Ryan Mendez (guitarist)
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Yellowcard is an American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band that formed in
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
, in 1997 and was based in Los Angeles beginning in 2000. The band is recognized for having a distinct sound in their genre, primarily due to the prominent use of a
violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
in their songs, and are best known for their singles " Ocean Avenue", " Only One", and "
Lights and Sounds ''Lights and Sounds'' is the fifth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Yellowcard, released on January 24, 2006, in the United States through Capitol Records. ''Lights and Sounds'' is Yellowcard's first concept album, which was inspire ...
". The band released ten studio albums, with its most recent and final one, ''
Yellowcard Yellowcard is an American rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1997 and was based in Los Angeles beginning in 2000. The band is recognized for having a distinct sound in their genre, primarily due to the prominent use of a violin ...
'', released on September 30, 2016. Following this release and supporting tour, the band broke up. The band reunited in September 2022 for a performance at Riot Fest and will make more live appearances in 2023, though no official reformation plans have yet been revealed.


History


Early years and first three albums (1997–2002)

Yellowcard was formed in 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida, after its members met at
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, commonly known as DA or DASOTA, is a magnet high school in the San Marco neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida, United States. The school opened in 1922 as a primary school specifically for African American stu ...
. The band got its name from a phrase its members used in high school: whenever somebody did something stupid at a party, such as spilling beer on the carpet, they cited
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
laws and gave the offender a "
yellow card Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...
" for committing a "party foul". Yellowcard's original lineup featured Ben Dobson on vocals, Todd Clary on guitar and vocals, Ben Harper on guitar, Warren Cooke on bass, and Longineu Parsons III on drums. Modern Amusement frontman
Ryan Key William Ryan Key (born December 17, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the pop punk band Yellowcard. He is the owner/operator of a recording studio in Jacksonvil ...
appeared as a guest, on background vocals, as did violinist Sean Mackin. Key had also been in California band
Craig's Brother Craig's Brother is an American punk rock band. They have released three full-length recordings internationally, two on Tooth & Nail Records and one self-released. History Foundation and ''Homecoming'' (1995-2001) In 1995, singer and guitar pla ...
. Yellowcard recorded their first LP, ''Midget Tossing'', at the Music Factory in
Jacksonville Beach Jacksonville Beach is a coastal resort city in Duval County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated on May 22, 1907, as Pablo Beach, and would later change its name to Jacksonville Beach in 1925. The city is part of group of communities col ...
with Michael Ray FitzGerald at the board. ''
Where We Stand ''Where We Stand'' is the second studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. It was released in 1999 (and re-released in 2004 and 2005). It was released by Takeover Records, a label created by one of the band's guitarists, Ben Harper. Thi ...
'', the band's debut studio album, featured the same lineup as ''Midget Tossing'', and Mackin was brought in for more songs. Soon, however, the band fired Dobson and replaced him with former guest vocalist Key. This changed the band's style from
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
to
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
. In early 2000, Yellowcard recorded the ''Still Standing'' EP. Soon after it was released, Todd Clary left the band. Key then filled both Clary's and Dobson's duties, guitar and vocals respectively. After sending the new EP to friend Steve Lubarsky at Lobster Records, the band signed its first recording contract in June 2000 and in November, headed west to Camarillo, California, to begin working on another full-length album. The group released its third album, ''
One for the Kids ''One for the Kids'' is the third studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. It was released on April 3, 2001 on Lobster Records and is the first Yellowcard album to include Ryan Key as lead singer and guitarist. It was produced, engineered a ...
'' (
Lobster Records Lobster Records is an independent record label based in Santa Barbara, California. It was founded by Stevan Lubarsky in 1991 in music, 1991. The label started with Bad Neighbor, a Montecito, California, Montecito-based rock band, with a huge local ...
), in 2001 and followed up with ''The Underdog EP'' (
Fueled by Ramen Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City. History John Janick conceived of the l ...
Records) in 2002. Both of these were well received by fans. However, soon after ''The Underdog EP'' was released, Warren Cooke left for personal reasons on July 16, 2002. The band then asked Pete Mosely from
Inspection 12 Inspection 12 is an American pop punk band from Jacksonville, Florida, founded by Robert Reid, Dan McLintock, John Comee and Scott Shad. They have released two full-length recordings internationally, one on Honest Don's Records and one on Suburba ...
to play bass, and he joined the band four days later.


''Ocean Avenue'' (2003–2005)

