The Fray

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. It’s a story you don’t hear much anymore these days: local area gigs led to enthusiastic local press and local radio support.… Show more

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 bandmates – drummer Ben Wysocki and guitarist Dave Welsh – who soon joined, completing the band’s lineup.

The Fray garnered an early following through impressive area gigs and the support of local radio, which led to a listener-driven campaign to get the band a record contract. With strong word-of-mouth, the band won "Best New Band" honors from Denver's Westword magazine and got substantial airplay on two of Denver's top rock stations - the demo version of "Over My Head (Cable Car)" became KTCL's top 30 most played song of 2004 in just 4 months. And the listener campaign worked: the band signed to Epic Records in 2004. Fittingly, instead of closing the deal in an office or hotel room, they signed on the dotted line onstage at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado.

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