Frank Viele has carved out his own lane in New England’s music landscape, blending blues, folk, and heartland rock into a sound that hits with both grit and grace. His new release, The Silo, marks the next chapter in that evolution—an intimate, cinematic five-song EP arriving on February 20th, via his own imprint, Bigger Beast Records, a label created to champion the artists and collaborators who inspire him (PRE-ORDER).
Over the past decade, Viele has rarely slowed down. He’s collected an impressive run of New England Music Awards—including Independent Artist of the Year, Male Performer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (twice), Album of the Year (twice—still the only artist to do so), Song of the Year, and Live Act of the Year—on the strength of raw, soulful tracks like “Broken Love Song” and “‘Til The Bourbon’s All Gone.” But it took the stillness of the 2020 pandemic to remind him that time is a fragile, irreplaceable resource. That realization reshaped how he approached his craft.
Honesty has always been the core of Viele’s music—his commanding vocals, evocative guitar work, and emotionally direct songwriting—and The Silo leans even deeper into that spirit. After opening more than 100 shows for Lee DeWyze over a decade, Viele tapped DeWyze and longtime collaborator Nico for this project, bringing a natural warmth and trust into the studio. The result is a deliberate sonic departure: more atmospheric, more textured, and less rooted in the rock-driven sound that defined his earlier work.
Though The Silo is the darkest release in his catalog, it is also threaded with resilience. The songs emerged over six months marked by personal upheaval and unexpected clarity, the kind of period that pushes an artist inward. “After a long album cycle, I tend to write more experimental music in a short burst,” he says. “This EP is exactly that—an introspective project born from creative exhaustion after nonstop touring and recording.” What remains unmistakable, however, is the hope and emotional lift that sits at the heart of nearly everything he writes.
Fans have long gravitated toward Viele for his unguarded storytelling and for the way his live performances feel less like shows and more like conversations. With The Silo, he widens his artistic palette while doubling down on what makes his work resonate: vulnerability, craft, and a willingness to push into new territory. As he continues to build his reputation as one of the standout voices in modern folk/Americana, Viele keeps doing what he does best—meeting people where they are, one stage at a time.
Today, Glide is offering an exclusive premiere of Viele’s rendition of Bob Seger’s classic 1980 tune “Against The Wind” along with its accompanying video. Shot, directed, and edited by Ronel of CCR Visuals, this solo acoustic take on this timeless favorite finds Viele laying down gravelly, soulful vocals that do justice to the original while presenting it with a new level of intimacy. Indeed, this version showcases Viele’s ability to tap into the power of legendary acts while simultaneously breathing new light into their tunes. With his treatment, this dramatic ballad takes on the tone of a melancholy, nostalgic folk tune.
Watch the video and read our conversation with Viele below…
This is a cover of a Bob Seger song. What made you want to cover it and also to release it as a single?
“Against the Wind” is one of my all-time favorite songs. The album was stuck in the old CD player in my tour van on my first national tour supporting Allen, Mack, Myers, Moore, and it basically became my anthem on those long drives across the country. I soundchecked with it once on tour, and Zach Myers from AMMM and Shinedown said, “You should play that tonight.” I started playing it live, and it became a song that stuck with my live sets over the years. So when I was done recording the tracks I had written for The Silo EP, we had an extra day with an audio crew and a camera crew on site. Lee DeWyze, who produced the EP, had heard me play the song tons of times live and said, “You should just go record that Seger tune.” So, there it is, live, and we decided to leave it as the last song of the EP. I didn’t pick it as a single initially, as I feel like every song is a single nowadays, and I’m terrible at choosing which songs to release when, but coming into 2026 after the year I had in 2025, it just seemed fitting to release this song first, end a huge chapter of my career, and simultaneously start the next.
Even though you didn’t write the song, what is this song about to you? Why is it important to you and what about the song really speaks to you?
