The Dirt-Music blog from Frank Migliorelli and The Dirt Nappers

So last month I quit my gig at the NYPL- sometimes you just have to make some changes, but all that aside, it was a great excuse to head to the Ginger Man with my amazing staff and quaff a final beer together. At the bar they laid a serious bottle of Mexican cactus juice on me, and an official going away card built by Kang, one of my developers- Kang had been running some workshops with the staff on how to make pop-up stuff, and this is by far in my humble opinion, his greatest creation to date. Thanks dude! Adios.....y gracias.

So as you may or may not know, I have a strong connection to public libraries these days, and this came across my desk the other day.... Check out this project “Volume” by the Denver Public Library- https://volumedenver.org/ The library invites local musicians to submit their recordings/albums to a curated website that is sponsored by the institution, providing an accessible, excellent, locally driven collection of music. Indie music is more regional again, and having a local library step up and create a channel for independent music is actually pretty cool. I’m not sure what the response has been, but from the site it looks like there is some really good activity. I love the fact that they don't censor, present a range of music, and have a solid selection process. Presenting under-served, less popular types of music in this arena has some great potential- especially since a huge part of the library experience involves browsing- Imagine a parent who wants to find some kids mu...

OK- Here goes- Not sure how many of you actually read this, but I’ve been doing this the past few years, and I hope you dig it….kind of a top 10 list, but it is pretty hard to keep it to 10, so we spill over a bit...and I usually don't point out things I didn't like, but there's a few notes of disappointment here.....but here it is, my look back at '15. Comebacks that worked- Sleater/Kinney and Blur! Comeback we didn’t need- Electric Light Orchestra Best free album of the year- Star Wars- the album from Wilco …not the movie soundtrack. A really great album. This year I leaned a bit more to the country side more than the rock n’ roll side, and by far, the two albums that got the most play through my earbuds were “Something More Than Free” by Jason Isbell and Second Hand Heart by Dwight Yoakam. Isbell’s album is just one great crafted song after another- the kind of stuff that stops you in your tracks and say “damn, what did he just say?” - and Yoakum sounds like ...

Decided to try and start creating more updates through this Blogspot site, more on a monthly basis for 2016. Figured it's a good place for some rants...and maybe some musical resolutions. Last year I made two musical resolutions- one to get that album out (in a format that wouldn't make me wince), and to try to play out at least once a month. Both pretty much done, thanks in part to the Growler, where I host a monthly songwriter series. .. So just to air them out in public, because it will make me get them done, I'll throw up a few musical resolutions in the next week or so, and because some of you actually read it, my top albums for the year (which I'm sorting out now....)  Will keep you posted, and if you haven't done it yet, like that idiotic Facebook page- it actually helps in the getting gigs department. Back to the homepage.

First Reactions to City Eastern Serenade-Nov/2015 I have to say, it’s kind of weird tossing your music out there and seeing how people react- especially the radio and the press. You bust your ass packing envelopes, folding press releases and bios, and drop tons of envelopes into the mailbox…then you kinda hope…It was nice to get some good early radio bites the first month- you forget that everyone and their mother is sending radio people CDs and MP3s, but it’s nice to get a few blips of airplay across the country- got some nice hits in California, Tuscon, and Maine- and we’re  hoping for more as people make their way through the mail piles. Got a real nice write up  from a great music blog called The Daily Country- you can check it out here-     which was totally unexpected- loved it! If you know anyone who runs a blog, radio show, or podcast that might give it a listen, let me know and I’ll send a press package out. Thanks-fm ...

Recording City Eastern Serenade-Oct/2015 City Eastern Serenade is a collection of 8 original songs- some newer than others, some never recorded, or recorded properly. I just wanted to get these tunes out there, and get themn out in a format I thought was right- the right feel, the right mix, and overall sound. It took a while to get done, but I’m pretty happy with the way these turned out. The folks who played on this recording were great- I had some of the steady, long-time musicians who have been playing with me for a while, and some new blood adding percussion, backgrounds, and other pieces to the puzzle. I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel to have such a group of talented people come in and make something out of a few chords, lyrics and melodies. I have to confess, I stole the name of the album from Sterling McGee, (aka Mr. Satan). Mr. McGee was playing at a festival and someone asked him what kind of music he played- he replied, “Some people have labels for music, like...