Dinner Party
and
Intimate Concert

We are going to wrap up the holiday season and ring in the new year by inviting a small number of friends and music fans to a very special event on Saturday, January 3, 2009 - a dinner party and private music concert featuring Frank Solivan and his band, Dirty Kitchen. Not only is Frank a world-class musician, best known as a member of Country Current, the U. S. Navy Bluegrass Band, but he is also a talented professional chef and caterer (see his blog, "The Chopping Blog").

We thought that it would be fun give Frank the opportunity to design and present a special dinner menu, then feature his new band as the evening's entertainment afterwards. He is designing a multi-course, Italian-themed menu - check here (PDF) for details. We'll be providing the food and drink and the music all together for one terrific Saturday evening.

We are limiting this event to only about 12 people in order to make sure that you have plenty of room, plenty to eat and plenty of time to get to know Frank and the band. Because of the special nature of the dinner and music party, we are asking everyone attending to pay in advance. This will help us out in making sure we have enough food for everyone. In return, when you reserve we'll send you a gift certificate that you can give as a gift for the holiday. This is going to be an intimate and fun evening and will be a great way to wrap up the New Year's weekend.

Frank Solivan is a singer of power and passion, a writer whose articulate songs go straight to the heart, and a multi-instrumentalist who combines the pure, hard drive of classic bluegrass with twenty-first century sophistication. Frank's 2002 debut recording, I Am A Rambler, revealed an exciting new talent on the bluegrass horizon. The following year, his skills on mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and vocals earned him a place in Country Current, the United States Navy's elite country and bluegrass band. In 2006, Frank's recording, Selfish Tears, demonstrates the depth of his songwriting and the breadth of his musicianship.

Frank's self-produced debut recording, I Am A Rambler, proved a hit with listeners and DJs alike. In the Alaska Public Radio Network's Song Of The Year contest, four of Frank's original songs from the album -"Day to Day," "Dirty Kitchen," "A Mother's Hand," and "I Am A Rambler"- placed in the top of their respective categories. Most recently, "Day To Day" took Honorable Mention in the 2007 International Songwriting Contest. Frank's picking and singing on I Am A Rambler shine with polish and authority even when sharing the tracks with Nashville-based artists Rob Ickes, David Grier, Byron House, Mark Winchester, Shad Cobb, Richard Bailey, JD Blair, Kathy Chiavola, and Billy Davis. His new project, Selfish Tears, is a worthy follow-up. Frank penned eight of the CD's eleven tracks, and his performances display an added strength and maturity.

Frank's band, Dirty Kitchen, features two of the most talented musicans you'll see anywhere.

Mike Munford (banjo)

Mike was born in St. Louis, Missouri and started playing the banjo when he was 15 years old. In the Washington DC area and throughout the nation his fans consider him one of the finest banjo pickers ever to walk the planet. He has toured the world with a number of top notch bluegrass artist including the one and only Tony Rice, the famed Peter Rowan, the Rice Brothers and Lynn Morris. His recordings include Peter Rowan's 1997 Grammy Nominated album Bluegrass Boy, a musical segment on "America's Most Wanted," Larry Rice's album, Notions and Daydreams, and most recently has again reinvented the banjo with Frank Solivan.

Stefan Custodi (bass)

Stefan is a native of Aiken, South Carolina. He started playing acoustic guitar at an early age, always engrossed with the ancient tones of bluegrass and acoustic music. His determinative years were filled with analyzing the guitar, but later when he enrolled at the University of South Carolina as a jazz studies major, moved to the upright and electric bass. After his stint at USC, he packed up his bluegrass roots and newfound musical bent, to find himself in Washington DC, where he began playing and recording with a number of local and national acts including Richard Green, Frank Wakefield, Fred Wesley, Big Hillbilly Bluegrass, The Patuxtent Partners, and Meta. Stefan is a 'first call' studio musician in the DC metro area. He has played on albums with the likes of Arlo Guthrie, Bill Keith, Mike Auldrige, Mark Shatz, Gordon Titcomb, Nate Leath and most recently is laying down his tonic underpinning with Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen.

Don't miss this very special, intimate concert. We are located in Crownsville, MD, a few miles northwest of Annapolis. Directions will be provided when you make your reservation.

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