Local Country Artist 'Dreams Big'

When Frank Vieira was a sophomore in high school, country music was the last thing on his mind. 

But by the time the New York-native enrolled at , he'd already begun penning his own country-tinged songs. 

Last spring, Vieira helped organize RMU's weekly Open Mic Night events, and he's since released his first country album, "Over, Over You," with producer Dave Rice. 

Vieira spent some time talking to Patch about his passion for country music and future as a musician. Catch Vieira’s next Open Mic Night performance at 9 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Nicholson Center Food Court on RMU's campus. 

How did you get involved with music?

Back in high school, we had this elective to create an acoustic guitar. You had to build it from scratch in a woodshop. So that was probably the jumping point for that. I played for like a year or so before that, and it was just so cool to build a guitar from scratch. Then that was it; I just kept playing.

Did you take lessons, or did you teach yourself?

I kind of self-taught myself. I had a couple friends who knew how to play, and they taught me some basic stuff, but mostly self-taught.

Now you sing as well. Did you ever take any singing lessons?

I took lessons for like two weeks and it just, I don’t know, kind of something you have to do on your own, I guess. You know, sing in the shower. Sing in the car.

Do you write your own songs or just cover songs?

I write most of my own songs. Last summer, I actually came out with a CD. It was like nine original songs, and that was a lot of fun doing that. But I mean, if I go out and play somewhere or play at Open Mic, I always play cover songs just because they’re fun to play.

So, is there another album in the future?

I’d hope so, I imagine.

Could you describe your songwriting method?

You just kind of feel like either a melody or something, or you just want to write something down. It’s really hard to just sit down and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to write a song today,’ and then try and do it that way because then you end up killing creativity. If you do it really spontaneously, it ends up usually being better. Sometimes it takes longer than you’d expect, but it’s worth it.

What are your songs about?

It depends. I try to mix it up. I play country music that’s what I do, so there are always sad songs in country music, a few upbeat bar songs and stuff like that. I don’t know, kind of a good broad range of songs, and I guess things that people can relate to. That’s usually what I shoot for. I’ll usually start writing something for myself and then end up taking it in a direction where I hope that somebody else has been there before.

Is it safe to assume that country is your favorite genre?

Yeah. I used to not listen to country music ... back in the early part of high school, and then junior and senior year, I really feel in love with it, and that’s like all I listen to now is country music, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Who are your musical influences?

I think right now one of my main musical influences is a guy named Dierks Bentley. He does a lot of bluegrass stuff in his country music, so that’s kind of a cool way to take on it.  My other favorite artist is Eric Church. He’s a great songwriter, a really great songwriter. He writes all of his own stuff for his CDs, and he’s a special guy. And, of course, just like anybody, I listen mostly to people on the radio Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, guys like that.

Have you ever been part of a band, or have you always been solo?

It’s always been a solo career for me. Actually, a couple friends and I tried out for a talent fest back in high school one year. But that was like, ‘Hey, let’s play in a band for three weeks,’ and that was about it. But hopefully one of these days, I’ll find a band to play with because it’s just not the same without a band.

What role did you play in helping develop the Open Mic Night Series at RMU?

I actually worked for [RMU Student Activities Director] John Locke in the Student Life office last year and I said, ‘Hey, John, I know a bunch of people on campus who like to play music. Why don’t we do an open mic night? I think it would be a really fun idea.’ And thanks to him, he pretty much went through all the hoops and set everything up, and we eventually got it running. I mean there’s usually a good turn out, and it’s a lot of fun, and there’s a lot of good talent here, and it’s just a nice way to spend a Tuesday night. There’s usually not a lot going on besides that.

Do you try to perform at each one?

Yeah, I think missed one in the last year and a half. It’s a lot of fun. It’s good for everybody. I mean, it’s nice to get up there and practice new songs for people who wouldn’t normally get out in public. It’s a nice, safe place for everybody to come play and enjoy music and really just have a good time.

Do you plan to take your music seriously and pursue it as a career?

I would love to do it. As every year passes by, it seems more of a thing that I can include in my career and take seriously and there’s a lot of musicians out there. There are a lot of great artists, and it’s something that I would love to do. It’s something that’s not worth killing at the age of 20. It’s always good to dream big.

Interested in purchasing Vieira’s album or listening to his latest tracks? Check out his Myspace page to listen and learn more about his upcoming performances.