Yellowcard is a pop-punk band out of
Jacksonville, Florida known for
their hit singles
Way Away,
Only One, and
October Nights.
Some History:
Formed in 1997, the band originally consisted of Ben Dobson on
vocals, Warren Cook on Bass, Sean Mackin on Violin, Ben Harper on
guitar and Longineu Parsons III on drums. This lineup changed quickly
however as Ben Dobson was replaced by Ryan Key, Warren Cook was
replaced by Alex Lewis, to be replaced by Pete Mosely through most of
the work on Ocean Avenue to be replaced by returning bassist Alex
Lewis.
Ryan Key joined the band after having known most of the members from
High School in Jacksonville, and was attending Florida State with his
close friend Sean Mackin. Ben Harper saw one of Ryan Key's practices
with a project he was in at the time, and signed on Ryan Key as their
replacement for Ben Dobson who had just left. By this time Key had
dropped out of Florida state, and moved to Santa Cruz, California to
pursue music. Key convinced the band to follow him to Ventura County
to play many of the songs that he had written before being a part of
Yellowcard.
Though One for the Kids is often referred to as their debut album,
Where we Stand E.P. and Midget Tossing came out under the previous
band arrangement.
Yellowcard first began to stand out when they were openers by playing
their single October Nights. October Nights features an electric
violin part which soon turns into a hard-punk song with a very strong
backbeat causing the entire audience to jump in unison. Not long
after all of those on the indie scene began perking their ears to
this, Yellowcard began their own tours, ironically losing most of their
indie followers who turned the perked ears to other, smaller bands.
Discography
Before band Rearrangement (lacking dates as they weren't major
releases):
- Midget Tossing -
- Where We Stand -
One for the Kids - Lobster Records, 2003
Underdog EP - Fueled by Ramen, 2002
Ocean Avenue - Capitol Records, 2003
Shows: There's absolutely no denying it. Yellowcard has become
famous. They have switched from being classified as upbeat emo to
simply pop punk. Their shows have become large, no longer able to fit
in smaller venues. However entirely aware of the
negative stigma applied to bands who sell out, when you attend a
Yellowcard show, if you ignore the thousands of
screaming prepubescents who only know two of their songs, you will
find that they still cater to their old fans.
The last Yellowcard concert I went to, they played every song off of
One for the Kids. In a time when they should be continuing to boost
the singles ratings on Ocean Avenue, they refused and addressed the
audience:
"This show is dedicated to all of you who have been there with us from
the beginning. So we're going to play a lot of old shit tonight"
Me, and the guy I was standing next to began screaming and
going wild. The rest of the audience yawned.
Attend a yellowcard concert expecting to be rocked. Expect undertones
of liberal politics. No, expect them to outright bash the president. Expect an entire audience screaming along with
their songs. Expect mosh pits in the front, couples making out in the
back. Expect to be brought to tears by some music, and thrown into mass
singing hysteria by the rest. Expect Sean Mackin to do at least three
backflips, or leave disappointed. Expect four encores. Expect
October Nights. Expect Way Away. Expect Ocean Avenue. Expect
Powder. Expect crowd surfing, mosh pits, dancing, and
for your back to ache horribly afterwards. Most of all however, expect
to be blown away; Yellowcard is one of those bands who seems to lose
energy when transferred to an album.
Underdogs No More:
On a positive note, with more people knowing about Yellowcard and
their music, you are less likely to elicit a blank stare when asked who
you listen to. You can call in to a radio station and request one of
their songs. You can even find merchandise at the local hot topic.
Negatively however, bigger concerts mean less freedom for the band. The
first yellowcard concert I ever attended involved a comical moment
where Sean said something along the lines of "this is for all you fans,
we do it for you." Only to be counterpointed by Ryan: "Not me, I do it
for the drugs." Now that Yellowcard's average audience age has dropped
significantly, humor like that can no longer be used in good taste.
More crowded venues mean no more circle moshes, and a slightly less
personal feeling to the show.