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Band Sees Success as Opening to Share Faith
By Stan Friedman
DENVER, CO (May 12, 2006) - Four months ago, guitarist David Welsh and drummer
Ben Wysocki were making overnight trips in a van with their two other
band members. They would arrive in towns just before a concert, set up
their equipment, perform, tear down their equipment, load the van, and
if not staying at an inexpensive motel, be back on the road again.
They were trying with little luck to get radio stations to play their
music and wondered if the grueling work would ever pay off.
Today, it's almost impossible not to hear The Fray. Their album How
to Save a Life has sold 250,000 copies, putting them near the top of
the charts, and has been one of the Top 10 downloads on Apple's iTunes
for weeks. The band also has performed on The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno, The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson, and Late
Night With Conan O'Brien.
Their music suddenly has become part of the soundtracks to several TV
programs. "How to Save a Life" was played on "Grey's Anatomy" and their
hit, "Over My Head (Cable Car)," has been heard on the new show "What
About Brian." The song "Look After You" provided texture to a scene on
the TV series "Bones."
They now travel by bus, have a stage crew, stay in a better class of
hotel, and the food is a lot better. Not bad for two young men who grew
up and helped lead worship at Community Covenant Church in Arvada,
Colorado.
"It's surreal in that I never honestly thought it would happen," Welsh
says. "It's still weird to think we've sold 250,000 copies of the
album." Wysocki is equally amazed. "The big picture has totally exceeded
our expectations," he says. "We get to experience things we wouldn't
have otherwise. It's a pretty cool job."
Wysocki and Welsh, both 21, have known each other since the fourth
grade. Both had become noted for their abilities by the time they were
in high school. In 2002, the two were attending college, but left when
they were invited to join lead singer and songwriter Isaac Slade, 24,
and guitarist Joe King, 25,who had begun performing together.
In 2004, after several attempts at getting a local Denver radio station
to play their songs, Slade had given up on the local outlet, KTCL. King
was not to be deterred, however, and submitted yet another song.
"I told him it was the wrong station," says Slade, who says he was happy
to be proved wrong when "Cable Car," as it was then known, captured the
station's attention and a spot on the regular rotation. The airplay led
the listeners to campaign for the band to get a recording contract.
Band members say they aren't quite sure how the quick change happened
since the beginning of the year. Now it is happening so fast, it's hard
at times to take it all in, says Wysocki.
The band does not fit the image of partying rock stars. "We're pretty
boring," Slade says. After a show, King can generally be found at the
bowling alley, and the others often retire to their rooms to watch TV
and call their wives and fiancées.
Wysocki and King are both married, and Welsh and Slade are both engaged.
They credit their partners' patient understanding and encouragement for
much of the band's success.
The other two band members have strong Christian backgrounds, as well.
Slade and King led worship at their respective churches growing up. Band
members are open about sharing their faith, and even wish more people
would write about faith.
Although they grew up listening to Christian rock bands, members say
they believe God has called them to play to a wider audience. "From an
artistic standpoint, we don't want to be a Christian band," Wysocki
says. "We're not pastors, we're not preachers, we're not even missionaries."
What they are, Slade says, is a band committed to being truthful about
their experiences. The songwriter adds he hopes that the honesty, which
includes questions, will give the band more opportunity to share their
faith off the stage. Like many other bands, they look to U2 as their
model for combining their faith and music.
Wysocki enjoys telling the story of a caller who surprised the band and
deejay of a local secular radio station they were visiting. "(The
deejay) was saying, 'tell us why you love The Fray,' and he says,
'because they're a faith-based band.' That was the coolest thing that
happened to me in a long time."
Wysocki and Welsh say it is difficult to maintain a strong devotional
life on the road. Welsh says he has been pleased with the opportunity to
attend church now that the band is between tours.
Slade is hoping for another type of opportunity – to meet Lee Strobel,
author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith. "I
would freak out."
An extended article on The Fray will appear in a future issue of The
Covenant Companion.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