This song is one of those that is so well written musically that it’s easy to just sing along to on the radio. But when you pull back the layers and slow the track down, every word cuts deep, and it’s just an honest heart-on-your-sleeve perspective piece about pursuing a dream; I can assuredly see myself in the lyrics. Life on the road, love and love lost, gaining perspective and facing the reality that whenever you choose one path in life you are choosing not to follow another path. The last partial verse where it reads, “Those drifter days are past me now, I’ve got so much more to think about, deadlines and commitments, what to leave in, what to leave out,” the verse always guts me when I sing it because it’s just a stark reminder that time is limited and choosing what to focus your time on in life and what to sacrifice is something we don’t always do consciously.
What was the studio session and recording process like for this song? Any great stories from the studio? What kind of vibe did you aim for on this song? What aspects of your version are similar to or different from the original?
The studio sessions were amazing. I got to work with my old friend, Lee DeWyze, and his longtime producer/engineer, Nico Grossfeld. They did tracks together like Lee’s “Blackbird Song” and his Paranoia album, which I just absolutely adore, so getting to bring these tracks to that team and just kind of trust fall into that creative process was such an incredible experience. “Against the Wind” was done live, so it speaks less to the recording process and more to the vibe I felt after recording the first four tunes with that team.
Besides the one you mentioned earlier, are there any lyric lines that you really love or that really are important to you? What do you love about them?
My other favorite is the line, “Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” It is legit a 10 out of 10 lyric and the kind of thing that should be tattooed on my arm. To me, it speaks to perspective gained from experience and how the ignorance that comes with being an absolute freight train of a young man, something I can relate to, can be powerful and blissful. Yet it shows that it’s harder to push and climb to the top the more you learn about the world around you. In a way, it speaks to the double-edged sword of empathy and perspective; something I personally write about a lot in my songs.
If listeners can take away one thing from having heard this version of “Against the Wind,” what do you hope that is?
I had a few folks hear it, and they all said the same thing, “I forgot how great Bob Seger is.” I love that! He’s one of my all-time favorite artists, and he just never missed. Great melodies, soulful vocals, brilliantly poetic and authentic lyrics, he’s got it all. If I can help remind some people of how awesome Bob Seger is, then I feel like I did my job with this track.
How does this song fit in among others on your EP? How is it similar or different?
The tracks I wrote on this EP were all derived from cell phone demos I recorded after being on the road for a long time. They were written and recorded in a motel room in Portland, Oregon over two nights. They came from a place of loneliness and perspective, where I was facing the realization that while I had accomplished my dream of being on the road and playing my music for people, I was simultaneously watching my days on this earth count down. This was all underneath the reality that I missed my home and the people I love. There’s a difference between a text message and a hug, and, while being on the road was filling a big part of my soul, not being with the person I love and feeling like time was slipping away was opening a door to a new perspective. That’s something that aligns perfectly with “Against the Wind” in my heart.
Tell us about the video. Whose idea was the video treatment, who did you work with on the video, and where did you film it? What do you think the video adds to the song?
We filmed this one in an old farmhouse I just got with the goal of making it a sanctuary for the next chapter of my creative and life journey. It needs a ton of work, as it came with its own stories of the past, broken windows, etc. I haven’t been able to afford all the furniture for it yet, so it’s mostly empty. We had been working on recordings there, and it has this big echo to it. So when we decided to record “Against the Wind,” we just dropped a mic in the middle of the room and pressed record. My good buddy, Ronel, of CRR Visuals, put up a few cameras, and it just kind of happened.
What is coming up next for Frank Viele?
Well, I’ll be touring a ton behind this EP. I’m very excited for that! But I’ve also written a few other records, so I’ll be heading back to Muscle Shoals early in the year to start recording the next full-length record, which will be the full-length follow up to my The Trouble With Desire album. The record label I started as well, Bigger Beast Records, will be running a bunch of songwriter festivals across the East Coast in 2026 as well. They’re called “21 Songwriters,” and we use them to help bring attention to regional songwriter communities and help raise funds for charitable causes that we are passionate about, including animal rescues, mental health, growing arts and music programs, and family homelessness.
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Great article