Frank Solivan co-founder of ToneSlabs
Multi-Grammy nominated Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen is a torrent of mind-blowing bluegrass. Known for their meaty pile-driving rhythms and Frank’s dynamic and bold vocals, the band’s last two albums have both received a Grammy nominations for Best Bluegrass Album. They have twice been named IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year and earned numerous other IBMA noms including Male Vocalist of the Year, Mandolin Player of the Year, and in 2013, received Banjo Player of the Year. Their massive sound and show stealing performances command the most prestigious stages in the country and abroad; from The Grand Ole Opry to the biggest international festivals across Europe, South America and Australia. The band has performed at the biggest bluegrass festivals including Telluride, MerleFest, Grey Fox, RockyGrass, Delfest, Strawberry Music Festival, Pickin’ in the Pines, ROMP, and countless more. Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen is among the most respected and sought-after bands in the business. FS&DK’s respect and deep understanding of the bluegrass tradition collides, live on stage, with rock-tinged fiery virtuosity that pushes the boundaries of the genre. Other influences include country, jazz, blues, southern rock, and soul.
More than a performer, Solivan is an award winning songwriter, master cook, outdoorsman, leather craftsman, and entrepreneur, a bonafide Renaissance Man. Frank is a co-founder of ToneSlabs, manufactures his own line of spice mix and hot sauce, leather straps and belts used by the likes of Billy Strings and Trey Hensley, and is an influencer and endorser of national brands such as Traeger Grills, Bonafide Kayaks, D’Addario, and Grace Designs.
Read more about Frank here: http://dirtykitchenband.com/
Frank Solivan uses his signature FS 1.3mm
"I set out to make the best pick out of the best material to produce the absolute best tone around. With the help of my partner David Welch, we have done just that!" ~ Frank Solivan
CJ Lewandowski
Hailing from Missouri, C.J. Lewandowski learned the Monroe influenced “Ozark Mandolin” style from first generation artists of his region. C.J. has played with several touring acts in the Bluegrass world, including James King and Karl Shiflett. He then went on to found The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys in 2014, earning several IBMA Awards and nominations, along with a GRAMMY Nomination in 2019. C.J. makes his home now in Hopeless Holler, TN in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Read more about CJ and The Po' Ramblin Boys here: https://www.theporamblinboys.com/
CJ uses his custom Po' 7
"As a heavily touring musician, I want the best tools for the job. I also want my tools to work well together, matching picks with mandolins and strings etc. ToneSlab has very quickly came to the forefront as one of the best tools of the trade.
For 20 plus years now, I have used the same shape pick, using the shoulder . I took this particular shape to many companies and I couldn’t get what I wanted until I chatted with Dave and Frank. The end result with the PO-7 is unmatched by any other pick I’ve ever used. Depth, clarity, reduced string noise, improved right hand cleanliness and performance, Durable material, yet delicate beautiful tone. It pairs well with every mandolin I play and brings out the natural sounds of the instrument and that is very important to acoustic players. The 20 year search for the best tool for the job is over. " ~ CJ
Chris Luquette
Chris is one of the hardest working musicians originally from the Seattle music scene. Now living in Brooklyn-New York, you'd be hard pressed to find another musician in their 20's seamlessly switching from International Music to Jazz and from Rock to Bluegrass so comfortably. He has even studied Brazilian Jazz with Seattle based legendary Brazilian Musician, Jovino Santos Neto.
Chris’ musicianship reflects the multitude of musical influences he turns to for inspiration. His acoustic guitar playing really stands out, but this virtuosic, multi-instrumentalist is equally at home playing mandolin, drums, bass, electric guitar, banjo, and Greek bouzouki.
In February of 2017 and March of 2019, Chris as a member Dirty Kitchen played on the world famous Grand Ole Opry!
In addition, Chris was a founding member of Seattle based band Northern Departure, and has found himself performing onstage with the likes of Jerry Douglas, Emmylou Harris, Bryan Sutton, Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Kenny and Amanda Smith, The Boxcars, Yogi and The Yogini's and many others.
Read more about Chris here: https://chrisluquette.com/
Chris Luquette uses a custom Tri 1.5mm in blue
"As a player, I'm always hunting for perfect ingredients to a great sound. With ToneSlabs, you can sleep at night knowing you're using the best plectrum for that great sound. I love the feel, clarity, and response from these plectrums and will be using for years to come."
~ Chris Luquette
Don Stiernberg
Chicagoan Don Stiernberg is a leading exponent of jazz mandolin style. Having learned from 20th century master Jethro Burns, Don is now working on 50 years of experience as a professional musician with 11 recordings of his own available and countless appearances on other artists' projects. The latest of these is RHYTHM TWIST with Evan Price, Greg Ruby, and Kevin Kehrberg, just released September 2022. http://www.donstiernberg.bandcamp.com
Don also has 4 online instructional video courses available at Soundslice.com and enjoys teaching at all the mandolin camps around the country.
Read more about Don here: http:// www.donstiernberg.com
Don Stiernberg uses a custom TS Teardrop 1.5mm in Green
"I am digging Toneslabs! Aptly named for sure. In fact tone (aka sound) is the attribute of this pick I dig the most. I'm able to get my sound readily. In my case that's a combination of richness or fullness and clean articulation as one finds with a pick that has a point. I also enjoy the feeling of the pick, both the manner in which it travels over the string(s) and the fact that it is less likely to slip out of the pick hand. I've used the Toneslabs playing both the jazz and the bluegrass and it holds up for both, so I will continue to do so." ~ Don Stiernberg
Nate Lee
Nate Lee is an International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award-winning instrumentalist and renowned teacher of private lessons and music camps. The overlapping landscapes of folk, bluegrass, old-time, and new acoustic music offer a wide field to hoe and singer/mandolinist Nate ably covers every bit of that ground. Tuneful lopes, the muscular bounce of ‘grass, the sparkling charm of Grisman-Rice inspired dawg music, and more are all in his comfort zone and he moves between them with uncommon ease. Nate is known as the kind of musician who is able to put his own stamp on whatever he plays.
Read more about Nate here: https://thenatelee.com/
Nate Lee uses a custom TS Tweener three round 1.3mm in Green
"With my ToneSlabs pick, I can make the tone I want, I can play cleanly at fast tempos, and I feel happier!" - Nate Lee
Addie Levy
Addie is a multi-instrumental singer/songwriter from Virginia, and has been playing in the bluegrass world since the age of 10. Addie has fronted two bluegrass bands, and is now booking under own name. For 8 years, she has worked seasonal contracts with Dollywood Theme Park as a musician and emcee. She also has performed all over the east coast at venues such as Floyd Country Store, IBMA, SPGBMA, Merlefest, Northern Indiana Bluegrass Festival, OBX Bluegrass festival, Old Songs Festival and countless others. Crafting her original music from her Appalachian roots and progressive innovation, she has recorded and shared her songs at renowned venues like the Bluebird Cafe, The Listening Room, and Gatlinburg Songwriters Festival. As an award winning mandolin player, her instrumental work is front and center of her performance.
Addie Levy uses the Tweener 1.5mm in Yellow
"These picks help me pull the cleanest and sweetest tone out of every mandolin I’ve tried. With the perfect thickness and bevel, I can’t imagine playing with anything else!”