{"id":10513,"date":"2016-04-19T05:30:14","date_gmt":"2016-04-19T09:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=10513"},"modified":"2016-04-01T17:25:02","modified_gmt":"2016-04-01T21:25:02","slug":"tbp-frank-solivan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2016\/04\/19\/tbp-frank-solivan\/","title":{"rendered":"Music and food: Frank Solivan\u2019s Recipe for Camaraderie"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"solivan_cd\"\u201cIt\u2019s like the old saying, \u2018The way to a man\u2019s heart is through his stomach,\u2019\u201d says mandolin player Frank Solivan<\/strong>. \u201cIf you have a good meal, everybody\u2019s just a little more at ease. And when you hear them say, \u2018Oh! Mmm, this is good,\u2019 that\u2019s just a whole \u2018nother layer of the connective tissue between artist and fan.\u201d Solivan combined his bluegrass with menu selections from his upcoming cookbook when he and his band Dirty Kitchen<\/strong> played at Isis Music Hall & Restaurant on Thursday, March 31.<\/p>\n

Solivan\u2019s latest album, Family, Friends & Heroes<\/em>, showcases his spontaneous approach to making music. Many of the tracks were recorded live in the studio. On those tracks, the musicians were \u201call in the same room, microphones are set up, and we\u2019re able to see each other,\u201d Solivan says. \u201cThere\u2019s something to be said, something honest that comes across with things that aren\u2019t totally polished. In the studio, you can fix just about anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

He provides an apt analogy: \u201cYou see those magazine covers with the photo of the pretty girl before and after. They trim up the waist, they bring up the breasts, tuck in this and trim up that. The same kind of thing can be done in the studio, but we just wanted to be honest. I think that honesty comes through on this new record.\u201d<\/p>\n

The personal circumstances around the making of the album influenced the final product. \u201cMy mom sang \u2018Wayfaring Stranger\u2019 on the record,\u201d Solivan says. \u201cAnd she passed away shortly after we recorded that. Maybe it\u2019s even foreshadowing that she sang and recorded that particular song.\u201d He sings a bit of the lyric: \u201cI\u2019m going home to see my Father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Frank

Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen. Photo by Chester Simpson<\/p><\/div>\n

But Family, Friends & Heroes<\/em> isn\u2019t a collection of melancholy tunes. In fact, there\u2019s a playful mindset at work, as evidenced in a reading of Roy Orbison<\/strong>\u2019s \u201cOh Pretty Woman\u201d that cleverly works in the signature guitar riff from The Beatles<\/strong>\u2019 \u201cDay Tripper.\u201d Solivan recalls, \u201cWe were just messing around in rehearsal one day, and our banjo player said, \u2018Let\u2019s try this.\u2019 We did, and then we decided, \u2018Let\u2019s figure out a way to keep that in there!\u2019 All that stuff is connected. And it\u2019s pretty wild.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the record is rooted in the bluegrass tradition, it\u2019s also designed to appeal to a wider audience. \u201cIf people listen or give my music a chance, they\u2019ll find something they like,\u201d Solivan says. \u201cI\u2019m sure of it. There are so many different styles of American music. We typically get pigeonholed into the bluegrass scene, which is fine, because we do play bluegrass. And we love the bluegrass community. Under that big umbrella, there\u2019s newgrass, traditional, contemporary, progressive, whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds, \u201cI\u2019m starting to call it \u2018allgrass.\u2019 Because we play all of that stuff, and then we try to have our own sound as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Solivan explains the meaning behind the album\u2019s title, Family, Friends & Heroes<\/em>. \u201cThe first part of that is family. We sit around in the living room and play music all the time. We have meals, and then the next thing you know, everybody starts to whip out their instruments and play. And sometimes it creates a positive environment to just be with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the Dirty Kitchen\u2019s current tour, Solivan decided to combine the concert experience with the camaraderie that arises out of a shared meal. In selected cities, including Cazenovia, NY, and Bristol, TN., Solivan and his band actually cooked enough food for about 100 guests.<\/p>\n