Happy Campers

Band Camp IV brings to the stage The Fray, Hoobastank, Hot Hot Heat and Rock Kills Kid

The Fray

Rock stars. The very term conjures images of bloated, jaundiced performers past their prime, who have to be peeled off ceilings and peroxide-blond starlets.

Band Camp IV With Hoobastank, Hot Hot Heat, The Fray and Rock Kills Kid Place: Waikiki Shell Time: 4 p.m. Saturday Tickets: $37 in advance; $45 day of show Call: 877-750-4400 or visit ticketmaster.com Also: Hoobastank performs and signs autographs, 2 p.m. Saturday, Borders, Ward Centre In Maui: Hoobastank and Hot Hot Heat perform at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Tickets are $38 advance; $45 day of show. Call 808-242-SHOW (7469).

Perhaps on the next tour bus over that may be true, though public image often means nothing except in terms of marketing and subsequent cha-ching. But in the case of The Fray, a tight foursome from Denver that has gained a reputation as a young, earnest band willing to share their sound with most everybody, their image as four down-to-earth people making good, sensitive music is more than just hype.

Drawing comparisons to Coldplay and Keane -- and gasp, U2 -- The Fray is a band of brothers solely intent on crafting heartfelt, melodic pop. Sensitive rockers, they are, and Joe King, who co-founded the band in 2002, doesn't have a problem with that depiction. That is, if he were paying attention to the "gossip magazines."

"What do they say about us? I don't really pay attention," the guitarist mused during a phone call from St. Louis.

"Those aren't bad bands to be compared to," he added. "In the beginning, in a new band, you fight comparisons, but I can understand the labeling -- because people aren't familiar with you. ... A friend will tell someone about a new group they like; they categorize it for comparisons."

But the men of The Fray view themselves as freshman in the art of crafting music they like, at least when compared to supersized groups such as U2 and Coldplay. "We're just beginner babies," King said. "It's natural to compare yourselves to bands you like. But there's a lot to learn."

Consider what a night of misbehavin' means to The Fray: King, vocalist Isaac Slade, drummer Ben Wysocki and guitarist Dave Welsh treated their road crew of five to a night out at a Buca di Beppo restaurant after a show last week in Albuquerque, N.M. The band members got a little intoxicated, then got a little rowdy, ripping off their shirts ala mock stars and warbling songs in their drunken state.

Then life went on.

"We're not huge partyers. We were just having a cool night out. We didn't talk business."

THE FRAY stops into town for Band Camp IV Saturday, along with musical mainstays Hoobastank, and more relative newcomers Hot Hot Heat and Rock Kills Kid.

Though it may be the better-known Hoobastank that will draw a crowd, The Fray is not to be overlooked, considering its debut album, "How to Save a Life," just turned 28 weeks old on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. The first single, "In Over My Head (Cable Car)," is No. 9, after 23 straight weeks in the Hot 100 Singles category.

Hometown favorites in Denver, the band won "Best New Band" honors from Denver's Westword Magazine, gaining a following early after loyal fans campaigned to score the boys local airplay for their demo of "Over My Head."

The song became one of the top 30 most-played songs on Denver station KTCL in only four months in 2004; the group signed with Epic Records that same year.

"Denver is kind of known for sports bars, John Elway, the Broncos, but there's a lot of music coming out of Denver -- pop, hard rock," King said. "In the early Fray days, we were just like any other band, handing out flyers and CDs to stores or our friends, and since then, Denver has taken total ownership of The Fray. They've been there since Day 1."

Currently on a tour of mid-size venues, the band has been selling out. Come fall, the group will begin playing larger venues. But for now they're happy on smaller stages and House of Blues clubs across the country, with lead singer Slade's piano playing often taking center stage, as it does on the group's debut album.

Between shows, the band is writing music for a second album.

"Our producer sat us down and told us, 'Don't stop writing,'" King said. "We're just at the beginning stages of compiling new music, some of which could very well make it on the second album. But it's the sophomore album, and this is where a lot of bands flop. I have no clue of the direction of the next album, but I can guarantee we will be better musicians. We want to make music we're proud of and that moves us. Can't guarantee the sound, but I can guarantee we'll be better."

THOUGH The Fray's music sits well with the college set and postgraduates, King said the band has plenty of fans outside the coveted 18-to-24-age bracket.

"That's the confusing thing. The fans vary from city to city. There's a range of people, though the majority is younger, probably 16 to 28. (And there's) the parents who drop off their kids for the show and don't leave."

The closing song, "Trust Me," off of "How to Save a Life," is one of King's favorites to play during live sets. "It's such a beautiful song. I kind of lose myself in it. It's the story from the early days of The Fray -- when we didn't have a label, and you didn't know who to trust, and people were telling us which direction to go in. It's a song about the feeling of almost being alone, despite there be a lot of people around ...

"But touring has been beyond belief. You never know what will happen when you go out as a new band. ... But the audience has completely connected."

