Frank Viele’s brand of New England blues rock tugs at the heartstrings, pulling the listener on a surprise journey that transcends genre.
Yet even as he’s racked up accolades over the past 7 years — including New England Music Awards for Album of the Year, Male Performer of the Year, Songwriter of The Year (X2), and Live Act of The Year for gutsy, gritty tracks like “Broken Love Song” and “‘Til The Bourbon’s All Gone” — he’s rarely paused to savor the moment before moving on to yet another tour, album, or collaboration.
It wasn’t until the pandemic hit in early 2020 and he was forced to hunker down that Viele realized that time itself was the world’s most precarious, yet precious, resource.
At that time, Viele embarked on a writing-and-recording journey with Jimmy Nutt (Jason Isbell, American Aquarium, The Dead South) and James LeBlanc (Travis Tritt, Will Hoge, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Dylan LeBlanc, Kid Rock, Rascal Flatts) of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Within this co-writing collaborative partnership, Viele approached each new song slowly, intentionally, and with an open mind, challenging himself to transcend the limits of genre and industry expectations.
In 2021, a handful songs that he had started recording in Connecticut, and finished at Nutthouse Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, were brought to life in the 2021 EP “Time Is A Thief.” This EP won him the coveted New England Music Award for “Songwriter of The Year” for the second time and acted as a prequel to Viele’s upcoming full-length 2023 album.
In January 2023, the first track off Viele’s forthcoming, 13-song album completed in Nutthouse Recording Studios, “Hearts We Left Behind”, came out in January of 2023 and was featured on Boston’s Country 102.5 as their “Song Of The Week”. “Hearts” continues to receive critical acclaim citing Viele’s strength as a storyteller and his signature vocal delivery.
“Frank Viele continues to astound with his new single entitled “Hearts We Left Behind” and has once again crafted a classic. Viele is a consummate wordsmith. His songs contain magic dust capable of spinning webs of musical ecstasy.” (MyAmpMusic.co)
The “magic dust” they are referring to has been gathered from experiences on the road and in venues across the country. Viele built his sound and narrated his journey while constantly touring the United States, playing hundreds of shows each year and sharing the stage with artists such as John Waite, Jeffrey Gaines, Lee DeWyze, Zach Myers of Shinedown, Bob Marley’s Wailers, Howie Day, Xavier Rudd, Ingrid Michaelson, Tony Lucca, Pat McGee, and Blues Traveler, among others, since the release of his first solo album in 2015.