The nominations were announced last Thursday. Awards will be presented February 11 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Drummer Ben Wysocki and guitarist David Welsh both played in the worship band at Christ Community while they were teenagers. Their families are still members of the congregation. Other members of the band are pianist and singer Isaac Slade and guitarist Joe King.
The Fray was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for their song “Over My Head” (Cable Car). They also were nominated for Best Rock Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocal for the band’s current hit, “How to Save a Life.” Both songs have been certified platinum (one million units sold).
In the pop category, the band will face competition from the Black Eyed Peas for “My Humps”, Death Cab For Cutie for “I Will Follow You Into The Dark”, Keane for “Is It Any Wonder?”, and the Pussycat Dolls for “Stickwitu.”
In the rock category, the band will be challenged by Coldplay with “Talk”, the Raconteurs for “Steady, As She Goes”, Red Hot Chili Peppers for “Dani California”, and U2 with Green Day for “The Saints Are Coming.”
The band already collected three trophies at the Billboard Awards. The Fray won three awards: Digital Songs Artist of the Year, Digital Album Artist of the Year, and Digital Album of the Year for How to Save a Life. The awards were given because of the band’s success in marketing its music through download services such as iTunes.
Numerous articles in publications across the country have noted the group’s humility despite the meteoric rise since the album How to Save a Life was released in 2005. The band was featured in an online Covenant News Service story in May and the October issue of The Covenant Companion.
