I'd like to meet:
It's been a whirlwind couple of years for The Fray, the Denver-based quartet whose earnest and melodic songs have been striking a huge chord with audiences. Formed in 2002 by Isaac Slade (vocals, piano) and Joe King (guitar, vocals), The Fray owe all of their early success to their organic, grassroots beginnings. In other words, they did it the old fashioned way: they earned it. Its a story you don't hear much anymore these days: local area gigs led to enthusiastic local press and local radio support.
Joe and Isaac were former schoolmates who bumped into each other unexpectedly, and one thing led to another they started writing songs together. The songs were catchy enough to attract two of Slade's former band mates drummer Ben Wysocki and guitarist Dave Welsh who soon joined, completing the bands lineup.
The groups organic rise to fame is key to their long range plans: "I think it's vital to the longevity of a band", Joe King says. " Of course Denver is where it all started, but word spread across the country via the internet even before radio stations were playing us. I remember on our first headlining tour, we would play cities where we weren't on the radio at all, and the venue would be full of people singing our lyrics." He adds, "Some people think we came out of nowhere quickly, but we had been working hard for four years before the mainstream public had heard about us."
Dave Welsh adds, "The grassroots is where music lives and breathes, where it finds its energy and its passion. Music can still exist when it becomes mainstream, but only if it has firm roots with the fans at home. I think you become a musician at home, and simply refine that skill on the road as a touring, major label band."
Over My Head (Cable Car) was inspired by Isaac Slade's temporary estrangement from his brother: "It is about a fight I got in with my brother, Caleb. After he graduated high school, we drifted apart and really hadn't spoken in a long time. One day we both realized that we needed to fight it out. We'd been friends for twenty years. That's a long time when you're only 23 years old. We fought it out, and he's one of my best friends today."
The title track, How To Save A Life, was inspired by Slade's experience as a mentor to a crack addicted teen. I was a sheltered suburban kid when I met this guy. He was a recovering addict, coming out of a really tough teenage life. Thankfully, he was on his way out of that life, so he was able to really look back with some objectivity. The song is more of a memoir about his slow motion descent and all the relationships he lost along the way." The song has resonated with fans in some truly moving ways, which is humbling to the author: "Some people actually formed a non-profit organization called Save A Life. They lost their son to a tragic car accident and apparently How To Save A Life was the last song he downloaded."
As a result of all of this, How To Save A Life has just been certified double-platinum, and the band has gone from playing small club gigs and opening slots to headlining larger venues. Ben Wysocki comments, "When you're the opener, you have 30 minutes, maybe 45, to prove yourself and in a way, it is hard to settle in. When you're headlining, you can take a little more ownership of the crowd, they're yours for an hour and a half or so and you gotta treat them right, take care of them, be responsible with them, do the best you can to entertain them. There is pressure either way, but definitely more satisfaction in a headlining show."
If you haven't caught their shows yet, you can get a taste on their recently released iTunes exclusive live bootleg, Live At The Electric Factory, released July 18 (iTunes has also been good to The Fray: their album has been in the iTunes top 10 for six months straight, a feat not accomplished by many other acts). Of course, the live release is something of a tease: once you hear it, you'll no doubt want to catch them in person. Wysocki offers their plans for the rest of 2006: "We're taking August off. Then, we're going to travel the globe in September, tour the U.S. again later in the fall, play some random radio shows in December."
And in 2007? We'll have to wait and see...
