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ON THE COUCH WITH: The Fray

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ARTIST INTERVIEW

Access All Areas.net.au: How’s the day been?
Joe King: We’re doing good. We’re on the road right now for some Christmas shows. So there’s a lot of Christmas lights going on on stage right now.

Access All Areas.net.au: You’re getting in the mood.
Joe King: Exactly. It’s what it’s about, right?

Access All Areas.net.au: Yeah. I was on your MySpace page last night because I’m one of your half a million ‘friends’…and I noticed You Found Me has had 54 million plays. That’s incredible.
Joe King: Geez, I didn’t even know that. I don’t even know what to say. Yeah…gosh, that’s wild. As an artist you really get disconnected from the amount of people that actually hear your music and it’s hard to grasp that. To this day, it’s like you write a song that’s personal to you, you record it, and then all of a sudden...I’m at a restaurant right now and literally 80 percent of the people in this restaurant have maybe heard my song. It’s mind blowing.

Access All Areas.net.au: Did you think a song like that would have such a resonance with people like it has?
Joe King: Actually, no. I was real worried about it. I didn’t know if people would connect to it or if it was too literal or too spiritual or what. I think probably every musician goes through that when you’re writing music. It definitely struck a chord. We just try and be honest with our music and our lyrics, whatever we’re going through and just put it out on paper.

Access All Areas.net.au: Can you tell us what the inspiration was behind that song?
Joe King: Actually it was a pretty difficult time. Naturally a lot of the world has gone through it in the past two years. About a year and a half ago we were going through some extreme lows. My brother lost his business, a close friend had a family tragedy…really serious things that it seemed everybody was going through at the same time. Just constantly, what the hell is going on with the world? It came out of that insecure, just questioning why things happen. It seems like the bad people, the bad never happens. The good people are always the ones that have it hard. So it kind of came out of that.

Access All Areas.net.au: The good thing is that a song came out of that and people can use it for whatever they want to use it for.
Joe King: Yeah. I mean you never know. I guess people respond to the hard times differently and all we could really do is put it out, write a song about it. If it’s successful, that’s what happens.

Access All Areas.net.au: It’s about to be announced that you’re heading down here to Australia again to tour. So that’s pretty exciting.
Joe King: Yeah! I can’t wait. I’m not lying to you, I’m very excited about Australia. I keep looking at the calendar at what cities we’re going to. We have great experiences there, great friends there, amazing shows there…the fans are almost too good. I’m thinking about buying a place there, having a second home there or something. (laughs)

Access All Areas.net.au: You should do that.
Joe King: Yeah, seriously. Send me a real estate agent and I’ll go talk to them.

Access All Areas.net.au: Did you have a good time last time you were here?
Joe King: Yeah. Naturally we went to the beach. We went twice, once in Perth and then up on the Sunshine Coast. I remember we just really enjoyed the cities. Melbourne – I loved it. All these alleys with coffee shops. All the cities we were just taking it in. The people…you guys are just laid back, so cool. There’s different parts of the world that make you anxious in a fast-paced kind of a way. Not that Australia’s not (fast-paced) but you manage to balance being a thriving country with relaxing, having a good time. It’s a good environment to be in.

Access All Areas.net.au: Australian radio has loved the singles you’ve released.
Joe King: I hope people don’t get sick of our songs! Australia is the first country outside of the US that kind of blew up for us. The US and Australia just kind of took off. That’s why we always get down there. It’s a good crowd. It feels like a second home for our fans.

Access All Areas.net.au: How has the experience compared this time releasing the second album?
Joe King: I think it’s more realized. It feels like a little more of a pay-off almost. The first one was a shock. We didn’t know what the hell we were doing and how it happened, but it did. And this one it seemed like we possibly did over think things and we tried not too but we believe in it. So now it’s like a pay-off because we do have a real connection with our fans and that’s why we do it. We hope as long as people are listening, we’ll keep writing music. That’s what it did to me – wow, we do have fans. It’s real. It wasn’t a one time thing. We hope to be around for a long time.