Shortly after releasing ''The Underdog EP'', Yellowcard signed with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
. The group recorded their major-label debut '' Ocean Avenue'' in February–March 2003 and released on July 22, 2003. During the recording of the album, Mosely left Yellowcard, devoting his time to his first band, Inspection 12, and finishing the band's album, ''
Get Rad ''Get Rad'' is Inspection 12's sixth full-length album. It was released independently in 2003. In 2004, it was released internationally by Floppy Cow Records and in the US by Suburban Home Records. Takeover Records rereleased it with the origin ...
''. The members of Yellowcard began the search for a new bass player and chose Alex Lewis, whose sister, Alieke Wijnveldt, contributed vocals to the ''Ocean Avenue'' track "View from Heaven". After Lewis joined, the band filmed an unreleased music video for the song "Powder". The video was later put on the enhanced version of '' Ocean Avenue''. Yellowcard released its first single from ''Ocean Avenue'', "
Way Away "Way Away" is the debut single by American band Yellowcard. It is the opening track of their fourth album ''Ocean Avenue''. "Way Away" was released to radio on July 22, 2003. The song and music video both reflect the band's choice about leaving th ...
". The song did well on
MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...
and rock radio, peaking at No. 25 on the modern-rock charts. The song created enough buzz to cause the band's mainstream explosion. In the middle of the band's first headlining tour, Peter Mosely decided to leave Inspection 12 and asked if he could rejoin Yellowcard. Because Mosely had been an integral part of the writing for ''Ocean Avenue'' and had also been friends with most of the band's members since high school, Lewis was asked to leave on March 1, 2004, and Mosely was reinstated as the bass player. In late 2003, Yellowcard finally broke through with a hit single, " Ocean Avenue", in part due to the song premiering on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's
TRL TRL or trl may refer to: Arts * Temporary Residence Limited, a record label * ''Total Request Live'', a former MTV show * TRL Awards (''Total Request Live''), an Italian music award Libraries * Tampines Regional Library, a regional library in Ta ...
program. Radio eventually picked up on the single, with it peaking at No. 37 on the ''Billboard''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
during the summer of 2004. The band experienced its peak popularity during the second half of 2004. They were cover features on ''
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' magazine, a headliner of the 2004
Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
, performed "Ocean Avenue" and won the MTV2 award at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, and were featured in the season 2 premiere of ''
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...
'' with their song "Empty Apartment". The band was featured episode 3 in season 8 of MTV's
Real World/Road Rules Challenge ''The Challenge'' (originally known as ''Road Rules: All Stars'', followed by ''Real World/Road Rules Challenge'') is a reality competition show on MTV that is spun off from two of the network's reality shows, '' The Real World'' and ''Road ...
(later abridged to "The Challenge"), performing "Way Away" while cast members trashed a mock hotel room for a "rock star redecoration" challenge. The album's first track, "Way Away", appeared on the soundtracks of ''
SSX 3 ''SSX 3'' is a snowboarding video game developed by EA Vancouver and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label. The game was originally released on October 20, 2003, for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox (console), Xbox. It w ...
'' and ''
Madden NFL 2004 ''Madden NFL 2004'' is the 15th installment of the '' Madden NFL'' series of American football video games. Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is on the cover. Gameplay New features in ''Madden 2004'' include a new owner mode option ...
''. The album's second track, "Breathing", also appeared in EA's '' Burnout 3: Takedown'' and ''
FlatOut 2 ''FlatOut 2'' is an action racing video game developed by Bugbear Entertainment and published by Empire Interactive in Europe and Vivendi Universal Games in North America. It is the sequel to the 2004 game ''FlatOut''. This game is themed mor ...
''. Following "Ocean Avenue"'s success, the band released the single " Only One", a rock ballad which also did fairly well on TRL and radio. The ''Ocean Avenue'' album sold over one million copies in the U.S. alone. As ''Ocean Avenues popularity began to decrease, Yellowcard spent some time contributing songs to various other soundtracks. The first, "Gifts and Curses", appeared in the hit film ''
Spider-Man 2 ''Spider-Man 2'' is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Michael Chabon. Based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, it is the ...
''. Another, a cover of
Lagwagon Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara. They formed in 1989, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the band's tour van, which can ...
's "Violins", was featured on ''
Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2 ''Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2'' is the second Rock Against Bush compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label. It contains a collection of songs by various punk rock artists, some of which were previously unreleased. It also inc ...
'' compilation album. At the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, Yellowcard performed a cover of the song "
Don't You (Forget About Me) "Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a song by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released as a single in 1985. It was written and composed by the producer Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff, a guitarist and songwriter from the Nina Hagen band. Forsey ...
" during a special tribute to the movie ''
The Breakfast Club ''The Breakfast Club'' is a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The ...
''. On August 13, 2013, an acoustic version of ''Ocean Avenue'' was released in honor of the album's 10th anniversary.


''Lights and Sounds'' (2005–2006)

