The Fray
The Fray | |
|---|---|
| File:The Fray - 2004 promo.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Members | Isaac Slade Joe King Dave Welsh Ben Wysocki |
| Website | http://www.thefray.net |
The Fray is a four-piece alternative rock band from Denver, Colorado. Their single "Over My Head (Cable Car)" hit the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, helping their debut album How to Save a Life reach the top twenty of the Billboard 200 album charts.
They were formed in 2002, and currently consist of Isaac Slade (lead vocals, piano), Joe King (lead guitar, vocals), Dave Welsh (guitar), and Ben Wysocki (drums). They are currently touring with bassist Jimmy Stoffer.
History
Local emergence
In 2002, Isaac Slade and Joe King, two former school friends, met up again in a local music store. They soon began regular two-man jam sessions that led to writing songs and devising a style pitched between the arena-friendly style of U2 and the Triple-A rock of bands like Counting Crows and also Coldplay. Rounding out the lineup with two former bandmates of Slade's (drummer ), The Fray began playing shows in the Denver area. They chose the name "The Fray" for the band as a joke, since the members of the band frequently quarreled over the composition of the lyrics in their songs.
Their popularity grew quickly locally, and their single "Over My Head (Cable Car)" became a local radio hit. The band was voted Best New Band by Denver's Westword magazine. A&R representative Gary Savelson heard their demo work, and a scout for Epic Records heard the song "Vienna" on Savelson's website [1]. Epic Records officially signed them in 2004, and released their debut album, How to Save a Life, in September 2005. Savelson lists the Fray as one of his record deal accomplishments on his site with personal emails from the band illuminating his success.
National emergence
In July of 2005, The Fray was asked to open for Weezer for ten concerts. Following this tour, The Fray opened for Ben Folds for twelve dates (Ben Folds also performed with The Fray during two of the Weezer shows). The Fray headlined their own tour in January of 2006, playing with Mat Kearney and Cary Brothers.
"Over My Head (Cable Car)" became a top 40 hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in late 2005, but only peaked at position #37. However, the single slowly gained airplay nationally, and the song entered the Billboard charts on the issue marked February 25, 2006. For the next twelve weeks, the song was ranked higher than the week before, and two weeks later it reached its peak of position #8 on the Hot 100 chart.
While "Over My Head (Cable Car)" was gaining in popularity, the follow-up single "How to Save a Life" was featured during an episode of the fifth season of Scrubs and on an episode of Grey's Anatomy. "How to Save a Life" entered the Hot 100 chart on the issue marked April 15, 2006, and is currently at its peak at position #69.
To date, their debut album has sold over 700,000 copies in the United States, and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. Also, the single "Over My Head (Cable Car)" has been certified double Platinum (over 400,000 downloads), and the single "How to Save a Life" has been certified Gold (over 100,000 downloads) [2].
They appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" on January 20, 2006. They also appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on February 8, 2006 and July 19, 2006. They are currently on tour with Augustana
Discography
Studio albums
EPs
Other
- Live at the Electric Factory (July 18, 2006) (exclusively on iTunes)
Singles
| Year | Title | 'Chart positions' | Album | ||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Modern Rock Tracks | Adult Top 40 | |||
| 2005 | "Over My Head (Cable Car)" | #8 | #37 | #4 | How to Save a Life |
| 2006 | "How to Save a Life" | #591 | #31 | - | How to Save a Life |
1 indicates that song is currently at highest peak and may continue to rise.
References
External links
- The Fray's homepage - Official Website
- The Fray's Myspace
- The Fray on Lyriki
- Fray Away The Edges - A Fan Site
- Fray Albums on payplay.fm
- The Fray videos - The Fray's Music
- A&R for The Fray on World Top 20 A&R Chart
Videos