Access All Areas.net.au: Do you have people at shows or in the street come up to you and say what your songs mean to them?
Joe King: I mean…yeah. Playing at shows for fans is our favourite part of it – the connection we have live, interacting with the crowd and that experience having a good time. The beauty of being in the studio and writing it, perfecting it, is it’s for you in that moment when you’re writing it. But when everybody’s involved, it takes on a whole different life. It’s something we’re never going to get sick of.

Access All Areas.net.au: So how does the writing process actually work for The Fray?
Joe King: It’s a various process. Usually the collaborative process, I’ll have an idea or Isaac will have an idea and we’ll hash it out – the band will get together and we’ll see what happens with it. Usually the melody will come first, the music. Lyrics kind of come at the end. You get a feel of a song or a mood and then it starts the motion.

Access All Areas.net.au: Do you have a personal favourite The Fray song or one that means the most to you?
Joe King: It changes, honestly. It goes back and forth. I was into the rocker phase and now, maybe because it’s the holiday season, I’m into more melodic, lyrical based song like Happiness. I really like performing Happiness live right now.

Access All Areas.net.au: Never Say Never has been received well over here too. Can you tell us where the inspiration came for that song?
Joe King: That (also) came out of a dark time for us. It seemed like I was going through it, a lot of people were going through it…like a world pain. People were screaming or just desperate to survive really. It came out of questioning whether we were going to be able to move on and be happy and have a hopeful fulfilled life. Wanting and desiring that but not sure if you’re going to get it. It’s like a back and forth of the joy and a real connection to the fear of not having it.

Access All Areas.net.au: You’re nominated for a few Grammys again. What does being recognised like that mean to you?
Joe King: It’s a massive, massive honour. I grew up obviously watching the Grammys and to be part of something like that is a huge honour. It’s really shocking and humbling. Just to be recognised for your art, people respect it…it’s just a very humbling feeling. We’re going to have a blast, have a big old party in LA.

Access All Areas.net.au: That’s the thing, it doesn’t really matter if you win or not. It’s more that you got recognised.
Joe King: Exactly. Ah, who cares? We just show up and have a good time.

Access All Areas.net.au: Your music has also been used a lot on TV. Do you think that’s a key way to get music out to people?
Joe King: It’s almost like a second radio. It’s like it’s own format now. So many musicians are begging to get their songs on different shows and movies. Nowadays it’s so hard for the music to be exposed to be heard so I think artist are having to and wanting to have their music just be played for people. It’s really that core desire for any musician – for people to hear their song and it’s a good way for people to hear it and experience it. I think even now for new music, if people watch the show they’ll connect the dots. Oh that’s a good song, I’m going to go buy that song. I’m going to go see their show. It’s a way to connect with people now.

Access All Areas.net.au: Obviously you’ve seen a bit of success now, so what would be your tip for a struggling or young band?
Joe King: Honestly, just keep going. As long as you have the energy and you’re trying to write the best music ever that reaches people…and they’d buy with their last dollar that song. Just be motivated to create great art. There’s no right way to do it or get in. It’s hard. I’m not going to lie. But I think if they’re having fun with it, they shouldn’t stop. If they’re not having fun, then it becomes a chore, a job. Maybe then you need to rethink things.

Access All Areas.net.au: Thanks for your time, Joe. We look forward to when you come to Australia next year!
Joe King: Thanks so much. Have a good holiday. See you next year!

Interview by Danielle Ralph

INTERVIEW: JANUARY 6 2007

Access All Areas.net.au: Firstly, where did the name of the band ‘The Fray’ come from?
The Fray: Actually, we played our first gig at a high school graduation for my Brother, Caleb, and at that stage we didn’t have a name and so we put out a fish bowl and asked them for name suggestions and they all put names on to these pieces of paper and yeah The Fray wasn’t taken so we went from there.

Access All Areas.net.au: Your break came for The Fray from a local following and word of mouth, how did an unknown band spark so much interest for it?
The Fray: We kicked up a lot of dirt in LA, made as much of a scene as we could with the venues we did, we kept playing shows in our home town which worked well because we didn’t have much money to go outside our home town. We played a couple of times a month and then we started playing five or seven times a month, people started to get sick and tired of us because we kept playing shows all the time and then one of the papers called the Westward wrote a little piece on us then we sent our track ‘Over My Head’ to a local radio station and they played it that Sunday night at 9pm and it all started from there.