After almost two years of touring, Yellowcard took a few months off at the beginning of 2005. Ryan Key and Peter Mosely moved to New York City to write the songs for the group's next album. The rest of the band remained in Los Angeles. The band regrouped in LA in the spring and began pre-production for the follow-up to '' Ocean Avenue'' in March. Recording and production was finished in September, and advertising began for the album. The band had originally announced that the album was expected for August 2005, but production and other delays pushed the release date back several months. In the months following, many problems had arisen between the bandmates. Ryan Key has made many comments since then stating, "The fame went to our heads." After months of increasing tension stemming from Ben Harper's increased involvement with his indie label Takeover Records, Harper was removed from Yellowcard. He was replaced by Ryan Mendez from the band Staring Back. After leaving Yellowcard, Harper joined
Amber Pacific Amber Pacific is an American pop-punk band that formed in 2002 in Federal Way, Washington. The band has released four full-length albums, '' The Possibility and the Promise'' in 2005, '' Truth in Sincerity'' in 2007, ''Virtues'' in 2010 and ''Th ...
as a touring guitarist. Harper left the band when the group returned to the studio, with Rick Hanson assuming the permanent guitarist role. Harper is now in the band
HeyMike! HeyMike! is an American punk band out of Ventura County, California, United States. The band's name was originally used by singer/guitarist Steven Neufeld as the title of his early demo tapes from 1998-2001. HeyMike! resurfaced when Neufeld, ba ...
and runs
Takeover Records Takeover Records is a punk rock record label based in Long Beach, California, United States. The company was founded by former Yellowcard guitarist Ben Harper and his friend Greg McDonald in 1997. Artists Current * Bracket *HeyMike! *River City H ...
in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. ''
Lights and Sounds ''Lights and Sounds'' is the fifth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Yellowcard, released on January 24, 2006, in the United States through Capitol Records. ''Lights and Sounds'' is Yellowcard's first concept album, which was inspire ...
'' was finally released on January 24, 2006. A loose concept album, the theme centers around Yellowcard's negative feelings towards Los Angeles. Prior to the release of ''Lights and Sounds'' Ryan Key said that this ambitious album would probably alienate a large portion of the group's fan base, and that he was "100 percent okay with that." 20 songs were recorded for the album, 14 of which are on the CD, plus a
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
available on import versions, CD singles, and at the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
, called "Three Flights Down". The opening track, "Three Flights Up", was the first instrumental track on a Yellowcard album since "Interlewd" on the band's first album, ''Midget Tossing''. Those two and "Convocation" from their 2014 release, ''
Lift a Sail ''Lift a Sail'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. This was the band's first album without drummer Longineu W. Parsons III, who left the band in March 2014. Background On March 13, 2014, it was announced that drummer Long ...
'', are the only instrumental tracks the band has released on an album. The title track, "
Lights and Sounds ''Lights and Sounds'' is the fifth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Yellowcard, released on January 24, 2006, in the United States through Capitol Records. ''Lights and Sounds'' is Yellowcard's first concept album, which was inspire ...
", was the first single, released a week before the album. It peaked at No. 4 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
. It is also featured on the video games ''
Burnout Revenge ''Burnout Revenge'' is a racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360. Similar to its predecessor '' Burnout 3: Takedown'', ''Revenge'' focuses on a mixture of racing in th ...
'' and '' Guitar Hero: Modern Hits''. In its first week of release, the album sold just over 90,000 copies, but it only went on to receive gold status. High first week sales are most likely the result of high anticipation of the album, as it was the follow-up to the highly successful ''Ocean Avenue''; low total sales backup Key's statement about the album being very ambitious and different in sound from ''Ocean Avenue''. On May 6, 2006, the second and final single and video of the album, " Rough Landing, Holly", was released. The single was not as well received as the first, and after its first week of release, it quickly dropped on the charts. In May 2006, Ryan Key had surgery on his vocal chords after having problems with his singing. He had started having problems in December 2005. He was mute for a week and could not sing for more than a month. Yellowcard, after canceling some shows and receiving some time off from touring, joined the Virgin Mega Tour for the summer of 2006.


''Paper Walls'' (2006–2008)

On October 16, 2006, Yellowcard announced via its website that the group was back in the studio recording a new album. Guitarist Ryan Mendez posted on the official Yellowcard message board on October 21, 2006, that three songs had been completed and stated, "I really think fans of both older and newer Yellowcard are going to be very happy." Pre-production began in October 2006, and tracking began in January 2007. Between the months of January and March 2007, studio footage labeled "Yellowcard Sessions" regarding the band's progress on making the album was posted on their Myspace, with a new video added every Thursday. In total, 10 videos were posted, with additional footage released on the deluxe CD/DVD edition of ''
Paper Walls ''Paper Walls'' is the sixth studio album by American pop punk band Yellowcard, released on July 17, 2007. This is also the first Yellowcard album with Ryan Mendez, their last with Peter Mosely, and their last studio album to be released through C ...
''. Additionally, in January 2007, some sample demo songs were released on the band's MySpace, though they were only rough recordings from pre-production and not the final recorded versions. The first demo was a 30-second preview of the iTunes bonus track, "Bombers", and the second was a clip of an unmixed version of " Light Up the Sky". The first Yellowcard show since October 2006 took place on March 29, 2007, at the
Troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...
in
Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
. At the show, lead singer Ryan Key announced to a sold-out crowd that the new album would be titled ''Paper Walls''. He said he would "probably get in trouble for t, but went on to announce the title anyway; Key also announced the album title during a concert at
Southern Connecticut State University Southern Connecticut State University (Southern Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State, SCSU, or simply Southern) is a public university in New Haven, Connecticut. Part of the Connecticut State University System, it was founded in 1893 and is g ...
. During the Troubadour show, the group played two songs from its new album ("
Fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
" and "The Takedown"). Yellowcard played an acoustic set the next night at the Troubadour and premiered two new songs, "Shadows and Regrets" and " Light Up the Sky". In the teaser of an interview with Jason Tate of absolutepunk.net released on June 17 (one month before the release of the album), Key described the album as
... very much a record of hope and finding yourself again. It's after you've come through all of that – going to the height of it – and picking yourself back up again. And by "hitting rock bottom", I don't mean in record sales or fame or any of that shit. I mean personally – emotionally ... Paper Walls is the story, the feeling, of what it's like to be out of those holes, looking back, no regrets, but smarter and having grown through them.
The whole interview was released on July 17, the release date of the album. Yellowcard announced on May 15 via Myspace that the first single from ''Paper Walls'' would be " Light Up the Sky". This song was released to iTunes and radio on June 5. Soon after its release, ''Paper Walls'' became the second most popular album on iTunes and the most popular album in the alternative section. On July 9, Yellowcard released ''Paper Walls'' on the group's Myspace music player to give fans a taste of what was to come on the new album. ''Paper Walls'' was released in the U.S. on July 17 (July 16 on iTunes) in an additional CD/DVD format, as ''
Lights and Sounds ''Lights and Sounds'' is the fifth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Yellowcard, released on January 24, 2006, in the United States through Capitol Records. ''Lights and Sounds'' is Yellowcard's first concept album, which was inspire ...
'' was the previous year. The DVD contains exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the band, an extensive photo gallery and two additional live bonus tracks. In June 2007, Yellowcard was voted to do
AOL AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo (2017 ...
Sessions Under Cover. It was released on July 20 and featured two songs from ''Paper Walls''. The album debuted at No. 13 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, selling about 40,000 copies in its first week. Yellowcard promoted ''Paper Walls'' nonstop after its release and started touring to support the album. The group supported
Blue October Blue October is an American rock band originally from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and is currently composed of singer/guitarist Justin Furstenfeld, drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld, multi-instrumentalist Ryan Delahoussaye, bassist M ...
during the band's United States 2007 fall tour and also supported
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
in Japan in November/December 2007. While touring for ''Paper Walls'', Peter Mosely announced in a Myspace blog message that he would be leaving Yellowcard to pursue other endeavors, moving back to Jacksonville and rejoining his old band.
Josh Portman Joshua "Josh" David Portman (born October 26, 1979) is an American musician who is best known for playing bass guitar for the rock band Yellowcard from February 2012 to March 2017. Since 1994, he has played bass and guitar in a number of well-kn ...
from the bands Near Miss and Staring Back took over on bass until the reformation of Yellowcard in 2010, upon which Sean O'Donnell of
Reeve Oliver Reeve Oliver is an American pop rock band formed in 2000 in San Diego, California. They have released two albums and several EPs and have toured with larger acts such as The Vandals, Yellowcard, and Switchfoot. They have been locally recognized a ...
became the bass player. On January 7, Yellowcard went to the Middle East to do a
USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
tour. The group went to
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
as originally planned, but could not get into
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
because of the President arriving and canceling all flights there. The band released a live album on January 22, 2008, titled '' iTunes Live from Las Vegas at the Palms''. It was recorded during their Blue October Tour in October 2007. The band canceled several European shows in January due to drummer Longineu Parsons taking a couple months off. He spent the time in Jacksonville, Florida, with his grandmother, who raised him and whose health was failing.
The band was originally scheduled to headline a spring tour with
All Time Low All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band too ...
, but All Time Low dropped out to take part in the ''
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' spring tour. They were then replaced by
MxPx MxPx () is an American pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington, founded in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. As of 2016, current members include Mike Herrera on lead vocals and bass guitar, Yuri Ruley on drums and percussion, Tom Wisniewski on lead gu ...
, who canceled a few weeks later. Yellowcard then went on an acoustic tour with
The Spill Canvas The Spill Canvas is an American alternative rock band from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Known for their hits "All Over You" "Our Song" and "Staplegunned", as well as several emo classics like "All Hail the Heartbreaker" "The Tide" and "Polygraph, ...
,
Secondhand Serenade Secondhand Serenade is an American rock band, led by vocalist, pianist and guitarist John Vesely. Vesely has released four studio albums to date under the name Secondhand Serenade. The name can also refer to John Vesely alone. His debut album us ...
, PlayRadioPlay!, and
Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...
.


