Subject: The Fray

• Compacting

  January 10, 2007

• The Fray Plays On

  July 20, 2006

• Fray to Go

  July 11, 2006

• The Fray Plays On

  July 20, 2006

• The Fray Meet the X-Men

  August 7, 2007

• Delegating Denver #7 of 56: Colorado

  September 4, 2007

• Crash Course

  April 9, 2008

• The Fray sets date for new album

  November 6, 2008

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, June 4 edition

  Scotty "Magic Cyclops" Ramone. Sorry to interrupt you.... Today in Backbeat Online: • Goodbye, Magic Cyclops. Hello, Scotty Ramone. • Rainbow Music Hall now officially only a memory. • Paper Bird in search of intriguing, suitable adjective. • The Fray's not-so-secret dress rehearsal. • Meet a six-year-old harmonica wunderkind named Aiden. Today in Cafe Society: • Malbecs and tenderloin tonight at Morton's, LoDo. • Barolo Grill makes Nation's Restaurant News hall of fame roster.

  June 4, 2009

• A first look at the Fray's new documentary

  Just attended a private screening at Starz FilmCenter of Fair Fight, a brand-new documentary focusing on the Fray that chronicles the making of the act's forthcoming album. The film was directed by Rod Blackhurst, a onetime merch guy who's been trailing the band for the better part of three years, essentially documenting their every breath. According to Kelly Magelky, another talented director who's been shooting the Fray himself for a number of years and who edited Fight, Blackhurst presented

  January 23, 2009

• Meet the Fraysayers

  Dull. Boring. Formulaic. Uniformly bland. Uninteresting. Calculated. Inoffensive. Forgettable. These are just a few of the adjectives that various critics from across the country have used to describe the Fray's self-titled sophomore release. As observed in this column last week, the band is clearly resonating with its fans -- earlier this week, the outfit checked in at number one on Billboard's Top 200, besting the Boss, no less -- while taking just an absolute beating from the critics. After t

  February 12, 2009

• The Fray

  February 19, 2004

• Morrissey top seller at Twist & Shout

  Morrissey's new album, Years of Refusal, released last week on Decca, grabbed the top spot on Twist & Shout's top seller list for the week ending February 22. Andrew Bird, M. Ward and Beirut also performed strong while the Fray's latest album dropped from its number one position for the last two weeks down to the sixth spot. See the full breakdown after the jump.

  February 23, 2009

• T.I. grabs top spot at Independent Records

  Rapper T.I.'s Grammy-nominated album Paper Trail knocked Bobby Valentino off the number one spot on Independent Records top seller list for the week ending February 22. The Fray moved up to the number two spot from number four, while Lil Wayne and Ludacris still remain in the top ten. See the full breakdown after the jump.

  February 23, 2009

• The Beatdown

  November 25, 2004

• The Beatdown

  December 9, 2004

• U2 top seller at Twist & Shout

  U2's No Line on the Horizon and Neko Case's Middle Cyclops, both released on Tuesday, March 3, showed some of best numbers at Twist & Shout in many months. The Fray moved back up into the top five, followed by Van Morrison and Beirut for the week ending March 8. See the full breakdown after the jump.

  March 9, 2009

• The Beatdown

  July 28, 2005

• Roe

  Letter and Lights
  Self-released

  February 26, 2009

• The Fray

  February 5, 2009

• Whose opinions hold more weight, those of the critics or those of the fans?

  February 5, 2009

• Enter the Fray

  A group of Colorado favorites plays Vail Snow Daze.

  December 4, 2008

• The Fray Hits the Rocks

  Denver's hometown heroes are larger than Life.

  August 9, 2007

• Westword Music Showcase 2007

  Saturday, June 16

  June 14, 2007

• Dead on Arrival

  Drop Dead, Gorgeous is kid-tested and mother-approved.

  September 28, 2006

• Westword Music Showcase 2006

  Be there or be square!

  June 15, 2006

• On the Band Wagon

  Fray as you go.

