-permanent place in the six-CD player in my car, and his earlier solo projects have held up well over the years.
One of the key differences this time? The band. Former guitarist Lincoln Meyers and bassist Stefan Custodi are huge talents who helped establish Dirty Kitchen as a hot new band on the bluegrass circuit. But the guys who replaced them, guitarist Chris Luquette and bassist Danny Booth, bring new energy and stronger vocals that allow the band, as one famous chef might put it, to “kick it up a notch.”
But two things haven’t changed, as the band demonstrated in its solid set Saturday night. Mike Munford is still a monster on the banjo – he can hold his own with any five-string picker this side of Earl Scruggs, and I do mean any — and Frank is still the star of the show. There are better technical singers in bluegrass today, but no one can milk the emotion from a song the way he does. Whether it’s No Chance, a song about alcoholism that Frank wrote with Paul Fowler and Jon Weisberger, or The Letter, a driving interpretation of The Box Tops’ 1960s pop mega-hit, Frank’s interpretation is spot on.
The strongest performance of the night, for my money, was On the Edge of Letting Go, which Frank wrote with Jon Weisberger. It’s one of those quintessentially bluegrass songs in which the upbeat tempo and bright melody are offset by the seriousness of the message, in this case mental illness.
There were a handful of glitches over the course of the evening, which probably went unnoticed to most of the lucky folks in the audience. But as Frank said – I’m paraphrasing here – perfect music is boring.
Stuff happens when you live on the edge.
When you have the raw talent of these four guys, most of that stuff tends to be very, very good.
The project is the first since Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen and Compass Records linked up in February.
It consists of 10 all-original songs/tunes and, as well as the band members – Solivan (mandolin and vocals), Mike Munford (banjo), Chris Luquette (guitar) and Danny Booth (bass) – guests Tim O’Brien, Megan McCormick and Rob Ickes are featured.
The album has so many highlights that Solivan doesn’t know where to begin ….
“Oh man… where do I start? The material was all really exciting to write, learn and arrange. Everyone in the band contributed to the arrangements and brought a couple of originals in.
We also covered The Letter with some twists and turns thrown in. It’s an old Box Tops hit. We also featured a song by Chris and Karen Walls. It’s called I Fell Short. It is the opening track.
The title cut, On The Edge of Letting Go – written with Jon Weisberger – is a song that touches on the unfairness of mental illness and relationship troubles because of it. Not a subject matter talked about much, and not really written about in song as far as I know. No Chance was written with Jon Weisberger and Paul Fowler. It’s speaks of alcoholism from a down and out alcoholic’s perspective. Very sad song in the upbeat stylings of bluegrass. Danny Booth, our bass man, brought an original into the mix – Wild Unknown. A song touching on his connection to the place where he grew up, Alaska. He sang his butt off by the way!
He is also one of the finest bass players I’ve ever heard. So happy he is in the band. Chris’ guitar stylings are a perfect match as well. And Mike Munford makes everything sound better. Mike also provided one of the two instrumentals on the record, M80, an explosive piece with a ton of energy.”
The album, available on CD April 30, is one of three that Compass Records has just announced as being available in digital format. The others are Peter Rowan, The Old School (COM4600), and Claire Lynch, Dear Sister (COM4610).