Hiatus (2008–2010)

Yellowcard announced in an interview in April 2008 that the group would be going on an "indefinite hiatus." The band's European tour set for 2008 was canceled, and they instead embarked on an acoustic tour in the spring of 2008 before going on hiatus. Among the reasons for the band's hiatus were individual member situations. Longineu Parsons took some time off in the winter to spend time with family and joined a
side project In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style. Usually these projects emphasize ...
band based in Jacksonville, Florida. Sean Mackin got married in 2008 and wanted to take some time off to spend with his family. Ryan Key stated that the members needed some time to figure out their personal lives. The band members were unsure of the hiatus' length, but they assured their fans they planned to return as a group. In May 2008, Yellowcard left Capitol Records and was left unsigned. On June 16, 2009, Capitol released an EP titled ''Deep Cuts'', which consists of four previously released tracks. The original Yellowcard members, Ben Harper, Warren Cooke, Todd Clary, Longineu Parsons, and Ben Dobson, announced they would be performing tracks from ''Where We Stand'' in Jacksonville, Florida. Yellowcard announced on Myspace that the group would be performing its first show in months at
Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
on September 30, 2008. The set list was much like that of the band's previous tour performed with Ryan Key, Ryan Mendez, and Sean Mackin, which featured songs from the group's entire discography. The band later announced via Myspace that the group would be having another acoustic performance at
Nicholls State University Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nicholl ...
in
Thibodaux, Louisiana Thibodaux ( ) is a city in, and the parish seat of, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 15,948 at the 2020 census. Thibodaux is a principal city ...
on November 13, 2008. Ryan Key and Sean O'Donnell of
Reeve Oliver Reeve Oliver is an American pop rock band formed in 2000 in San Diego, California. They have released two albums and several EPs and have toured with larger acts such as The Vandals, Yellowcard, and Switchfoot. They have been locally recognized a ...
formed a small side project called Big If. Big If released many demos online and had a record due out in late 2009 which was cancelled. The band featured a more
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
approach in most of its first songs, though by the time they had reached the second set of demos, they had almost completely progressed into a
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
style. After the band's fourth set of demos, the band announced a fundraising event on February 10, 2010, called the "Help Mend A Heart Auction", which was to fund
Jordan Pundik Jordan Izaak Pundik (born October 12, 1979) is an American musician and songwriter. He is a founding member and the frontman of Floridian rock band New Found Glory, for whom he sings lead vocals and contributes lyrics. He was also the guitarist ...
's mother's heart transplant operation. After that final announcement, there has been no word from the band, and their Myspace page is no longer active. In early January 2009, it was rumored that Longineu Parsons had joined the band
Lostprophets Lostprophets (stylised as lostprophets) were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer and lyricist Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The band was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mike ...
to fill in a gap left when their drummer left to join
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
. However, Lostprophets' bassist Stuart Richardson and Longineu Parsons himself have stated that these reports are untrue. Parsons did play drums for
Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...
from October 2009 through September 18, 2010, before returning to Yellowcard after its hiatus.


