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Yellowcard Information
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'Yellowcard' is a pop-punk band from Jacksonville, Florida. Their music is usually categorized as either pop punk or emocore, though their use of a violin makes them slightly unique among these genres.
Biography
Yellowcard was formed in 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida after meeting at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Originally, the band was made up of six members: Ben Dobson (vocals), Todd Clary (vocals,guitar),Ben Harper (guitar), Sean Mackin (violin), Warren Cooke (bass guitar), and Longineu W. Parsons III (drums). The band released their first album, Midget Tossing , in 1997 and met with some success, but soon began to undergo some changes. Their current singer and was replaced by Ryan Key who convinced the band that they couldn't be successful in Florida, so they decided to move to Southern California. The new group released their debut album, One for the Kids (Lobster Records), in 2001, and followed up with The Underdog EP (Fueled by Ramen Records) in 2002 which were both well-received by fans. However, Yellowcard's real public reception came after signing with Capitol Records in 2003 and releasing Ocean Avenue. Fans loved the album's sincere lyrics and unique musical style (mostly due to Mackin's violin playing). The band's popularity continues today and has toured with bands such as Something Corporate and Less Than Jake, as well as appearing on the soundtrack of the hit film Spider-Man 2 and on the compilation "Rock Against Bush Vol. II, with a cover of Lagwagon's song "Violins." The band's three singles from their 2003 release are "Way Away", "Ocean Avenue", and most recently, "Only One."
Discography
* Midget Tossing (1997)
* Where We Stand (1999)
* Still Standing EP (2000)
* One for the Kids (2001)
* The Underdog EP (2002)
* Ocean Avenue (2003)
* Beyond Ocean Avenue: Live at the Electric Factory (2004)
* Lights and Sounds (2006)
"Where We Stand" has been re-released twice. The first re-release was in 2004, and the second was in 2005.
Singles
* 2003 - "Way Away"
* 2004 - "Ocean Avenue"
* 2004 - "Only One"
* 2005 - "Lights and Sounds"
Upcoming Project
As of August 2005, Yellowcard is working on their new CD, entitled Lights and Sounds, set to be released in January 2006. Pete and Ryan moved to New York City in January of 2005 and starting working on the album while the rest of the band recuperated in California from 18 straight months of touring. The album is a concept album based on the band's overwhelming feeling of hating L.A. So far, it appears as though the storyline of the album is about a girl named Holly Wood who is lost in LA. She serves as a narrator and protagonist for the LP. 19 songs were recorded for the album, 13 of which will make the final cut, including an intro and a hidden track. Other songs include "Lights and Sounds," "Space Travel," "Sure Thing Falling," and "Two Weeks From Twenty" (one of Ryan's favorites, about a G.I. killed in Iraq).
Ryan says that "Holly became this person on the record who appears in a lot of the songs, and at times you love her and at times you hate her. At times she's good to you and sometimes she's bad. She's in a song called "Holly Wood Died," and in another song called "Rough Landing Holly," which is my favorite song on the album."
Original Line Up
* Ben Dobson (lead vocals)
* Todd Clary (vocals, rhythm guitar)
* Sean Michael Wellman-Mackin ("Sean Mackin") (violin)
* Ben Harper (lead guitar)
* Longineu Warren Parsons III ("LP") (drums)
* Warren Cooke (bass)
When Ben Dobson and Todd Clary left Yellowcard, Ryan Key picked up their duties. Warren Cooke still stayed with the band until after the band recorded The Underdog EP. He quit and was then replaced with Pete Mosely, who left the band during/after recording Ocean Avenue. Alex Lewis toured with Yellowcard as their bassist until March 2, 2004, when Pete asked if he could rejoin. Since he'd been friends with the band since high school, Alex left and Pete was welcomed back.
Ben Harper was removed or decided to leave the band in 2005. The official statement on Ben's departure was posted on their website on November the 7th.
Nov 07, 2005
Ben Harper Departs Yellowcard to Focus On Takeover Records Projects
"We know there™s been a lot of confusion about the situation with Ben Harper and Yellowcard. Out of respect for all involved we™ve kept the details private until everything was sorted out. Thank you for your patience. We hope this statement answers any questions you might have and we hope to see you soon."
- Ryan, Pete, Sean and LP
Ben Harper Departs Yellowcard to Focus On Takeover Records Projects
Ben Harper, lead guitarist of Yellowcard, has announced that he™s moving on to focus on developing his indie label, Takeover Records, and related production projects. Takeover was the original imprint to release Yellowcard records as far back as 1997.
Says Ben, œDue to some ongoing tensions within the band, and some great new opportunities with Takeover bands which have recently presented themselves, it seemed time to take my experiences with Yellowcard and apply them to the development of other new artists and new music-centric media projects that I'm planning under the Takeover Records Entertainment Group umbrella.
The band wishes Ben well in his future endeavors.
Says Yellowcard violinist/vocalist Sean Mackin, œWe™ve simply grown apart, personally and creatively, which can happen in any relationship. This change is hard for all of us, but Ben will always be our brother.
Present Day Line Up
* William Ryan Key, (lead vocals, guitar)
* Sean Michael Wellman-Mackin,(violin, backing vocals)
* Longineu W. Parsons III, (drums)
* Peter Mosely, (bass, backing vocals)
* Ryan Mendez, (lead guitar)
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