The Fray Bio

The Fray

The Fray are an alternative rock band famous for their internationally successful single Over My Head (Cable Car). Their sound is pitched somewhere between arena rock and triple-A rock.

The Fray were formed in 1992 in Denver, Colorado USA, by singer and pianist Isaac Slade and singer and guitarist Joe King, two former schoolmates who bumped into each other again in a local guitar centre. Slade had previously played in a band with drummer Ben Wysocki, who was impressed by the duo's new song writing work and agreed to form a group with them - they would later be joined by another former bandmate, guitarist Dave Welsh. They were briefly joined by Zach Johnson, who subsequently dropped out to attend art school in New York, and by Slade's younger brother Caleb, a bassist. The name 'The Fray' was drawn out of a hat full of suggestions at a party and the band members felt it made sense because they argued over everything, though in reality they seem to have a remarkably relaxed relationship with one another, with each of them feeling appropriately represented in terms of the ideas which contribute to their music.

Slade and King first performed together at a talent show, getting a feel for the way their music worked in front of a live audience, and the band then went on to play a succession of gigs in small venues, building up a strong local following. They released two EPs, Movement and Reason, the latter of which received some critical acclaim, but it was the song Over My Head (Cable Car) (based on a fight between the Slade brothers which led to Caleb leaving the band) which really attracted attention. This led to local radio play and a campaign to get them a record contract. When they started to get played on Denver 's premier rock stations they succeeded in closing a deal with Epic Records. Their début album, How to Save a Life, was released in 2005. The song from which it took its name was based on Slade's experiences as a mentor to a crack-addicted youth, and it gained a strong cult following, with fans writing to the band to describe how they related to it. It also proved a commercial success and has since been certified platinum.

Whilst The Fray embarked on concert tours supporting Weezer and Ben Folds, Over My Head (Cable Car) received a boost when it was added to the playlists of several major Christian music stations. This gave the band a slow-growing but eventually massive fan base who spread the word about their music all over the world. They subsequently headlined a tour of their own, supported by Mat Kearney and the Cary Brothers. This led to an iTunes bootleg, Live at the Electric Factory, which proved extremely popular and won them a new online fanbase, later developed through their MySpace forum. The band have also enjoyed the opportunity to promote their music on several major television shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman.

Despite their success, The Fray have not forgotten their humble origins, putting the popularity of their music down to its development in small town venues where they received continual audience feedback. They are now about to embark on their first tour of America.




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