Old Settler's Music Festival : Artists : Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

With 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 out a powerful, “Son!” whether it be in response to a hot solo, or 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.

• Iron & Wine
• Amos Lee
• Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
• Railroad Earth
• Lissie
• Steep Canyon Rangers
• Psychograss
• Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
• JJ Grey & Mofro
• Greensky Bluegrass
• Sarah Jarosz
• Marshall Crenshaw
• The Bottle Rockets
• Bob Schneider
• Gaelic Storm
• Audie Blaylock and Redline
• James McMurtry
• Dale Ann Bradley
• Sunday Service
• Flounders Without Eyes
• Ha Ha Tonka
• Slim Richey's Jitterbug Vipers
• Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
• The Wheeler Brothers
• Eilen Jewell
• New Country Rehab
• Pine Leaf Boys
• Fiddle Workshop with Darol Anger
• Yoga
• Sam Baker
• The Blue Hit
• SHEL
• Vocals with Doyle Lawson
• Harmonica with Cara Cooke
• 2012 Youth Talent Competition Winner
• Mandolin with Sarah Jarosz & Joe Walsh
• Shakers with Mike Meadows of Swan Percussion
• Banjo Workshop with Tony Trischka
• Youth Talent Competition
• Youth Competition Winner Grace London
• Songwriting with Dale Ann Bradley & Steve Gulley