Reformation and ''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes'' (2010–2012)

Longineu Parsons mentioned in a
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
video that Yellowcard had started talking about a new record. Yellowcard's official
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page announced on August 1, 2010, that the band had reformed and would be working on a new record. Regarding the direction of the new album, Key said on the Hopeless Records website on August 2, "We're talking about a ton of different ideas, and we're itching to start as soon as possible. Ultimately, we want to make something the fans will love. What we love to do most is look out from the stage and see people exploding with energy, and I think we keep that in mind while we are writing. We miss being out on the road playing for Yellowcard fans all around the world, and without their support, we wouldn't have a career." Josh Portman, the former bass player, was replaced by Sean O'Donnell of
Dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrub ...
and
Reeve Oliver Reeve Oliver is an American pop rock band formed in 2000 in San Diego, California. They have released two albums and several EPs and have toured with larger acts such as The Vandals, Yellowcard, and Switchfoot. They have been locally recognized a ...
and Ryan's other side project, Big If. In the May issue of ''
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'', former bassist Pete Mosely revealed he was contacted by Parsons about rejoining before the band reconvened, but ultimately decided not to reunite with the rest of Yellowcard. He stated that his fallout with Ryan Key was a primary reason, saying that he wished to regain the relationship that they once had. Key and Mosely co-wrote most of Yellowcard's material from '' Ocean Avenue'' onward. Since the reformation announcement, the Yellowcard YouTube account was reopened and featured weekly sessions about the recording of the new album. It was also in these sessions that a handful of names and snippets of songs were released. Big If songs "Empty Street", "Hide", and "Hang You Up" were rumored to be reworked and featured on the new record ("Empty Street" ultimately did not make the cut). One of the first confirmed tracks on the new record, "See Me Smiling", was originally an instrumental demo Ryan Mendez wrote and recorded at his home studio, which he sent to the other band members. They decided to record it for the new record. The
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
is one of Key's favorite vocal parts in all of Yellowcard's library. "Sing For Me" was confirmed in the November issue of ''
Alternative Press Magazine ''Alternative Press'' is an American entertainment magazine primarily focused on music and culture, now based in Los Angeles, CA. It generally provides readers with band interviews, photos, and relevant news. It was founded in 1985 by Mike Shea ...
'', issue 269. The song is written from the perspective of Key's terminally ill aunt, Aunt Stephanie, who was mentioned in "Rock Star Land". The recording process finished on November 8, 2010. The band later announced the name and release date of the first single, "
For You, and Your Denial "For You, and Your Denial" is the first single from Yellowcard's seventh album ''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes'', released to iTunes on January 18, 2011. The song was the first to debut live from the new album, as the band debuted the song ...
". It was made available for purchase on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
and streaming at www.absolutepunk.net starting January 18, 2011. Also, the music video for this song was released. The second single, " Hang You Up", was released February 22. The new album released on March 22, 2011, on iTunes and CD. Yellowcard released dates for concerts for part of 2010 and the majority of 2011. The band toured with
All Time Low All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band too ...
throughout Europe in March 2011, around the same time that the album was released. On November 13, 2010, the band played its first show after coming back from hiatus at The Glass House in
Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyte ...
. This was the first time the whole band had played together since December 2007. During the show, Ryan Key revealed the name of the new record after insistent chants. The new record, he announced, was to be titled ''
When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes ''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes'' is the seventh studio album released by American rock band Yellowcard on March 22, 2011 under Hopeless Records. The album has received positive reviews. The album's title comes from a text message sent t ...
''. Shortly afterward, the group played the first single from the new record, "
For You, and Your Denial "For You, and Your Denial" is the first single from Yellowcard's seventh album ''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes'', released to iTunes on January 18, 2011. The song was the first to debut live from the new album, as the band debuted the song ...
". Responding to the apparent lack of Yellowcard's older work at The Glass House show, Key stated that it was to keep the energy up in the crowds. In addition to the Europe tour in March, Yellowcard announced a spring 2011 U.S. tour with
All Time Low All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band too ...
,
Hey Monday Hey Monday was an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album '' Hold On Tight'' in 2008, which produced the singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with the ...
, and
The Summer Set The Summer Set is an American rock band from Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. The band consists of lead vocalist Brian Logan Dales, guitarist John Gomez, bass guitarist Stephen Gomez, and drummer Jess Bowen. The Summer Set was signed to The ...
. In the late spring and early summer of 2011, Yellowcard participated in a brief U.S. tour with
Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (g ...
and
Runner Runner ''Runner Runner'' is a 2013 American crime thriller film directed by Brad Furman, written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien and starring Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton and Anthony Mackie. The film was released in the United S ...
. In June 2011, during an interview with Punkvideosrock.com, Ryan Key stated that the band would participate in a headlining tour in the fall of 2011. In fall 2011, the band headlined a U.S. tour with
Go Radio Go Radio is an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida, formed by former Mayday Parade vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Jason Lancaster in April 2007. The band toured with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, A Day to Remember, as well as Mayday Pa ...
and
Every Avenue Every Avenue is an American pop punk band from Marysville, Michigan, formed in 2003. The band consisted of David Ryan Strauchman (lead vocals, piano), Joshua Randall Withenshaw (lead guitar), Jimmie Deeghan (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Matt ...
(with whom Ryan Key had co-written two songs: "Girl Like That" (2009) and "Tie Me Down" (2011)). Ryan Key also recorded a song with Silverstein called "Stay Posi" for the ''Take Action! Vol. 10'' compilation. On October 24, 2011, Yellowcard released ''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes Acoustic''. This release was generally a surprise to the fan base, as it was announced only two days earlier during the group's show in Chicago (and sold following the show at the merchandise table). The album was streaming on Absolutepunk.net for one day and is now available on iTunes. In addition, the band mentioned that the record is available at select indie record stores. Beginning on November 28, 2011, and continuing into December, Yellowcard participated in a Co-Headlining a Tour with
Saves The Day Saves the Day is an American Rock music, rock band from Princeton, New Jersey, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Conley, guitarist Arun Bali, and bassist Rodrigo Palma. After forming under the nam ...
and supporting act
The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age story, coming-of-age situation comedy, comedy/Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol L. Black, Carol Black. It ran on American Broadcasting Company ...
. The tour stopped at several cities in the UK including
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
,
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, and London. Beginning around the holidays in mid-December, the band returned to the United States, completing more than a full year of touring.


