Frank Solivan II

Frank Solivan
At the highest levels of acoustic musicianship exists a mystery -- the mystery of tone, taste and timing. It can best be illustrated by giving a good musician a good instrument and asking him to briefly strum, pick, bow, -- whatever is required to produce the best sound. Then, by way of comparison, hand that very same instrument to a GREAT musician and ask for the same.
It is a phenomenon that manifests itself every time that Frank Solivan picks up a mandolin, guitar or violin. What you see may be the same pick or bow, on the same strings, on the same fretboard that the good player demonstrated, but the sound. Ah. there's the difference!
In Frank's hands, these instruments take on a life of their own. You hear power. You hear volume. You hear crispness, clarity, timing and taste. All combined with passion and drive. A physicist might slow it down to analyze the strum against string -- but he wouldn’t find the answer. For that, you have to know Frank Solivan, a man who has a powerful life force that's as raw, natural and pure as the place he spend much of his youth, Alaska. Frank is a hunter, a fisherman, a gourmet chef, a beautiful singer, a poet and songwriter of tasteful ballads and of blazing instrumentals. A man of sturdy build who is known to holler out a powerful, "Son!" whether it be in response to a hot solo, some hot sauce he concocted in kitchen. It's as if all these things for him are an affirmation of life. An awareness that all five senses are humming along on overdrive. That life is short and all these gifts are not to be wasted.
Those who are privileged enough to be around it, are richer for it. Musicians, especially, in his presence step up their game, but I suppose you could say the same about gourmands, or fishermen. People sense that life force around Frank and they want a piece
of it.
The physicist curious about the mysteries of tone, timing and taste would do well to spend some time around Frank. He would find no definition, no explanation of how it happens but he would see it right there. And you should, too.



Mike Munford
Mike is one of the hidden treasures of the five string banjo world. Mike grew up in the sixties and seventies in the bluegrass hotbed of Baltimore and D.C. and assimilated just about everything that all the great players in that area could offer. Then he took off on his own. How best to describe him? Imagine this conversation among banjo 7players huddled around a fire at some pickin' party or festival.



"How did J.D. do that lick? "
"I dunno, but Munford's over there, ask him."
"I just got a "37 Granada but it ain't sounding like it should."
"Have you taken it to Munford? Best set-up guy around."
“Damn! Why can't I get that tone?"
"I dunno. go watch Munford, He's right over there."
Now well past forty years old -- the age at which, they say, life begins, Mike Munford retains a child like enthusiasm and curiosity for all things banjo. He has no qualms about driving hours through rush hour traffic to go see J.D. Crowe play at some obscure club. then rave about the performance even though he might have seen it or heard it dozens, maybe hundreds or times. He has imbibed everything that J.D., or Earl, or Bela, has thrown his way -- and can mimic those players with uncanny accuracy, but has found his own style, too.
It can best be described as hard-driving melodic. but such a description diminishes what's actually going on. When Mike Munford plays you hear all things that great banjo player strive to achieve. Power, drive, impeccable timing, exquisite tone and jaw-dropping technique.
Mike is also, indeed, about the finest set-up or fret job guy around, and is a walking encyclopedia of banjo trivia. He is an inspiration to countless players in the mid - Atlantic region.
Most of the country hasn't really seen all that much of Mike's playing. He, throughout most of his career, has preferred the comforts of home to the road. It is testament to Frank Solivan's powers of persuasion ( i.e. talent) that Mike is hitting the road as a part of this fine ensemble.



Lincoln Meyers
Guitarist Lincoln Meyers presently makes his home in Durham, New Hampshire. He was raised in the Midwest, which might help to explain that he is a modest, understated man who's quick with a smile -- a smile that seems to say, "I know something that you don't." People who've seen him play find out quickly that what he knows -- is how to flatpick the guitar in a rarified atmosphere of virtuosity that very few human beings ever achieve.
Lincoln has soaked up the flawless styles of the great masters -- Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Norman Blake, David Grier and synthesized it into his own style defined by flat out good taste -- whether it be a slow ballad or an instrumental at breakneck speed. Lincoln seems to know where it came from.
"My father, a jazz DJ, instilled a sense of what good music is, no matter the style."
That jazz connection is interesting by way of contrast. While jazz on the guitar is its own immensely challenging endeavor, flatpicking imposes unique challenges -- the heavier gauge strings, higher actions, and sheer physicality of the strumming are huge impediments for many players. But apparently, not for Lincoln. Watch him play a lead guitar break at 170 beats per minute and you'll ask yourself, "Did i just hear Lincoln Meyers nail that, at that speed, and not miss a single note on an old Martin D-18 with high action? Yes you did. In that regard, Lincoln fits right in with this high-powered ensemble.



Stefan Custodi
Stefan Custodi is a natural born musician. Put an instrument in his hand -- any instrument and he'll instantly make music. Give him a few more minutes and he'll already be understanding the instruments complexities and subtleties. His instrument of choice is the stand up bass. He is at home playing in jazz music, and routinely does just that, but his music of choice is bluegrass. To the unanointed that may seem contrarian -- bluegrass bass lines are fairly simple things after all -- play on the one and the three beat -- and do it again and again. But Stefan understands the dilemma of the specialist. (Someone who knows more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing.) Apply that to those one and three beats -- and you have the struggle for precision -- each of those beats can be subdivided for greater accuracy -- and subdivided again -- the more you sub-divide the closer you get to playing on the beat. Suffice to say that Stefan -- the natural -- has an uncanny ability to do just that. And when time and song permits -- he has the technical abilities that demonstrate he's just at home with jazz bass lines, too.
Hailing from Aiken South Carolina, Stefan also has a deep appreciation of rootsy -- earthy songs that make up some of the bluegrass repertoire. The simple line that speaks volumes about hardship or lost love or lost home or found faith. Stefan also has just the right touch of gravel, of real life, in his voice that lends itself to the perfect expression of those lines.
Stefan Custodi -- a natural -- as the heartbeat of "Dirty Kitchen."