The Fray Artistfacts

2002-
Joe KingGuitar, backing vocals2002-
Isaac SladeLead vocals, piano2002-2022
Dave WelshGuitar2003-
Ben WysockiDrums2003-
The Fray are known for piano-driven songs delivered with loads of conviction by frontman Isaac Slade, who before leaving in 2022 was also the primary songwriter in the group along with guitarist Joe King. The band formed in 2002, a few years after Coldplay cleared a path for this kind of music.
Most of their songs are based on true stories, often about real people in their ambit. Their first hit, "Over My Head (Cable Car)," is about Isaac Slade's younger brother Caleb ("Cable Car" was his nickname), who was the group's bass player when they formed in 2002 but was kicked out of the band because he wasn't good enough."
The band members were in their early 20s when their debut album, How To Save A Life, was released. Joe King was already married when the band formed, and by the time they released their next album, the self-titled The Fray in 2009, his bandmates were all married as well. Their song "Never Say Never" from that album was, according to the band, "written by Joe from the perspective of his marriage. It's a story about his marriage and his relationship with his wife. In fewer words than not, life is messy. There's beauty and chaos as well and that's kinda where that came from."

King ended up getting divorced, and in 2014 he married Candice Accola, an actress who played Caroline Forbes on The Vampire Diaries. They split in 2022.
Guitarist Dave Welsh learned to play guitar after unsuccessful attempts at both piano and saxophone. Dave says that Radiohead's "Everything in its Right Place" from their 2000 album Kid A, "challenged his assumptions about music."
Drummer Ben Wysocki began learning to play the drums when he was in the sixth grade. Early on, he wanted to be a "rock and roll drummer," and cites "Sabotage" by Beastie Boys as a major influence in his style. He's also cited Ringo Starr and Jack Irons (formerly of Red Hot Chili Peppers) as major influences.
Vocalist/piano player Isaac Slade and guitarist Joe King both attended Faith Christian Academy in the Denver area but didn't know each other well - they formed the band a few years later after a chance meeting in a guitar store. Drummer Ben Wysocki also went to Faith Christian Academy but was a few years behind Slade and King.
Issac Slade was a student at the University of Colorado Denver when the band formed. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music in 2005 a few months before their debut album was released.
The Fray are from Denver, Colorado, where they built a following with their live shows and a 2003 EP called Reason. In 2004 they were named Best New Band in the Denver alternative weekly Westword, and local radio stations KBCO and KTCL gave them airplay. That December they signed with Epic Records, and in September 2005 they released their first album, How To Save A Life. Their first single was "Over My Head (Cable Car)," which very slowly earned national attention and peaked at #8 in June 2006.
The Fray slowed down in 2016, playing just a handful of shows over the next few years. In 2022 Isaac Slade announced he was leaving the band, posting, "I'm ready to start dreaming up what it is I'm going to do with the rest of my little life on earth." His last show with the band was on May 14, 2022 in Waukegan, Illinois.

The other three members carried on with Isaac's blessing. Instead of replacing Slade, guitarist Joe King took over lead vocals and they hired a touring keyboard player. In 2024 they released an EP called The Fray Is Back.
Colorado hadn't produced a major band for quite a while before The Fray came along. Firefall of "You Are The Woman" fame came out of Boulder in the '70s, but outside of Big Head Todd and the Monsters, there was a dearth of Colorado bands knows outside their borders. Post-Fray Colorado acts include OneRepublic, The Lumineers and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats.
The Fray agreed early on that if one member left willingly, as long as there were two more original members it could be called The Fray, which is why they can use the name without Slade in the lineup.

"I knew full well when I stepped down that they were retaining full right and permission to do whatever the hell they want with that name," he told The Pancake King Autism Podcast. "I'm thrilled for those three guys to continue our work that we started and and take it to new heights and new depths."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Candle In The WindElton John

Marilyn Monroe is the subject of Elton John's "Candle In The Wind," but the song is really a look at how we react to celebrities who die young.

Twilight ZoneGolden Earring

"Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring was inspired by the Robert Ludlum novel The Bourne Identity, not by the TV show.

Livin' La Vida LocaRicky Martin

"Livin' La Vida Loca" is a Latin pop landmark, but "la vida loca" are the only Spanish words in the lyric - "mocha" is English.

SummertimeDJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

"Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince is built on a sample of a Kool & The Gang instrumental from 1974 called "Summer Madness," which gets a shout in the line, "This is the Fresh Prince's new definition of summer madness."