Frank Viele – “Sleepless Nights Alone”
Americana Highways is premiering the new video for Frank Viele’s song “Sleepless Nights Alone” from his forthcoming album The Trouble With Desire. The Trouble With Desire was produced By Jimmy Nutt and James LeBlanc; and recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jimmy Nutt.
“Sleepless Nights Alone” is Frank Viele on lead vocals, baritone acoustic guitar, and xylophone; Tom Barraco on drums; Anthony Candullo on bass; James LeBlanc on baritone electric guitar, standard electric guitar, and backing vocals; and Jimmy Nutt on percussion.
We had a chance to chat with Frank briefly about the song. The video appears just beneath the interview.
Americana Highways: You have a great way of painting a picture and putting the listener in the room with you. Do you have a favorite lyric from “Sleepless Nights Alone,” or one that you think really encapsulates this song?
Frank Viele Thank you for the kind words. “Sleepless Nights Alone” was one of those songs that poured out of me pretty fast. My favorite lyric from the song is the line “I’ve Been Missing Your Heartbeat, The Pulse That Soothes My Weary Soul”. To me, that’s the line that speaks to a deeper understanding of loneliness and the absence of that connection with that special somebody. When one feels physically different just when they’re in the presence of their partner, I think that’s real love. When you can’t sleep because you’re missing that person next to you, it says something about that bond. That line was essentially comparing your partner’s heartbeat to something akin to a white noise machine someone might use to calm their nerves in an attempt to sleep. Far beyond the idea of missing somebody, I think that line shows the strength of the bond that is now absent in the character’s life.
AH: This song reminds me of a 90s/00s country song, in the best way. Were you listening to anyone while making this upcoming album that influenced you?
FV: When writing this track I was listening to a lot of John Moreland, Will Hoge, and Bob Schneider. They’re three of my favorite modern songwriters and I tend to fall deep into their music at some point at least once a year. I was also in a big Tom Petty kick which I tend to fall into every few years as well. Maybe if you combine those influences with that Muscle Shoals swagger, which definitely came out during my recording process down there, you end up with a connection to that 2000’s country sound?
AH: Do you think “Sleepless Nights Alone” sets the tone for what we can expect from the rest of the album, musically and/or lyrically?
FV: In some ways, yes. But in others, not so much. The songs on the full length album all come together to tell a story in way and “Sleepless Nights Alone” represents a pivotal part of that story. Lyrically, because this record has a thematic story to it, every tune has similar layers of empathetic emotion. Sonically, it has a lot of depth that’s prevalent throughout the record; specifically with how we use the background vocals and the baritone guitar to add melodic counterparts. But vibe wise, it’s on the softer side of the track listing in that there’s a nice collection of full on rockers on this album that I think make the record lean heavier. That said, everybody told me I might end up a little bit country if I started writing and recording in Alabama and they weren’t wrong. But using a hint of that country flavor on this record I think was necessary. Especially when it comes to vocal harmonies! Country music seems to pull harmony ideas from old Gospel music and embellish them with a rock n roll sensibility. I love that sound and I think it elevates the whole record.
Thanks for chatting with us, Frank Viele.
This video was created by Frank Viele. The music has baritone acoustic and baritone electric guitar playing, which results in a certain unusual richness. It’s nostalgic. Mid-tempo with a sorrow – and he’s left her teacup in the kitchen sink. A tearjerker, and all – too – relatable.
You can find his music here: https://onerpm.link/sleeplessnightsalone
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Album Premiere: Frank Viele’s “1 Mic, 1 Guitar, 10,000 Miles, Vol. 2”