Access All Areas.net.au: Now as part of your lineup you guys have something most rock bands don’t have… a pianist, how does that work?
The Fray: It works well! It works well though we have a piano we bring round with us good to upgrade kinky keyboard got a lot of potential for complicated music parts . band always to tell me to simplify pretty much play my right hand.

Access All Areas.net.au: One thing you all have in common is in one way or another from an early age you all dabbled in Piano, why Piano?
The Fray: Its cool because everybody started out on a piano so the drummer and guitartist has comments on everyone’s instruments which makes writing songs more complicated but then more thought out because there’s a lot of different opinions.

Access All Areas.net.au: You release your debut album in Australia on July 22, can you tell us what we can expect from your album?
The Fray: We’re really happy with the songs… sometimes you get some really good songs and sometimes you’re lucky with one single but so far we’re getting a really good response to the whole album. People are singing our songs that have never been played on radio and you can’t get buying one song so people are really responding to that. It’s a huge honour because we’ve got 11 or 12 tracks and you don’t expect everyone to get in to the deeper tracks.

Access All Areas.net.au: Your first single ‘Over My Head’ is released July 1, what was that song written about?
The Fray: Actually my brother, Caleb, who we played at his graduation party for, his fiance called him ‘cable car’ which was his nickname and he and I got in to a pretty bad fight with him and we got in to one of those fights where you look at door and the temptation is there to call it quits but we were bothers and had to fight it out and we eventually found middle ground. A relationship was threatened there where there was the potential to lose that friend, it was a very rough time but we got through it.

Access All Areas.net.au: You’re coming to Australia in September to promote the new album, will that be the first time you’ve been to Australia or toured your music outside of America?
The Fray: Actually it will be the very first yeah! We tried to go to Canada one time but it snowed so we couldn’t get there then the second time I lost my voice so we cancelled. So yeah Australia will be the first!

Access All Areas.net.au: Can you tell us something about the Fray that people probably wouldn’t know about you?
The Fray: We’re all married! Dave, our guitartist, gives restaurant reviews on our website. We go out a lot to eat so he writes a lot of really great reviews and has all these reviews of American restaurants on the site but we really want to add international cuisine… they are very funny!

Access All Areas.net.au: Ironically, your album is titled ‘How to Save A Life’, having read some of the messages on your boards and myspace, a lot of comments are posted how your music has changed their lives and how it’s impacted on their life. How do you feel knowing that your music now plays a big part in the lives of your fans?
The Fray: It’s really humbling to go to places you’ve never been, even in America, and play these songs and people are singing these words, in cities we’ve never been in and people you’ve never met and them singing these songs that we sat in bedroom and wrote so I think going to Australia and people hearing your songs brings you right down. It feels so good that people are listeing to begin with and even if they don’t connect with the lyrics or connect emotionally I’m happy that people are hearing them, it makes leaving home and being gone all the time easier and for good reason.

Access All Areas.net.au: So what is next for the Frays?
The Fray: I just got married a month ago so that’s been what I’ve been thinking about for the last six months. I don’t know, we might go to Japan, we’ve never been there and then come back to US and tour with Bigger Rooms. I want to go to Africa! That’s the goal. But keep doing what we’re doing, go back in to the studio, actually we have just started working on the second album!

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Since forming in 2002, The Fray have struck a chord with music fans across the globe, morphing from a popular local band in Denver to a major international success and selling over 4 million albums and 12 million singles worldwide in the process.

This year, the band has been busy touring their most recent work, the self-titled, Gold-certified LP, The Fray. The album took the success of their first release How To Save A Life to soaring new heights with lead single ‘You Found Me’ earning them their first and very well-deserved #1 on Australia’s ARIA Singles Chart. The album itself peaked at an impressive #3 in Australia, taking out the top spot on America’s Billboard Chart. Even more excitingly, The Fray has also just been nominated for two awards at next year’s illustrious Grammys.

www.thefray.net

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