9News Intervista i The Fray

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It has happened fast. In just a few years, two friends have gone from a Colorado high school to opening for U2 and playing during the pregame of the Super Bowl.

Isaac Slade and Joe King formed The Fray in 2002. By 2004, the band was signed to a major label after local radio and print support. Two years later, their debut album went double platinum and was considered the -selling digital download album of all time. They were in their early 20s.

"We grew up playing the smallest venues in Denver and we begged - begged our family to come out to every show," King told 9NEWS Entertainment Reporter Kirk Montgomery during an exclusive interview with the band in Bloomington, Ind.

9NEWS went to Indiana as the band was rehearsing for the performance before the Super Bowl. It was an event that was a return to their beginnings - they recorded their first album there.

"I sang 'How to Save a Life' over there, played 'Hundred,' a piano song, on that piano over there," Slade said.

Their new album, "Scars and Stories," drops on Tuesday. Their style has never been considered pop fluff - it always has a deeper meaning. That includes including the current chart topper "Heartbeat," which is inspired by a visit to Rwanda.

"I went to the genocide museum. I'm standing outside these graves and it's raining," Slade said. "There was this fire that just burned and burned and burned and it would not go out. So I busted out my iPhone and sang 'fire burning down the rain,' and that became the chorus."

The Fray still call Denver home. It is a place they say helps them resist the constant tide of temptation that comes along with stardom.

"We just wanted to quit our day jobs. We just wanted to make enough so that Isaac didn't have to work at Starbucks and I didn't have to work at Hanks Auto Body. We can just play music," King said.

Now 31 and the father of two young children, King is the oldest member of the band and the latest to experience the pitfalls of a public carnival ride. He got a divorce from his high school sweetheart, splitting up after being together for 13 years. But he doesn't blame fame.

"With anything, it's the core of the relationship. If that is not right, then no matter what you do, it's going to not work or it is going to work. So that core has to be there. If there is not that connection, it's inevitably going to fall apart," he said.

Navigating the rapids of sudden success remains a priority and a challenge for the band.

"I remember realizing the stark difference of being recognized for what you do as opposed to being recognized for who you are," band member Ben Wysocki said.

Their newest CD reflects personal and professional growth with lessons learned.

"This third record feels very free. It feels very open. I care obviously what people think. I want them to live it, but I care a lot less than I used to," Slade said.

The band returns to Colorado on May 11 for a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Learn more at www.thefray.com.

(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)
Fonte: 9News.comhttp://www.9news.com/news/article/247522/222/Coming-full-circle-The-Fray-recounts-Scars-and-Stories-