NEW YORK, NY. (Top 40 Charts/ Epic Records) - 2006 was already a memorable year for The Fray, but the Denver-based quartet begins 2007 on a high note. The band's major-label debut, How to Save a Life, starts the year as not only the No 1 digital album of 2006, but also of all-time.
The Fray will officially eclipse Coldplay's X&Y to become the best-selling digital album since SoundScan began tracking digital albums. The album was also biggest selling album of 2006 on the iTunes Store.
The Fray joined a select group of artists late last fall when two of its songs were nominated for Grammys in the same year. 'Over My Head (Cable Car)' is nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals honors while 'How to Save a Life' will be considered in the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal category.
This past fall, How to Save a Life was certified platinum by the RIAA and is closing in on the 2x platinum mark. The album has been a mainstay on the charts throughout 2006 thanks to a pair of smash singles, 'Over My Head (Cable Car)' and the title track, which hit No 1 at radio-each selling more than 1,000,000 digital singles. The Fray is also one of the few rock bands to sell over 1 million ringtones. These achievements led to a sweep of the digital category at the Billboard Music Awards in December winning awards for Digital Songs Artists of the Year, Digital Album Artist of the Year and Digital Album of the Year.
Since the track "Over My Head (Cable Car)" was featured as the free "Single of the Week" download on iTunes in 2005, How to Save a Life has been a fixture on the iTunes download chart and last month it was named as the most downloaded album of 2006.
Amid positive reviews, The Fray took a break from its triumphant sold-out fall tour and is returning to the road this month to launch its first college headlining tour. In February, the band will support The Feeling for their first ever UK tour including two nights in London followed by a trip to Canada in March for headlining dates. Their 3rd single off of the debut album 'Look After You' will hit radio this spring.
'It's been an amazing ride this year plus a lot of fun and hard work,' says singer and pianist Issac Slade. 'The holidays will give us a chance to take a minute and enjoy how far we've come, but we're also looking forward to getting back on the road and our first tour of England.' The following tour dates are confirmed:
January
9 Kenosha, WI Carthage College
10 Waverly, IA Wartburg College
11 Lafayette, IN Elliott Hall (Purdue University)
12 East Lansing, MI MSU Auditorium
13 Athens, OH University of Ohio
15 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theater
16 Cleveland, OH State Theater
17 Pittsburgh, PA Benedum Theater
18 Norfolk, VA Norva
20 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
21 Raleigh, NC Memorial Auditorium
22 Charlotte, NC Ovens Auditorium
25 Miami, FL University of Miami Convocation Center
26 Tampa, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
27 Savannah, GA Savannah College of Art & Design
29 Austin, TX Frank Irwin Center
30 Starkville, MS Miss State - Humphrey Coliseum
31 Orem, UT Utah Valley State Col - McKay Events Center
February
3 Vail, CO Dobson Arena
16 UEA Norwich, UK
18 Civic Theatre Wolverhampton, UK
19 BIC Bournemouth, UK
20 Pavilions Plymouth, UK
22 University Liverpool, UK
23 Corn Exchange Edinburgh, UK
24 Dome Doncaster, UK
26 Assembly Rooms Derby, UK
27 Apollo Manchester, UK
28 Apollo Manchester, UK
March
2 Hammersmith Apollo London, UK
3 Hammersmith Apollo London, UK
19 Edmonton Events Center Edmonton, Canada
20 MacEwan Hall Ballroom Calgary, Canada
21 Orpheum Vancouver, Canada
