Frank Migliorelli And The Dirt Nappers – “Michigan”

Frank Migliorelli And The Dirt Nappers – “Michigan” – Single Review

Nearly five years after the last time I wrote about Frank Migliorelli And The Dirt Nappers, it seems like the band has chosen to head into more mature terrain this time around.  I’m not accusing them of growing up – the last record I reviewed by them was We’re Not Kiddin’ Around, which was directly influenced & inspired by some of their favorite children’s books & was essentially an album that was built and designed for alternative learning.  This new single “Michigan” from the upcoming album Abnormal Conditions isn’t aimed at any specific demographic or age this time around…and I think that you’ll dig it!

Why do I think you’ll dig it?  Pretty simple really – because I did!  A track like “Michigan” has a theme that most of us can relate to…it’s about missing home, and the people that make it feel that way.  I don’t know if we always know where ‘home’ is at first…we’ve got an idea of the concept in relation to wherever we’re born or were lucky enough to be dropped off by the stork, but I think “Michigan” proves that the real definition of ‘home’ isn’t necessarily that.  To support my theory, I’ll point out that Frank Migliorelli And The Dirt Nappers are technically based out of New York…and “Michigan” is a fair ways away from that, yet here Frank is, singing about a home that’s miles away from him.  From what I’ve read, the feeling he has comes by pretty honestly – Migliorelli once spent about five years of his life in “Michigan.”  If you’ve never been the type to move around all that much, maybe you wouldn’t get it, but trust me, you know what you miss about ‘home’ when you move away from it, and even though you’ll always find another place to hang your hat at the end of the day, there’s never really a substitute for the genuine article.  I’ve lived in British Columbia, Canada for forty of my forty-six years on Earth, and this IS home to me – but those six years away from this place sure taught me a lot about what it was like to love living somewhere else, and a new definition of home I didn’t know through an unbreakable bond to a physical location & the many memories my wife and I were able to make while we lived in Ottawa.  So while it’s true that Ottawa would be less of a phonetic attraction in the flow of this particular melody, if I was to swap that city for “Michigan” in the lyricism that Frank has penned to this tune, then of course I’d know precisely what he’s singing about.  You will too, if you’ve ever been fortunate enough to move to a whole new place that welcomes you in with open arms, tears up when you leave, and knows you’ll come back.  Case in-point, I’ll be on vacation in about two weeks’ time and you know where I’m going?  Home!  I’ve been away from MY version of “Michigan” for far too long, and I’m looking forward to going back.

This single draws hard on imagery and nostalgia and warmth, essentially equating a place with the kind of friendship and memories that has made life worth living.  “Michigan” is built on all the good things that we never forget, and it genuinely feels great to listen to a song like this that we all have something fundamentally in common with, no matter where your version of “Michigan” may be.  Beyond that, I love the way Frank sings this song…I think he did an exceptional job with the vocal melody for starters, but it’d be nothing without the authentic sincerity he puts into every syllable along the way.  It’s the sound of CONVICTION y’all…that’s what you’re really hearing and that’s what hooks you in with ease – it’s belief in the words, knowing that everything Migliorelli is writing about, is something he truly feels.  You feel that connection he has with “Michigan” through what he’s singing, and I couldn’t get enough of it!  It’s so remarkably comforting, and I love all the details & imagery that Frank has put into this song, because not only do we know what he’s singing about and relate to it in our own way through the experiences we’ve had in our own lives, but you can close your eyes and SEE his memories just as vividly.

Sound-wise, there are comparisons you could certainly make I’m sure.  I think the Neil Young influence has never been more noticeable in the music of Frank Migliorelli And The Dirt Nappers, but I also think the way that Frank’s vocals add to “Michigan” gives it a softness that’s seriously irresistible.  You could argue that when considering his vocals, a track like “Michigan” would drift closer towards something you’d find from Tom Petty, Blue Rodeo, Soul Asylum, Counting Crows, or maybe even in my own favorite underground Americana band, Golden Smog – there are other names I’m sure you could cite, but that’s largely part of Frank’s ‘everyman’ charm and the very reason why the heartbeat to a song like this seems so inarguably & impressively real.  Bonus points are deserved for the keyboards of Daniel A. Weiss, who is essential to this tune – I don’t know if he’s also responsible for the harmonica that shows up later on in the song, but that’s another ingredient that helped take this song from good to great.  No faults to be found here in any corner you look though – the whole band has really come through shining in their performance for this song, and rightly so!  Like I was saying earlier, we ALL have some kind of connection to a theme like you’ll hear in “Michigan,” which really gives the band the equal opportunity to play each moment like it matters just as much to them, because how could it not when a song is as relatable as this one is?  I’m all for it on all fronts…it’s the third bowl of porridge y’all!  It really feels like Frank Migliorelli And The Dirt Nappers got everything just right in this recording of “Michigan” – I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Find out more about Frank Migliorelli And The Dirt Nappers from the official website at:  https://www.dirtnappers.com

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