STG On Sale Announcement: The Fray and Little Big Show #16 with Låpsley
By: A.A. Cristi Aug. 22, 2016
THROUGH THE YEARS: THE BEST OF THE FRAY, the first career-spanning compilation ever released by critically acclaimed, three time Billboard Music Award-winning Denver-based group the Fray, will arrive in stores November 4th on Epic Records, in the midst of the group's upcoming North American tour, kicking off on October 15th at the Moore Theatre in Seattle.
The Fray - Isaac Slade (vocals, piano), Joe King (guitar, vocals), Ben Wysocki (drums), and David Welsh (guitar) - were signed to Epic Records in 2004, after their first two indie released EPs had gatherEd Strong radio airplay, and won them a widespread organic grassroots following around their native Denver. The Fray rose to prominence when their debut single "Over My Head (Cable Car)" became a Top 10 hit in 2005. The next year, "How to Save a Life" was heavily used in a promotional campaign for ABC's Grey's Anatomy and both singles were subsequently certified 5x-platinum by the RIAA. The Fray's debut album, How to Save a Life was named the best-selling digital album to date. Live at the Electric Factory: Bootleg No. 1 (2006), recorded at the famed Philadelphia venue, bolstered the Fray's rep, followed in 2007 by the EP, Acoustic In Nashville - Bootleg No. 2. Their self-titled RIAA platinum second album arrived in 2009, featuring the back-to-back hits "You Found Me" (4x-platinum) and "Never Say Never" (platinum). Scars & Stories (released 2012), produced by Brendan O'Brien, was inspired by the Fray's trips to Rwanda and Germany, and included their RIAA gold single "Heartbeat." Their most recent studio album, 2014's Helios, was produced by Stuart Price (the Killers, Madonna, Keane) and Ryan Tedder (Adele, One Republic). It carved out new directions for the Fray, and included their RIAA gold Top 10 hit, "Love Don't Die," which they performed on NBC's Today Show and Tonight Show. The Fray have sold over 4 million albums and over 20 million singles worldwide.
It's the little show with a big effect, and Starbucks, KEXP and Seattle Theatre Group (STG) are bringing the 16th Little Big Show to the stage.
100% of ticket sales will be donated to Youth In Focus.
Since the inaugural show in 2012, the Little Big Show concert series has collectively raised more than $160,000 for local arts nonprofits. The money donated has funded nine local initiatives that provide arts education, such as after-school classes, tutoring and scholarships for young people in Seattle through organizations such as Rain City Rock Camp for Girls, EMP Youth Programs, The Vera Project, Hugo House and Northwest Tap Connection to name a few.
LA?PSLEY
If the speed of Lapsley's ascent seems remarkable - at 19 years old, the past year has seen her move from sixth form college student to recording Long Way Home, her debut album for XL - it is testament to her talent, her musical and emotional maturity, as well as to the fact that she is that exceedingly rare thing: a young artist who knows her own mind about her music, her production, herself.
Long Way Home documents a turbulent time in La?psley's life - a period in which she reveled in her new-found music career as it took her from Liverpool to London to Los Angeles and back again. Often on Long Way Home La?psley recasts her romantic troubles in a different light - in the track 'Silverlake' likening the inevitability of the relationship's demise to California's dwindling water supply, or on fabulous disco number 'Operator (He Doesn't Call Me)' imagining the trials of a long distance lover in the telephone switchboard age, accompanied by YouTubed samples and a live bass part from veteran bassist Otto Williams.
For the bulk of Long Way Home she worked with XL's in-house producer Rodaidh McDonald. "This album wouldn't be how it is if it wasn't for Rodaidh," she says. "He's at the top of the thank yous." There were two tracks recorded with Paul O'Duffy, a producer she admired because "The way that he thinks is different to anybody else. He's not tainted by a commercial idea, it's so creative and beautiful and what I aspire to be like in the future." She worked with Mura Masa for the album's closing track, a song that gave the record its title. "That lyric about taking the long way home just sums up the relationship," she says. "It has two different meanings: the album's about a long distance relationship, but also if you walk the long way home with someone, you're trying to spend as much time as you can with them."
Ticketing Information: Available online at Ticketmaster.com, in person at the Paramount box office, or may also be purchased by phone at 1-800-745-3000. For more information, visit STGPresents.org.
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