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.