The Fray
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The Fray formed their four-piece alternative rock band in Denver, Colorado in 2002. Current members are Isaac Slade on lead vocals and piano, Joe King on guitar and vocals, Dave Welsh on guitar, Ben Wysocki on drums and percussion, and Jimmy Stofer on bass, though they have no official bassist at the moment. Their music is reminiscent of other bands like Coldplay, Better Than Ezra, and Counting Crows. But they have their own distinctive sound and music that makes them who they are today.
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[edit] About
Schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King met in a local music store and began two-jam sessions and writing songs to the style of bands such as U2 and Coldplay. The duo soon recruited Welsh, Wysocki and Slade's brother Caleb to be part of their band. But tensions flew between Slade's bother and the rest of the band, leaving Caleb Slade to be asked to leave. The incident was apparently the inspiration for their first hit single Over My Head (Cable Car).
The band chose their name after picking through a suggestion bowl that was placed at a graduation party for one of Slade's brothers. In spite of this, the band claims that the name is apt because of the frequent fights over the lyrics in their songs. Though, the band is in good terms with each other while composing music and acknowledges other contributions from all of its members.
In 2002, the band released Movement EP. Four songs collated that the band had written There is only a handful of this EP were released, and currently there is no available copy to be purchased. The following year, they released Reason EP and garnered critical acclaim and notoriety, particularly from Westword Alternative News Weekly'. Though they received rave reviews, the band was still struggling to find a radio station that would launch their EP. Finally, after eight songs were rejected, the band decided to release Cable Car on a KTCL radio show.
Soonafter, the station was flooded with calls requesting for the song. The song eventually became one of the stations top 30 most played songs of 2004, helping their popularity to grow locally. That same year, The Fray were voted Best New Band by Denver readers in Westwood. Word of mouth reached the execs of Epic Records and sparked interest of A&R man Mike Flynn. By the end of 2004, the band was officially signed for the company. The release of their debut album, How To Save A Life in September 2005 made them famous overnight. They decided to change the name of the carrier single Cable Car to Over My Head (Cable Car), and by the end of 2005, the single became KTCL's Most Played Song of the Year.
In July 2005, The Fray opened for Weezer for ten concerts. At the conclusion of the Weezer tour, the band opened for Ben Folds for twelve shows. The Fray headlined their own tour in January 2006, playing with Mat Kearney and Cary Brothers. To date, the band's singles Over My Head (Cable Car) has been certified Double Platinum and their new release How To Save A Life has gained Gold status all across America and making its way to be hits as well in other countries.
[edit] Band Lineup
- Isaac Slade – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Joe King – guitar, backing vocals
- Dave Welsh – guitar
- Jimmy Stofer – bass
- Ben Wysocki – drums
[edit] Awards & Certifications
- By 2006, the album How To Save A Life achieved Gold status.
- Their single Over My Head (Cable Car) was certified 2x Platinum
[edit] Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | Hot 100 | Modern Rock | Pop 100 | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Over My Head (Cable Car) | 8 | 37 | 8 | How To Save A Life |
| 2006 | How To Save A Life | 23 | 31 | 22 | How To Save A Life |
[edit] News
[edit] Tours & Concerts
10.11.06 - The Pageant St Louis, MO - SOLD OUT!!
10.12.06 - Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN - SOLD OUT!!
10.13.06 - Murat Theatre Indianapolis, IN - SOLD OUT!!
Following with The Feeling:
10.16.06 - Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL
10.17.06 - Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL - SOLD OUT!!
10.18.06 - DeltaPlex Grand Rapids, MI
10.19.06 - State Theatre Detroit, MI - SOLD OUT!!
10.21.06 - Kool Haus Toronto, Canada
10.22.06 - Spectrum De Montreal Montreal, Canada
10.23.06 - Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA - SOLD OUT!!
10.25-26.06 - Hammerstein Ballroom New York, NY - SOLD OUT!!
10.27.06 - Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA - SOLD OUT!!
10.28.06 - DAR Constitution Hall Washington, DC
10.30.06 - Tabernacle Atlanta, GA - SOLD OUT!!
10.31.06 - Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live - SOLD OUT!!
11.04.06 - New Orleans, LA House of Blues
11.05.06 - Fort Worth, TX Will Rogers Auditorium
11.06.06 - Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
11.07.06 - Austin, TX Stubb's
11.09.06 - Tucson, AZ Centennial Hall/U of AZ
11.10.06 - Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre
11.11.06 - San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air theatre
11.12.06 - Las Vegas, NV The Joint
11.14.06 - Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern - SOLD OUT!!
11.15.06 - Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
11.17.06 - San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre - SOLD OUT!!
11.18.06 - Portland, OR Rose Garden
11.19.06 - Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
11.20.06 - Spokane, WA I.N.B. Performing Arts Center
[edit] Announcements
The Fray on Grey's Anatomy! - The Fray's How To Save A Life is featured in the main promo spot running on ABC for Grey's Anatomy promoting the Sept 21 season premiere! Watch it
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album | Information |
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[edit] Singles
 Released: 2002 Label: Epic Records |
 Released: 2004 Label: Epic Records |
 Released: 2004 Label: Epic Records |
 Released: 2005 Label: Epic Records |
[edit] Live Release
| Album | Information |
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[edit] Other artists
[edit] Similar artists
[edit] Influences
[edit] Contemporaries
[edit] Trivia
- Isaac Slade majored in Music Industry at CU Denver.
- In January of 2004 The Fray were no-namers trying to find gigs. By December, they were getting radio pick-up and playing sold-out shows at 500-capacity venues.
- The Fray was Xbox's artist of the month.
- The Fray's Dave Welsh started playing guitar at 12.
- Issac Slade and David Welsh where in a band called Ember.
- The Fray won FMQM Award for Triple A Radio's Most Promising Artist of 2005.
