Interview with the Fray’s Isaac Slade

Jenn Cohen | May 1, 2012 | 0 Comments

by Jenn Cohen

photo by Jenn Cohen

Interviewing the Fray’s front man, Isaac Slade, felt more like we were two people just catching up. Lyrically, the Fray gets deeply personal, so I somewhat expected that element of seriousness in our talk. I was pleasantly surprised at how funny, and opposite of serious our conversation was. We, Coloradans, watched the Fray grow from four kids playing music in a room, to four men selling out shows at Red Rocks (Slade’s favorite place to play). And the nation watched them catapult through musical puberty with their instant hit “Over my Head” from their debut album, How to Save a Life.

“In a way, our career has gone backwards,” says Slade. “You’re supposed to do two or three records when nobody’s looking so you can go through your awkward phase out of the spotlight. I feel like we got huge in ‘Jr. High.’”

While most of the world didn’t see the Fray as “awkward,” Slade says, “I sort of see the first two records as stepping stones. I love those songs we’ve done; those first two records are great. Also, when I listen to them I hear a little bit of fear as an artist, like I was nervous to go all the way. We’re a band that tells the truth, and just call it like we see it. It’s so important to do that all the way.”

I asked Slade what the biggest changes have been [for the band] since their 2002 debut release. His answer? “[We’re] still four kids from Arvada and Westminster who make music in a room and play it for people. But our shoes are more expensive now, mostly because they were given to us by shoe companies. I fly a lot more than I used to, where I used to just drive from Arvada to Boulder to work at Starbucks.”

Scars and Stories, the latest album from the Fray, was partially influenced by a night in New Orleans, where Slade and Joe King (guitar/vocals), “were lost in song-structure land [in the studio]” so they went out to a local club. “It was an open mic, ten folks up on stage, all playing different jazz instruments–tubas and trumpets and trash cans–and everybody in the crowd was dancing like crazy, except the only three white guys in the corner who were not nearly cool enough to dance. It was so cool, and so loose, and open. It was a reminder that music is not all about being deep, it’s also about giving it to the people and letting them do whatever they want with it.

“I’ve been a little cautious in the past, trying to walk the tight rope of critics and fans. There are all these things I’m conscious of all the time, and for this one, we kinda threw caution to the wind. It would be awesome if it was some huge massive hit record, but I’m so happy with what following our instincts sounds like, that I think we’ll never go back.”

On the day of this interview, Slade’s favorite Fray song is a new song called “Munich.” “I think I like it for deep reasons, because it’s about this big huge concept that we’re trying to wrestle to the ground; kind of attraction of planetary bodies, and how it relates to a man, a woman, sexual attraction, and orbit, and all that stuff. But I also get to play electric guitar for it, so that’s probably why I like it the most.”

I thought I’d be sly and ask the ‘What is something you wish an interviewer would ask you, but never does?’ question, (he busted me). “Hmm, the old ‘ask myself the question that you should come up with trick. I like that. Favorite comfort food from when I was growing up, nobody ever asks me that.”

“Ok, what is it?”

“Good question, Jenn. My mom used to make this broccoli-chicken-alfredo-rice stuff. I don’t know what it’s called—it think it’s just called that, ‘broccoli-chicken-rice-alfredo stuff. I would eat three helpings, and then beach myself on the couch. That was my favorite meal growing up.”

“Any shout outs?”

“I like what’s going on in Denver right now; the Lumineers, the Sean Kennedys (Talisker Skye—EP coming soon), of the music scene, and [there’s] a lot of exciting stuff from the DeVotchKas and the classic guys too. I think something about [John] Hickenlooper brings an energy to the city–and now hopefully to the state, with him as governor–that it’s ok to be an artist, it’s ok to work three jobs so that you can write songs and play them for people at night.”

We talked about what they’ve learned since their debut album.

“You cannot control, nor can you predict, the public’s response to your art. If you try to make art from that standpoint, it all starts sounding khaki and vanilla. We learned early on, you can’t make everybody happy, and as long as the songs are true to who we are, the response is secondary. We like hits, we like popular response, and we like global reception, but if that’s the only reason we’re doing it, when it doesn’t go like that, you’re left with a bad song that nobody wants, so we learned early on that you cannot dance by committee.”

Catch the Fray at Red Rocks on May 11^th(sold out) and May 12^th.

www.thefray.net