Hoobastank

Alternative rock group Hoobastank is no stranger to the Billboard charts, having grown well-acquainted with the Hot 100 list through such singles as "Crawling in the Dark," "The Reason" and "If I Were You."

The band has been expanding its fan base in tours with the likes of Linkin Park, All-American Rejects and, more recently, Velvet Revolver. But these days, the venue that vocalist Doug Robb enjoys most is the local bookstore.

That's right. Hoobastank, the Grammy Award-nominated band, has been playing mini-concerts in bookstores, and on the day of Band Camp IV, will appear at Borders Books & Music in Ward Centre.

"We've done a couple of these smaller appearances, and plan on doing a couple more," Robb said by phone from Los Angeles. "It's gotten us thinking we might do an acoustic tour after this tour, playing small clubs. It's very informal, and it's seeing us in our most natural state."

But such plans will have to wait. Robb and the other members of Hoobastank -- guitarist Dan Estrin and drummer Chris Hesse -- are touring in support of their third studio album, "Every Man for Himself," opening for Canadian rock band Nickelback. All three members were relaxing in their home base of Los Angeles last week before heading to Oahu for Band Camp IV.

Robb -- who was spending a day off helping out his mother, Eiko, a preschool teacher -- waxed enthusiastic over the newest album, released May 16. "It's not abstract or artsy-fartsy. It's just more open-minded, trying different things. We didn't feel confined or restricted. ... There's been self-awareness and self-discovery. ... I think for us, it's about knowing who we are as individuals. We're a lot more confident these days."

Influences from Pink Floyd to Journey can be heard on this CD, and in a déjà vu twist, even a bit of earlier Hoobastank can be heard on "Every Man for Himself," particularly on the sexed-up single, "Inside of You."

"It really reminds us of a previous song. 'Can I Buy You A Drink?' It's got that sexual undertone, that flirtatious-ness. If we are going to do a 2000 version of the song, it would sound like this."

Hoobastank's toughest crowd is at home, Robb said. Despite being well-received in other states, the reception the band gets in California is lukewarm.

"You'd think you'd have the home court advantage. But more often than not, people are very blasé. It's just a product of being from Los Angeles in general: L.A. is too cool. When you do concerts in other areas or places that don't get a lot of live shows, people are much more reactive. It's kind of chaotic, and that's how we like it."

Hot Hot Heat

Hot Hot Heat fans anxious for a follow-up to the band's 2005 CD, "Elevator," don't have long to wait: A yet-to-be-named new CD will be released in late September.

Both fans and band frontman Steve Bays will be sated when the album hits stores; it's been a long journey for Bays, who grew frustrated with previous recording experiences.

He speaks of "Elevator" -- the album that may best define the Vancouver band's pop/punk/new wave sound -- mainly in terms of the burnout associated with high expectations.

"We decided to make this one for us, and for friends who played on it or listened to it," said a mellow Bays, via phone last Friday from Twin Lakes, Wis., where the band was playing the Hedgpeth Festival with headliner Primus.

"We stopped caring for anyone else's input, and decided to impress us."

This attitude comes despite the all-around success of "Elevator." That CD's charming, quirky singles, such as "Good Night Good Night" and "Middle of Nowhere," earned it a nomination for Alternative Album of the Year in the Juno Awards, Canada's equivalent of the Grammys.

Why change a successful formula for song-making that first caught on with the 2003 CD "Make Up the Breakdown?"

Simply put, Bays said, "It wasn't fun. But we've stopped trying to be anything but us. We've gotten a lot more comfortable in our skin."

The name for the newest album will remain a mystery for awhile. "It's a very democratic process, and there will be a vote," Bays said. "I can't say anything about possible names. The guys would kill me." "The guys" being drummer Paul Hawley, bassist Dustin Hawthorne and guitarist Luke Paquin.

This Bays will say: "The new CD is very aggressive, more energetic. We wrote it while we were on the road, and recorded much of it while at home. A lot of songs were recorded really quickly from start to finish. We would finish the songs in one evening to get the ideas out. It has a live feel."

The members of Hot Hot Heat had a hand in producing some of the tracks, recording demos on the road before re-recording the songs in Vancouver with friends providing input.

Bays is definitely speaking from a much happier place these days, and experiences on the road just might serve as new fodder for his songs. He spoke warmly of a previous evening: "We decided to hitchhike to this farmhouse, where these kids were holding a party. We got completely lost and ended up in a cornfield, and finally hitched a ride at 4 o'clock in the morning. It wasn't a typical day for us, but I definitely make it a point to put myself in weird or awkward situations, and work at life and be inspired by it, whether it means spending an incredible night with strangers or whatever else."

Bays remembered an early concert in their career in Honolulu as a stand-out experience. "This guy paid out of pocket to have us play at the Pink Cadillac, and it was awesome. It was one of our favorite experiences ever. We rented motorbikes for the day and traveled around. This time we're going to spend four days in Maui and find a little time for ourselves."