 The Fray is a four-piece piano rock band from Denver, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King, the band released their debut album How to Save a Life in 2005. The band is best known for the song "How to Save a Life", which charted in the top three of the Billboard Hot 100 and was also a top 5 single in Canada, Australia, Ireland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The Fray also found national success with the song "Over My Head (Cable Car)", which became a top ten hit in the United States. How to Save a Life was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and was also certified platinum in New Zealand and Australia.
The Fray was formed in 2002, and currently consists of Isaac Slade the lead vocalist and pianist, Joe King on guitar and vocals, Dave Welsh on guitar, and Ben Wysocki on drums and percussion. They have no official bassist, but recently have been touring with bassist Jimmy Stofer, also a member of the bands Dualistics and The Commentary. He has made the decision to leave The Fray shortly to concentrate on his other work. While many critics compare the band to Coldplay, the band lists its main influences as U2, Better Than Ezra and Counting Crows. Although the band draws comparisons to Christian rock groups, they state that they "don't call [themselves] a Christian band".
_RESIZED.jpg "The Fray") In the spring of 2002, schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King met up in a local Guitar Center. 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 Coldplay. Slade and King later added Zach Johnson and Slade's brother Caleb to the band. Johnson left the band to attend an art school in New York. Wysocki, a former bandmate of Isaac Slade, then became the drummer for The Fray. The bittersweet relationship between the brothers became the inspiration for "Over My Head (Cable Car)". Since Caleb's departure, The Fray has not used a bassist on a permanent basis. Later, Welsh, who was another former bandmate of Slade and Wysocki, was added to the band.
The band chose their name "The Fray" from a suggestion bowl that was placed at a graduation party for Caleb Slade. The members of the band first claimed that they found the name suitable because they frequently quarreled over the composition of the lyrics in their songs. However, they have since stated that the band is usually on good terms while composing music, and acknowledges contributions from all of its members.
In 2002, the band released Movement EP, a collection of four songs. Very few copies were pressed, and it is currently unavailable for purchase. The next year, they released Reason EP to some local critical acclaim, particularly by Denver's Westword alternative newsweekly. Despite these rave reviews, the band struggled to launch a single. Denver radio station KTCL rejected eight of their songs before the band decided to submit "Cable Car". The song found airplay on a KTCL radio show highlighting local bands, and the radio station received a large number of requests for it soon thereafter. "Cable Car" eventually became one of the stations top thirty most played songs of 2004, helping the band's popularity to grow locally.
Later that year, the band was voted "Best New Band" by Denver readers of Westword. Epic records found out about the band through Westword's original article, which had the interest of A&R man Daniel Davis. Epic Records officially signed the band on December 17, 2004, and released their debut album, How to Save a Life, in September 2005. The band changed the name of "Cable Car" to "Over My Head (Cable Car)", and by the end of 2005, it had become KTCL's most played song of the year. Adding even more fame to the song it was included on the soundtrack for the film Stealth.
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.
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