Inside The Song: 'Honey' by Frank Viele (A Red Guitar Music Exclusive Premiere).
Frank Viele has remained a closely guarded secret in the New England region of the USA for quite some time as evidenced by nods for Album of the Year, Performer of the Year and Live Act of the Year at the New England Music Awards. This situation is about to change with the release of his new album, the self-deprecatingly titled, 'What's His Name?' due April 27th. RGM caught up with Frank to discuss 'Honey' one of the key cuts on the album, from the evolution of the song as it took shape on the road, to the final version on 'What's His Name?' So please join us as we go Inside The Song and exclusively premiere 'Honey' by Frank Viele:
“Honey is one of my favorite songs to play live and based solely on my live performances of the tune, it has already become a fan favorite! I was starting my tour in February of 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin opening for Zach Myers of Shinedown’s Americana project, Mack, Myers, & Moore, and 15 minutes before I walked on stage I found out my set was longer than I had planned. So I had to throw in an extra song. I had finished writing the lyrics to Honey on the plane ride out there and decided to risk premiering a brand new song at an almost sold out venue that basically shared a parking lot with the Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field. I played Honey that night, the crowd roared, and even Zack Mack from Mack, Myers, & Moore told me how much he dug the tune. I played it again two nights later in Chicago and Zack Mack surprised me by joining me on stage with his harmonica. It then became a staple song in my set for the tour and by the time we got to the tour finale at the House of Blues in Cleveland the crowd was singing along!”
Red Guitar Music is very pleased to exclusively premiere 'Honey' by Frank Viele:
“ I was excited to record the tune for my new album and I’m beyond happy with the way it turned out on the record with a full band. In the studio we kind of brought out the big guns for this one including some slide guitar, a horn section, and even the phenomenally gifted R&B/Gospel vocalist Denise Renee, who’s been out on the road most of the last two years with Cory Henry from Snarky Puppy, did me the honor of singing the hook with me”
To get a taste of the live experience here is a fantastic video of Frank performing 'Honey' with his band @ Horizon Studios:
Frank Viele 2018 Tour:
4/20-Westerly RI-Perks & Corks
4/21-Cambridge MA-The Rising
4/23-Burlington VT-Radio Bean
4/26-Philadelphia PA-The Grape Room
4/27-Bordentown NJ-The Record Collector
4/28- Stony Creek- Branford CT (record release concert)
4/29- Queens Botanical Garden Arbor Fest- Queens NY
About Frank Viele:
“What’s his name?” Glad you ask.
Up until now, Frank Viele has been something of a regional secret throughout New England. His quadruple-threat reputation as a singer, guitarist, songwriter and performer is unrivalled in the region, as recognized by the New England Music Awards with nods for Album of the Year, Male Performer of the Year and Live Act of The Year.
Of course, musically tuned-in folks have been hearing reports of Viele’s prowess for several years. No Depression might have piqued their curiosity with its praise for his “vivid storytelling.” Or maybe they read about his singing in The Alternate Root, which observed that his “street growl” could rivet a passerby. Howl Magazine even called his shows “transcendent” and predicted that his music “will rattle your bones and penetrate to the core.”
Audiences around the country have begun taking notice as Viele plays in further-flung venues. Since his first album Fall Your Way dropped in 2015 he’s been called to open for Will Hoge, Blues Traveler, Lee DeWyze, Zach Myers of Shinedown and The Marshall Tucker Band- in his somewhat wonderstruck words, “artists who have been on my personal playlists for years.”
Slated for an April 27th release, What’s His Name? is a personal tour de force of passion, candor and craft. Viele’s singing is unforgettable — rough-edged yet nuanced, straddling that line where poetic interpretation and raw emotion meet. The impressions he made during his early gigs broaden on What’s His Name? Rugged Americana, deep blues and gut-wrenching soul create a potent new brew on “Cigarettes, Throwing Stones, & Lies.” Unlikely elements — a gentle groove kissed by congas, a milky bass tone and wind chimes — caress Viele’s anguished romanticism on “If You Could Only Read My Mind.” Those same sentiments take on an even sharper edge when lashed with earthy lie guitar and stirred by churchy harmonies on “Till The Bourbon’s All Gone.” The sting of betrayal turns up the heat even more over a thumping funk groove on the title cut. And one track, “Pomegranate,” stands out from anything Viele has done before, thanks to the strings that augment the reflective lyric, courtesy of arranger/cellist Dave Eggar (Ray Lamontagne/Coldplay/Pearl Jam).
“I’ve never taken the easy road musically. When you hear Otis Redding’s Blue or Bob Seger’s Night Moves, you feel it. Those songs grab you. That’s what music is supposed to do. That’s what I want to do”