  March 9, 2006

• Fray Time

  Is Denver's most high-profile band in over its head?

  March 9, 2006

• Moovers and Shakers 2005

  Backbeat scribes weigh in on their favorite new releases from the past year.

  December 22, 2005

• The Fray

  How to Save a Life (Epic)

  September 22, 2005

• The Fray

  Friday, September 16, Paramount Theatre, 303-830-8497.

  September 15, 2005

• Westword Music Showcase 2005

  June 23, 2005

• Let Us Fray

  With God on their side, these musicians have gone from zeros to heroes.

  December 16, 2004

• Westword Music Showcase 2004

  Fifty bands. Ten stages. Five bucks. Be there.

  June 24, 2004

• YouTubers ratchet up the guilt on John Elway, other Denver celebs over child soldiers

  On April 25, InvisibleChildren.com is staging events in 100 cities to bring attention to the abduction and forced recruitment of child soldiers -- an unspeakably cruel practice that's all too common in many parts of the world. In Denver, participants will gather at the main gate of Coors Field prior to "abducting" themselves down Broadway, past the State Capitol. They'll eventually wind up at the Pavilion at Cheesman Park, "where we will wait to be rescued" -- and they want celebrities to be s

  April 15, 2009

• From Mile High to Monolith, breaking down Denver's summer music fests

  The Mile High Music Fest returns to Dick's with Tool, Widespread Panic and the Fray. With so many music festivals to fill up your summer and drain your pocketbook, we put together a handy rundown of Denver's fests, in order of their appearance on your calendar. Which are you looking most forward to? What should concertgoers know about each? Use the comments section below -- and enjoy the summer. Built to Spill headlines this year's Showcase.Westword Music Showcase Dates: June 13 Venue: Numerou

  May 26, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, June 5 edition

  Photo by Soren McCartyYes, this is a man in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Everyone looks better in a fedora.... Today in Backbeat Online: • Last night: Leonard Cohen at Red Rocks. • Westword exclusive: The Fray's not-so-secret dress rehearsals -- in pictures. • Ministry's Al Jourgensen offers free EP. • MP3 Freeloader: Tonight, Fell at Bender's Tavern. • MP3 Freeloader: Tonight, Hawks of Paradise at the Oriental. • MP3 Freeloader: Tonight, Super Seed at the Gothic Theatre. • Th

  June 5, 2009

• The Fray does Fallon, skips Kanye cover

  The Fray, this nifty little pop band from Denver, dropped in on Jimmy Fallon's soon-to-be-short-lived late-night show on Thursday to play a little ditty. If you were reading the Tweets of Fallon's house-band leader ?uest Love, you probably expected Isaac and Co. to play their bizarre cover of Kanye West's "Heartless." They did it in rehearsal, apparently, and "isaac of the fray got Ye's 'tawwwwk' from heartless right!" But when it came down to it, the band hit 'em with their new single, "Never

  June 19, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, June 19 edition

  On the road again.... Rollin', rollin', rollin'. Today in Cafe Society: • Update: Pad Thai on the go.... • Toke of the town: Mary Jane's Pizza. • First report from the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. • A free donut for dad. • Huebner off The Bachelorette, back on pizza. • Barbecue this weekend in Frisco, at Randolph's. Today in Backbeat Online: • Last Night's Show: The Church with Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody at the Gothic. • Paper Bird's new EP and Twist & Shout in-store. â€

  June 19, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, July 7 edition

  Photo by Cajun BoyMongo meets meat. Everyone form a line. Today in Cafe Society: • Hot Diggity Dog: Denver's Mongo Marquez joined the big leagues at Nathan's on July 4. • Civic Center Eats: Sweet Revenge cookies. • Tonight: Frasca wines paired with small plates from MiniBAR. • Where am I drinking? • Breckenridge Brewery: Yes they can. • Last night's "panic hour" at the Lancer Lounge. Today in Backbeat Online: • Fresh Breath Committee's Purpose getting his Idol on. • Elana Roge

