Yellowcard
Yellowcard
Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and later based in Los Angeles, California in 2000, Yellowcard was a striving force in the pop punk community for twenty years. The band is known for its prominent use of the violin. The band’s revolving door of members featured Ryan Key, Sean Mackin, Ryan Mendez, Josh Portman, Longineu W. Parsons III, Peter Mosely, Sean O'Donnell, Ben Harper, Warren Cooke, Ben Dobson, Alex Lewis, and Todd Clary.
Yellowcard initially had a hardcore-punk sound as noticed in the albums Midget Tossing and Where We Stand, both featured original vocalist Ben Dobson. While not yet permanent members, Mackin and future member Ryan Key contributed backing vocals to the first album, Midget Tossing. However, the band fired Dobson before recording the Still Standing EP and hired Ryan Key as a vocalist. When original rhythm guitarist Tom Clary left, Key then took up both duties as vocalist and guitarist before recording the album One For The Kids. Both releases transcended the band into the pop-punk genre.
After releasing The Underdog EP, Yellowcard signed to Capitol Records and began recording their major label debut and breakout record Ocean Avenue. The album dropped in 2003 and saw major success for the band. Yellowcard toured endlessly until returning to the studio once again to record Lights And Sounds for a 2006 release. Unlike the previous summer jam Ocean Avenue, the concept record was a reflection piece of the band’s maturing and tense recording process. The band parted ways with lead guitarist Ben Harper and recruited Ryan Mendez of the band Staring Back. Yellowcard recorded and released Paper Walls in 2007. It showed a return to the band’s pop punk sound while incorporating the songwriting of the previous record. It was the last album to feature bassist Pete Mosely, who had a significance in the songwriting since Ocean Avenue, and it was the last album before the band’s hiatus in 2008.