''Southern Air'' and ''Ocean Avenue Acoustic'' (2012–2014)

Yellowcard announced at several shows in November 2011 that the group would be returning to the studio in early 2012 to record a new record. Ryan Key stated that the positive reception from ''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes'' and the overall positive energy that the band was generating was inspiration to begin writing again. The band had already begun to write material for the new record. On February 10, it was announced that all the new music had been demoed, and Key would start writing lyrics. On February 3, 2012, Sean O'Donnell posted a message on Yellowcard's website stating he was leaving the band because he was getting married and wanted to focus on his family. On the 17th of the same month, also on the band's website, it was announced that
Josh Portman Joshua "Josh" David Portman (born October 26, 1979) is an American musician who is best known for playing bass guitar for the rock band Yellowcard from February 2012 to March 2017. Since 1994, he has played bass and guitar in a number of well-kn ...
would be filling the spot as bassist. On March 2, Ryan Key posted a tweet to fellow musician
Alex Gaskarth Alexander William Gaskarth (born 14 December 1987) is an English-born American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary songwriter for the American rock band All Time Low since its formation in 2 ...
(from
All Time Low All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band too ...
), confirming one of the new tracks on the upcoming record was titled "The Surface of the Sun". On March 5, 2012, Yellowcard entered the studio to begin recording an album. The next day, the group broadcast part of its studio recording live. Ryan Mendez also stated in the live chat that there would be ten tracks on the new album. In a video posted by TheInsider.com on March 15, Key stated that one of the words in the album title was "Air". He also stated in the live studio feed that there would be a title track on the album and confirmed the existence of an entirely acoustic song named "Ten". Alex Gaskarth,
Cassadee Pope Cassadee Blake Pope (born August 28, 1989) is an American pop and country singer. She was the lead vocalist and songwriter of the pop band Hey Monday, with whom she released one studio album and two EPs. Pope embarked on a solo career in early ...
from
Hey Monday Hey Monday was an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album '' Hold On Tight'' in 2008, which produced the singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with the ...
, and
Taylor Jardine Taylor Kathleen "Tay" Jardine (born March 7, 1990) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the pop punk band We Are the In Crowd. Following the band announcing a hiatus in February 2016, Jardine began worki ...
from We Are the In Crowd were confirmed to be appearing as guest vocalists on the album. Yellowcard announced that it had finished the record on April 8, after five weeks of recording. On May 21, the first single from the album, " Always Summer", premiered on the website
AbsolutePunk ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to fea ...
and was available for free streaming. The next day, it was available for purchase on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
and
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
. On June 3, Absolute Punk announced the title of the new record as ''
Southern Air Southern Air Inc. was a global air cargo carrier headquartered in Florence, Kentucky. It was the first airline to provide ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance) service for the wide-body Boeing 777F. On November 17, 2021, Southern Air c ...
''. On June 12, Yellowcard announced the track listing for ''Southern Air''. Ryan Mendez later confirmed that the US release date would be August 14, and the Japan release date would be August 15. On June 28, during a commercial at the
X Games The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, ...
on
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, a clip from the track "Surface of the Sun" was heard. On July 11, Yellowcard released the opening track for ''Southern Air'', "Awakening". The lyric video of the song was released online via Hopeless Records. On July 15, the band confirmed that the next single would be called "Here I Am Alive", which was released on July 31. On July 19, the band members shared some of their thoughts about the album in the form of an online video, which also contained an acoustic version of the title track. On August 7, the full album was made available for streaming on YouTube under Hopeless Records. The "Here I Am Alive" music video featuring Tay Jardine premiered on August 14 on MTV. On August 21, acoustic versions of "Always Summer" and "Here I Am Alive" became available on Hopeless Records' YouTube channel. On September 26, Yellowcard released an acoustic version of "Telescope" on Hopeless Records' YouTube channel. Ryan Key and Longineu Parsons III performed an acoustic cover of
Mumford and Sons Mumford may refer to: *Amazing Mumford, a Muppet character on ''Sesame Street'' * ''Mumford'' (film), a 1999 American comedy-drama film * Mumford procedure, also called distal clavicle excision or distal clavicle resection, an orthopedic surgical pr ...
' song "
I Will Wait "I Will Wait" is a song by British rock band Mumford & Sons. The track was first released in the United States on 7 August 2012 as the lead single from the band's second studio album, ''Babel'' (2012). The song sold 153,000 copies in the United ...
" on the first show of Yellowcard's ''Southern Air'' tour, and the band continued to play it most nights. On December 10, the band released the music video for "Awakening" on MTV Buzzworthy. On December 6, Yellowcard's members announced that they were back in the studio. On May 3, 2013, the band confirmed rumors via
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
about the recording of an acoustic ''Ocean Avenue'' record in honor of the platinum album's 10th anniversary. On June 3, 2013, pre-orders were set up for '' Ocean Avenue Acoustic''. The album was released on August 13, 2013. The band also announced an ''Ocean Avenue Acoustic'' tour that fall with special guest Geoff Rickly of
Thursday Thursday is the Names of the days of the week, day of the week between Wednesday and Friday. According to the ISO 8601 international standard, it is the fourth day of the week. In countries which adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is the fi ...
. During the tour, the band performed "Paper Walls" live for the first time. On October 29, 2013, Yellowcard announced that the group would be releasing a cover of
Tony Sly Anthony James Sly (November 4, 1970 – July 31, 2012) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the front man of the punk rock band No Use for a Name. In his later years he also gained attention for his acousti ...
's song called "Already Won", which is included in ''The Songs of Tony Sly: A Tribute''. The band was also featured on a ''Punk Goes Christmas'' compilation with a cover of "Christmas Lights" by
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
. During January and February 2014, Yellowcard completed a second leg of the ''Ocean Avenue Acoustic'' across the United States in cities that the group had not previously performed; the tour was supported by What's Eating Gilbert. At various shows during the tour and on the members personal social media accounts, the band members began stating that they had been writing new music and would be returning to the studio that year.