  July 7, 2009

• Mile High Music Fest: Who to watch and what to watch out for

  July 16, 2009

• Mile High Music Fest Live Reviews: Day Two

  Brian Landis Folkins See photos of the day's fans and crowds on the slideshow page. We're back for Day 2, which looks to be shaping up a little hotter, and not just because of HoneyHoney's frontwoman (above). Check back throughout the day for more photos and reviews. For coverage from Day One, see our reviews and a slideshow of the fans. Paper Bird, noon, Rhapsody Tent Brian Landis Folkins What it was like: Starting your day with an old-fashioned hootenanny. The first show of Sunday in the

  July 19, 2009

• The Flobots take on the Fray for bowling baller supremacy

  ​In an effort to benefit their nonprofit organization, the Flobots and The Fray are coming together for a ping-pong and bowling tournament on Friday, September 4 at Lucky Strike Lanes in the Belmar Shopping District in Lakewood. Think you can beat them? Well, the two bands are giving you a chance to battle them in a "Bring it On Bowling Ball" auction where you can win a spot on one of their teams to take out the other. The winning bidder will also get two VIP tickets to the event, which includ

  July 30, 2009

• A first look at the Heyday's new video

  ​ The Heyday sure has come a long way from when we first wrote about the outfit more than two years ago. Back then, the guys were greener than an Irish hillside in the summertime, having played less than a dozen shows. Since then, the act has crisscrossed the country countless times and developed into a seasoned outfit, one whose songwriting ability is finally matched by its musicianship. The Heyday just finished its first video for the song that first caught our attention, "Come In or Stay O

  August 4, 2009

• Q&A with Kyle Evans of Breathe Carolina

  Those Breathe Carolina boys sure are colorful. It started out as a simple phone interview for a feature commemorating Breathe Carolina's participation in this year's Warped Tour, which rolls into Invesco Field at Mile High on Sunday, August 9. But it turned into something considerably more unexpected when, during our conversation with BC's Kyle Evans, his partner in rhyme, David Schmitt, appeared, his face dripping with blood. What happened? Get the whole story in a sprawling Q&A on view after

  August 5, 2009

• A first look at Meese's "Forward Motion" video

  Rod Blackhurst​Yesterday, we posted a video from Katie Chastain directed by Nathan Johnson, a Denver bred artist/musician/director with loose ties to the Fray. Today, we bring you another swell clip from a director who's directly associated with Isaac Slade and company, Rod Blackhurst, the guy responsible for Fair Fight, the 80-minute documentary focusing on the Fray, and The Fray: There and Back, the coffee table photo book documenting the Denver group's rise to promience. Blackhurst, who at

  August 27, 2009

• Why Denver beats Indianapolis in Frontier sweepstakes

  ​Republic Airways chief executive Bryan Bedford is in town again today, meeting with employees of Frontier Airlines, which Republic purchased after unexpectedly besting Southwest Airlines at auction. He's also been chatting with city officials who are understandably desperate to convince Republic to keep Frontier's operations base here, as opposed to moving the carrier to its home, Indianapolis. To assist Mr. Bedford in making this difficult decision, we at Westword have compared Denver a

  August 28, 2009

• Denver Magazine's latest cover inspires some disturbing images

  September 3, 2009

• Rod Blackhurst puts up a Fair Fight when he has to

  All right, hands up: Who has eighty minutes to kill this afternoon? Aw, c'mon, sure you do. Take a longer lunch and then chow down at your desk. It will be worth it. Promise. Remember that Fray documentary we told you about at the beginning of the year, Fair Fight, the one that was supposed to be included in special deluxe editions of The Fray? Well, it was included in the deluxe edition, but retailers were reticent to carry the title because of the cost, and while it was available online for

  October 14, 2009

• Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of October 26, 2009

  ​As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of all the things we're listening to this week. Feel free to chime in with picks of your own after the jump.

  October 28, 2009