[Album Premier] Liz Frame and the Kickers: “Sparrow in a Shoebox”

Boston-area Americana quartet, Liz Frame and the Kickers, released their debut album, Sooner seven years ago. Their long awaited follow up, Sparrow in a Shoebox, is due out on June 1, 2018.

The years between have found powerhouse vocalist and songwriter Liz Frame busy writing, recording and touring choice rooms throughout the country as well as high-profile festivals like DelFest and Merlefest. The group will be on the road in support of the record this summer and fall and will make new fans along the way. “Honestly, I feel like we’re this undiscovered little gem of a band,” Frame says. “I mean that in all modesty. We’ve worked hard the last five years — touring and recording, playing as many shows as we can, given our somewhat complicated lives outside of music. We all have days jobs, but we all love making original music. It sustains us. It’s what I love to do most.”

Frame and the Kickers have distinguished themselves as the real deal over the past decade. Frame’s songwriting has been compared to stalwarts like Williams and Dolly Parton, and many say her voice reminds them of Linda Ronstadt in her heyday or K.D. Lang at her torchiest with a touch of Dwight Yoakam twang thrown in at times for good measure. “I think we have a very distinct sound,” muses Frame. “Our stuff is not like anything else out there. You know a Kickers song the minute you hear it.” The golden key: Musical diversity. Sparrow in a Shoebox covers wide swaths from the country-based “Ungrateful Girl” through the straight-ahead rocker “Lookin’ for a Lonely Man.”

“I guess I’m a little schizophrenic,” Frame says. “I love rock and roll as much as I love traditional country music. It shows in my songwriting.” The bandleader produced the record herself and, in addition to the band, enlisted the aid of some stellar musical talents including Duke Levine, a multi-instrumentalist who has spent years working with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Peter Wolf, among many others. “Duke’s a tremendous player and I’m very lucky to have him in my own back yard. He worked on my last record, too, and was kind enough to come back.”

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