Longineu Parsons III departure and ''Lift a Sail'' (2014–2015)

On February 12, 2014, it was announced that Yellowcard would be playing the entire 2014 Vans Warped Tour. On March 13, 2014, the band announced that drummer and founding member Longineu Parsons III had left the band. On March 20, Yellowcard announced it had left
Hopeless Records Hopeless Records is an American independent record label in Van Nuys, California. History Hopeless Records was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-ha ...
after three years and three albums to sign a worldwide multi-album deal with
Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...
. It was then announced that a new record would be released in the fall of 2014. On March 24, the band announced that Nate Young from
Anberlin Anberlin is an American alternative rock band formed in Winter Haven, Florida in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band consists of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, an ...
would be playing drums on the new album and on April 14, further confirmed that he would perform with the band at the Warped Tour. On August 4, 2014, Yellowcard announced that the next album would be titled ''
Lift a Sail ''Lift a Sail'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. This was the band's first album without drummer Longineu W. Parsons III, who left the band in March 2014. Background On March 13, 2014, it was announced that drummer Long ...
''. On the same day, the Yellowcard Twitter account linked to a post from AbsolutePunk.net which revealed the album's artwork and track list. The album would have 13 tracks. Also on August 4, the band announced a co-headline tour with Memphis May Fire, with special guests
Emarosa Emarosa ( ) is an American rock band formed in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2006. The band currently consists of lead guitarist and founding member ER White and lead vocalist Bradley Walden, who joined the band in 2013. The group has undergone severa ...
. The tour would take place across the U.S. in the fall of 2014 and would begin the week after the album was released. On the 28th of the same month, it was announced that Tucker Rule, formerly of the band Thursday, would be drumming on the tour. On August 19, 2014, Yellowcard released the first single, "One Bedroom", as the lead single taken from ''Lift a Sail'', which would be released October 7, 2014. Yellowcard toured the UK with
Less Than Jake Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Matt Yonker (drums), Buddy Schaub (trombone), and Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxoph ...
in the spring of 2015 and Australia with
Mayday Parade Mayday Parade is an American Rock music, rock band from Tallahassee, Florida. Their debut EP ''Tales Told by Dead Friends'' was released in 2006, and sold over 50,000 copies without any label support. In July 2007, Mayday Parade released their de ...
in the summer of 2015. The band toured the U.S. with
New Found Glory New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocal ...
from October 18 to November 22, 2015. The group played one more show on December 13, 2015, in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, where singer Ryan Key hinted that the band would be working on a new album in 2016.


Eponymous final album and break-up (2016–2017)

On February 24, 2016, Hopeless Records announced that Yellowcard had rejoined the label and that the band was recording an album, which was to be released in late 2016. Nate Young was confirmed to be playing drums on the new record. On April 6, 2016, Ryan Key confirmed on his Twitter account that the name of one of the new tracks would be "I'm a Wrecking Ball", which was written and demoed in 2008 with Ryan Mendez and Dan McLintock. On June 7, 2016, the band announced on Facebook that its new album would be self-titled; ''
Yellowcard Yellowcard is an American rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1997 and was based in Los Angeles beginning in 2000. The band is recognized for having a distinct sound in their genre, primarily due to the prominent use of a violin ...
'' was released on September 30, 2016. On June 24, 2016, the band released the lead single off of the album titled "Rest In Peace". On August 17, 2016, the music video for "The Hurt Is Gone" was released. On March 22, 2016, it was announced that Yellowcard would be playing the entire 2016 Vans Warped Tour. On June 25, 2016, the band announced on its website that the group would be breaking up after a final tour, stating: "Please come and join us on our last trip around the globe. We hope to share this final record and tour with each and every one of you." The tour continued to the United Kingdom in December 2016, an Australian tour in February 2017, then one last string of US dates on the west coast in March. The group announced that Jimmy Brunkvist from Like Torches would fulfill drumming duties for the final touring cycle. On March 21 and 22, the band played make-up shows to sold-out crowds in
Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
, and
Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...
, respectively. The band played their final show on March 25, 2017, at the House Of Blues in
Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
, California. On April 12, 2017, the final music video, "A Place We Set Afire" was released.


