Edith Frost

Alternative country-rock singer and songwriter Edith Frost entered the world in San Antonio, Texas, on August 18, 1964. During her early years the family shifted residences at irregular intervals among San Antonio, Austin, and Guadalajara, Mexico. Following the completion of her studies she moved to Brooklyn, spending daylight hours as an Internet programmer while leading three separate ensembles after dark: the Holler Sisters, an old-time country covers band; the Marfa Lights, a Western swing outfit; and Edith & Her Roadhouse Romeos, a rockabilly unit. By 1992 she had begun presenting original material, and after her marriage ended she headed to Chicago, having forwarded a demo tape to Drag City—the receptive label associated with Will Oldham’s Palace projects, which she greatly admired.

A self-titled EP assembled from demo recordings surfaced in summer 1996. Frost next tracked her first full-length album with assistance from musicians drawn from Gastr del Sol, Eleventh Dream Day, and the High Llamas; the resulting Calling Over Time appeared in 1997 and earned widespread praise. Telescopic arrived the following year. Love Is Real, released in 1999, carried cover art created by the Sea and Cake’s Sam Prekop. Wonder Wonder, issued in summer 2001, incorporated production contributions from Steve Albini. Four years afterward she reemerged with the acclaimed It’s a Game.