When you're on the road as much as The Fray is, sometimes you can feel a little bit out of touch with the rest of the world.

Pianist and frontman Isaac Slade said time on the road for the band is interesting because the band can see the world, but it becomes harder to relate to people, especially back home in Colorado.

"When we go home, we're these freak gypsies that can't hold normal relationships," he said. "I wouldn't trade it ... being a gypsy is not bad."

Though based out of Colorado, Pennsylvania helped to shape Grammy-nominated piano rockers The Fray into the band it is today.

The band recorded its first live album, Live at the Electric Factory: Bootleg No. 1, at the venue of the same name in Philadelphia in 2006.

"Naturally, there's a lot of pressure for me to sing it right," Slade said. "I tried to be myself and chill out with it. It's a good snapshot of who we are back then."

Since then, The Fray has become a well-known band in the music industry, trading performance theaters for stadiums and indie records for platinum albums.

Rene Ruggiero (senior-toxicology) said the band is filling stadiums because it has a raw, natural talent.

"They have good voices, and their styles are more laid back," Ruggiero said. "It's good music, but it's not too overwhelming."

The band will return to Pennsylvania when they play the Bryce Jordan Center at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Student tickets are still available at BJC box offices and online for $20 through a discount from the University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC), BJC Director of Sales and Marketing Bernie Punt said. Regular tickets cost $37.50.

Slade said the hardest part of writing songs is balancing attempts to be innovative while keeping its own sound.

On the band's new self-titled album, the band tried to avoid the mistake most artists make on sophomore efforts -- losing their identity trying to sound different.

"There are songs that feel like the old us and songs about the future we want to go to," Slade said. "We took a step forward ... the quieter stuff is quieter, the louder stuff is louder and the lyrics are more cutting to the bone."

Ruggiero said she did not like the second album as much as first full-length album, How to Save a Life. She said the band didn't change their style as much, and felt like it got a little bit darker on this album.

"I'm excited to see how their concert will be with this new stuff," Ruggiero said.

Besides creating its own songs, The Fray also is known for performing cover songs. Recently, the band released an acoustic cover of Kanye West's "Heartless."

Slade said covers don't work for him most of the time, but they can be effective when the song is well known and allow for the band's own interpretation.

"For every cover that's worked, we've had three more that have been absolute failures," he said. "Every once in a while, there's a mix where everybody knows it and it's still The Fray."

Slade said he thinks covers, as a whole, serve their own artistic purpose.

"When you look at remakes of a movie, they're trying to relate the movie with a current voice," Slade said. "I look at those things as really similar to covers like an old song for a new generation or a new take on a song that everybody knows."

Since How to Save a Life debuted in 2005, Slade has seen the band's fan base grow. Fans who discovered the band in high school are now in college and are being joined by younger Fray fans, he said.

"I'm sure there are older

adults, but there's a mix of college kids and kids who discovered

us in junior high," Slade said.

Slade went to University of Colorado Denver and worked at Starbucks while he was performing in the first incarnations of The Fray. The band was born in 2002 when Slade and guitarist Joe King, who were former high school classmates at Faith Christian Academy, ran into each other at a local guitar store and began writing songs.

Though he didn't have to wear a uniform as a student, Slade said the music video for "Over My Head (Cable Car)" is a reference to how strict the school was.

"They tried to change hearts and minds through behavior modification," he said.

The band picked its name out of bowl before its first show playing at the graduation party for Slade's brother, Caleb. Slade's brother was the band's first bass player until his rugby commitments interfered with the band going to the next level.

"It was a tough decision we had to make," Slade said. "It was really simple, but really rough."

Ben Wysocki, drums, and Dave Welsh, guitar, joined The Fray after Caleb Slade's departure and have since become staple members. Bassist Jeremy McCoy has been touring with The Fray but has not yet officially joined the band.

"At some point we would love to have a guy join -- The Counting Crowes had a guy play who played for them as a side man, and after 10 years, they said, 'Hey, maybe you should join the band,' " Slade said. "There's a lot of business that goes on behind the music, and going into business with someone you've only known for a year is a really scary thing."

Though the band has received numerous accolades and performed in stadiums, critics have always been lukewarm.

Slade said he gives credence to the critiques of about 10 to 20 writers, but he doesn't listen to those only out to criticize him. But he understands the point of reviews, and he thinks there are a few people in the industry who should pay more attention to them.

The Fray intends to scale down its show at the BJC, making it a more intimate production without "as many explosions," Slade said. This way, the band will increase the raw energy of the performance in the hope that it can connect with the audience like it did years ago.

Slade said he admires performers like U2 and Bruce Springsteen who can bring out raw power in their performances. He said he wants to perform at the level of these artists.

"I'm not running all over the place trying to be Bon Jovi, but there's something that only comes out when you scream at the top of your lungs," he said.

Ruggiero said she already had the chance to see The Fray perform before in Boston, where the band provided a good live show.

"They didn't have any extravagant lighting ... They were really down to earth," she said.

Slade said performing on stage is an experience that seems to heighten his senses, and he feels like he's taking part in the tradition of theatre that was born thousands of years ago.

"It can be spiritual, and physical, and visceral and sensual all at the same time," he said.

Punt said he expects mostly students to come because the concert falls on a Monday. Ticket sales indicate the size of the crowd will be large, despite the fact it is not yet a sold-out show.

Sydnie Joseph (junior-behavioral health) said she likes The Fray because its music sounds different from any other band.

"They have a different tempo and melody that nobody has yet," Joseph said.

But she was surprised to hear the band did not sell out the BJC yet.

"They're pretty popular, and obviously most people know them," Joseph said. "If it was a Wednesday or a Thursday, more people would be willing to go."

Slade said he congratulates Penn State for receiving the No. 1 party school ranking and knows how it is to be a part of a party school because he attended college.

Slade said he does not drink because it hurts his voice, but said that doesn't stop the rest of the band.

"We're very focused partiers," Slade said. "When we do it, we do it hard."

Students shouldn't party too much because they might miss out on remembering their college experience, Slade said.

"I think it's unfortunate that people graduate from college and can't remember what they did," he said.