Despite some frigid Philadelphia weather, the hundreds of fans lined up outside a sold-out Theater of the Living Arts were undeterred as they waited hours before The Fray rocked the legendary club late last month. The up-and-coming Denver foursome (five if you include their hired bassist) is currently touring the country in support of their tremendously successful debut album How to Save a Life, which has reached No. 1 on Billboard's "Heatseekers" chart. Since its release on Epic Records last Sept., the album has spawned the popular single "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and launched the band into heavy rotation on rock and pop radio stations across America, as well as VH-1, which dubbed the group one of their seven "artists on the rise." The Justice was fortunate enough to speak with The Fray's guitarist, Dave Welsh, before the group took the stage.

The Fray first gained wide exposure in 2005, when it was invited to tour with piano-rock pioneer and self-proclaimed nerd Ben Folds.

"All of us grew up listening to him just because he was kind of a cool musical piece for our generation," Welsh said. "So to go on tour with him was like four completely naive young little punk kids traveling along with this guy who had been touring for like 12 years."

Lead singer and pianist Isaac Slade and guitarist Joe King formed The Fray four years ago after the two met in a Denver record store. The pair began writing songs and eventually drew the attention of Welsh and longtime family friend and drummer Ben Wysocki.

Slade, who like most lead singers has since become the public face of the group, was recently out of college and spending most of his time working in a local Starbucks. King, also just out of school, found himself working as an automotive damage appraiser. Welsh and Wysocki remained in school but were later forced to drop out once the group signed with Epic Records and took to the road. Welsh and company suddenly found themselves outside of the modest Denver music scene where they had enjoyed a devoted grassroots following and the support of local radio stations, both of which had led to a listener-driven campaign to secure the band a record deal.

"[All of a sudden] it happened and it doesn't make sense at all," Welsh said. "Part of us is like, 'how is this possible that we're here?' and the other half is like, 'I guess we're supposed to be doing this.' But none of us expected this."

How to Save a Life earned critical acclaim following its release and has garnered The Fray frequent comparisons to British arena-rock stars Coldplay. Although the band appreciates such comparisons, Welsh and the rest of the band have made a conscious effort to establish themselves outside the shadows of other bands.

"In the beginning, we [thought] we've got a piano and so does Coldplay and we like Coldplay so let's write some songs that kind of sound like them. And our first five, six, seven or eight songs were fairly reminiscent of Coldplay," Welsh explained. "But now it's grown into what The Fray can sound like, rather than what-The-Fray-who's-imitating-somebody can sound like. I think in a healthy way we've separated ourselves from Coldplay as we've gotten older. I think we needed to [imitate] them in the beginning."

Despite the easy comparison to similar groups, The Fray has already set itself apart from the rest with its crisp melodies, profound harmonies, simple yet insightful lyrics and the undeniable intensity of their live show. The group also owes a significant amount of their success to Slade's piercing vocals which, reminiscent of David Gray, often approach a warm falsetto.

"It's been a challenge for us to find the balance between trying to make a song exactly like it is on the record, because that's what everybody hears. And naturally that's what you think people want to hear," Welsh elaborated. "But at the same time, if people wanted to hear the record, they'd just put the record in. The differences between the record and the live show are what make the people keep coming back and as much as we can interpret from the record into a new form in the live show is what will keep our fans coming back and make new fans."

Whatever future success the band may encounter, don't expect it to go to these four Denver natives' heads anytime soon, as Welsh is confident in the band remaining grounded.

"We're still the same people," he said. "We still drive the same crappy cars. I still live in my parents' house.