The Fray tour preps for upcoming concert dates, album release

Piano rock band The Fray is celebrating the New Year and the upcoming release of their sophomore album with a brief tour of North America. The sold-out trek is scheduled to begin January 6 at Gothic Theatre in Denver, CO, and wrap February 4 at Webster Theatre in New York, NY.

The nine-city outing also includes a January 9 show at Metro in Chicago, IL, a January 14 concert at Wilbur Theatre in Boston, MA, and a January 16 performance at 9:30 Club in Toronto, ON. A single Canadian performance is on the books for January 12 at Phoenix in Toronto, ON.

The band is promoting the upcoming release of its eponymous second studio album, slated to hit stores on February 3. However, the record can be pre-ordered through iTunes as a “Deluxe Edition” with nine bonus tracks and videos, or as a standard iTunes release with two bonus tracks.

The album’s first single, “You Found Me,” made its radio debut on November 21 in the U.S., entering Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart at No. 28 before rising the following week to its peak position of No. 15.

Isaac Slade, the lead singer and songwriter for the Denver-based band, described “You Found Me” as a tough and personal song for him. “Sometimes you’re let down; sometimes you’re the one who lets someone else down. It gets hard to know who you can trust, who you can count on,” the musician said in a statement, noting his own struggles with family and friends. “Sometimes the tunnel has a light at the end, but usually they just look black as night. This song is about that feeling, and the hope that I still have, buried deep in my chest.”

The new album is a follow-up to The Fray’s smash debut, “How to Save a Life,” which was released in 2005 and peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 200. The double-Platinum disc produced two Top 10 singles, including the title track, which hit No. 3 on the Hot 100.

The Fray itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)