The Frame on Transcending Time and Space

The Frame is a love story—a love story about two people, a love story about music, and, most importantly, a love story about the human experience. 

Photo by Grace Abdayem

Josephine Glass and Gable Kinsman met at Berklee College of Music and became friends, but they did not start making music together until after graduation. The duo moved to New York City, and it was there that their connection bloomed. "Josephine reached out to me after we moved to New York and asked if we could meet up and just write some songs together because we knew we had a lot in common," Kinsman remembers. During their first meeting, the two began writing songs and connected immediately. After returning a second time to explore their connection further, they decided to start a band. 

Photo by Sean Perry

Soon after they officially started writing together, one of Glass's friends reached out to her, asking if their new group would be able to open for her band. They agreed, and from there, The Frame's journey was underway. However, a new issue arose: They still needed a name.

From texts between each other to a broader search among their group of friends, Glass and Kinsman worked hard to decide on a fitting name. Ultimately, they found inspiration in Rick Rubin's book, "The Creative Act: A Way of Being." In his book, the music producer writes about navigating the messy path of expression and explores creativity's place in everyone's life. One of Rubin’s philosophies is this: “However you frame yourself as an artist, the frame is too small.” The Frame uses this philosophy to push their music to a new level. 

Glass and Kinsman's relationship is key to the duo's chemistry onstage. The Frame performed at the iconic Whiskey a Go Go earlier this year, marking a turning point in their relationship. "[Gable] kissed me right before we went on stage and performed," Glass recalls. "It was the best fucking show we had done to date. It was because we had finally realized what this was about; it's about us." Following the night's high, Kinsman confessed his love for Glass, beginning their unabashed relationship. Kinsman recounts, "That night, it was just kind of like a: 'I really love you. Fuck it, let's just see what happens with this."

Photo by Grace Abdayem

Not only was the night at the Whiskey a Go Go the beginning of their love story, but it also marked the genesis of their deep connection to the audience. "Crowds are so important," Glass asserts. "I'm that person in the crowd, you know? We're all the people in the crowd, just human beings." At the show that night, scattered through the crowd were Glass and Kinsman's friends and family, making the show for the two. Feeling a connection to her crowd is a euphoric experience for Glass. "I think for any artist who is able to experience that within their heart, then it doesn't matter what you're doing," she says.  

Photo by Sean Perry

The Frame's goal for their shows is to use the time and space they are given to allow them and their audience to transcend our current reality. "The shows that we enjoy will allow you to forget about what's going on for a little bit," says Kinsman. "It would be a fucking waste of time to not make [music] mean something, especially when people are dying to have some sort of hope. [...] Now it's our turn to give back to the people." The songs that the pair choose and the way they go about playing them are all about being able to process complex emotions with their audience and to allow their crowd to be comfortable in that space. Glass explains, "A space that we're creating for people is just recognition that we're all really complex beings and you can be in love, and you can also be really fucking pissed and angry at the world at the same time." 

Another way The Frame aims to connect with their audiences is to interact directly with them. During their song "Sugarcane," Glass will often walk out and integrate herself into the crowd. Kinsman refers to this as the band's way of saying, "Yeah, we're in the human experience with each other, and there can be a very heightened and fun way to experience it."

Photo by Grace Abdayem

As The Frame continues to create and perform, they carry with them a profound understanding: music isn’t just about melodies or lyrics—it’s about people. Their story is a testament to love’s power to inspire, create, and heal. Art, like love, is messy and untamed.

Photo by Grace Abdayem

Follow The Frame on their musical journey by following their Instagram at @theframeofficialband!