Hard rock band Flyleaf builds on Christian base

NEW YORK (Billboard) - There is something frightening about Flyleaf frontwoman Lacey Mosley. Her vocals are sweet and then bitterly raw, as if she is near death.

Upon first listening to Flyleaf's self-titled full-length debut, one would think this hard rock five-piece band from Belton, Texas, would be too intense, too edgy, for radio. But Octone Records, the original home of Maroon5, found a way to get radio on its side: Christian radio.

"I think we're really honest in our approach, we bring out the negative things and put hope back in them. I think that's missing in rock music," says Mosley.

After signing the band in 2003, Octone ran a Flyleaf EP through Christian radio first, risking pigeonholing the band as a Christian act.

"We wanted to use Christian radio as a place to start, much like a record company might choose to start a hipper-type group at college radio," says Ben Berkman, executive VP at Octone, which has a joint-venture relationship RCA Records. "Our goal from day one was to break this band at mainstream rock radio."

Last fall, following the October release of the full-length, Octone launched "I'm So Sick" -- which had also been featured on the EP -- to rock and modern rock radio. Airplay at these formats was fostered by retailers calling commercial rock stations and telling them how the EP was selling. The song is now crossing over to top 40.

The story is building: Flyleaf is showing steady growth on the sales front. Nielsen SoundScan has plotted scans that began at 2,000 units per week in October 2005 to 12,000 units for the week ending May 14. Total sales are 181,000.

To further pepper the market, Octone gave iTunes,

Napster, Yahoo, Sony Connect and Real Rhapsody versions of the album with exclusive cuts added for each outlet. It also hired Wiredset to help build a database and create promotions for the band, tied in with Internet communities MySpace and Buzznet, and offered a free ringtone of "I'm So Sick" to anyone who signed up for the band's mobile fan club.

After headlining clubs this spring and some international dates, Flyleaf will hitch onto the Family Values tour this summer with Korn, Deftones and Stone Sour.

Reuters/Billboard