Reunion (2022–present)

Yellowcard reunited on September 17, 2022 at Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois. The set featured a full play through of the album ''Ocean Avenue'' as well as a handful of other songs. On September 26, the band announced they would be playing Slam Dunk Festival in May 2023. Additionally the band announced they would be playing at the When We Were Young Festival on October 21, 2023.


Musical style

Yellowcard's musical style has mainly been described as
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
,
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
, and
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
.


Controversies

Yellowcard came into controversy in 2019, when members of the ''Lights and Sounds'' lineup collaboratively sued rapper
Juice Wrld Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was a leading figure in the emo rap and So ...
for reportedly $15 million, claiming that his song "
Lucid Dreams A lucid dream is a type of dream in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming while dreaming. During a lucid dream, the dreamer may gain some amount of control over the dream characters, narrative, or environment; however, this is n ...
" plagiarized the melody of their song "Holly Wood Died". The band recruited lawyer Richard Busch, who was best known for representing the estate of
Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...
during the "Blurred Lines" case. Busch's law firm however claimed that the $15 million value was "falsely reported", and that the members “are simply seeking what the law allows, and what parties in their position have sought in similar cases, which at this point is not determined.” The controversy intensified when the members chose to continue the lawsuit after the rapper died later that year. Busch did highlight that the members had incredibly mixed emotions about continuing the lawsuit.
“My clients are certainly torn about proceeding, and understand the optics involved. But it is important to remember that this lawsuit was filed before this tragic event, and was filed because all of the defendants (and there are two other writers and several music publishers and record labels), profited off of what we believe was clear copying and infringement of Yellowcard’s work.” - Richard Busch
Yellowcard ultimately chose to drop the lawsuit in 2020 after Juice Wrld's mother became the representative of his estate. Busch stated that the band was “very sympathetic not only of Juice WRLD’s death, but also needed time to decide whether they really wanted to pursue the case against his grieving mother as the personal representative of his estate.” He also noted however that the case could be refiled if the band were to change their minds.


Band members


Current lineup

*
Ryan Key William Ryan Key (born December 17, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the pop punk band Yellowcard. He is the owner/operator of a recording studio in Jacksonvil ...
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
(1999–2017, 2022–present),
rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
(2000–2017, 2022–present),
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
(2002–2017), bass (2002–2003; 2004–2010),
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
(1997) * Sean Mackin
violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
,
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
and occasional
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
(1997–2017, 2022–present * Ryan Mendez –
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
, backing vocals (2005–2017, 2022–present), bass (2005–2010) *
Josh Portman Joshua "Josh" David Portman (born October 26, 1979) is an American musician who is best known for playing bass guitar for the rock band Yellowcard from February 2012 to March 2017. Since 1994, he has played bass and guitar in a number of well-kn ...
– bass, backing vocals (2012–2017, 2022–present; touring 2007–2010)


Session/Live members

*
Tucker Rule Thursday is an American post-hardcore band, formed in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1997. The band currently consists of Geoff Rickly (lead vocals), Tom Keeley (lead guitar, backing vocals), Steve Pedulla (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Tim P ...
drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
(2014–2015) * Nate Young – drums (2014–2016, 2022;
Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
, ''
Lift a Sail ''Lift a Sail'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. This was the band's first album without drummer Longineu W. Parsons III, who left the band in March 2014. Background On March 13, 2014, it was announced that drummer Long ...
'' and ''
Yellowcard Yellowcard is an American rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1997 and was based in Los Angeles beginning in 2000. The band is recognized for having a distinct sound in their genre, primarily due to the prominent use of a violin ...
'')
* Rob Chianelli – drums (2016 European Festivals) *
Cyrus Bolooki New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing voca ...
– drums (2016
Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
)
* Jimmy Brunkvist – drums (2016–2017; Final World Tour)


Former members

* Longineu W. Parsons III – drums,
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
(1997–2014) *
Ben Harper Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live perfo ...
– lead guitar (1997–2005) *
Peter Mosely Peter Michael Mosely (born June 6, 1980) is an American rock musician. He is one of the two guitarists and vocalists and the pianist for the American punk rock band Inspection 12, as well as the former bassist for the American pop punk band Yel ...
– bass, piano, backing vocals (2004–2007; touring 2002–2003) * Sean O'Donnell – bass, backing vocals (2010–2012) * Todd Clary – rhythm guitar (1997–2000) * Warren Cooke – bass, backing vocals (1997–2002) * Ben Dobson – lead vocals (1997–1999) * Alex Lewis – bass, backing vocals (2003–2004)


Timeline

ImageSize = width:700 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:110 bottom:120 top:0 right:15 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1997 till:05/12/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1997 ScaleMinor = increment:2 start:1997 Colors = id:lvocals value:red legend:Lead_Vocals id:lguitar value:teal legend:Lead_Guitar id:rguitar value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_Guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:piano value:purple legend:Piano id:violin value:drabgreen legend:Violin id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_Vocals id:lines value:black legend:Studio_Album id:lines2 value:gray(0.75) legend:Extended_Play id:bars value:gray(0.93) Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 BackgroundColors = bars:bars ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1997 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1997 LineData = at:04/01/1997 color:lines layer:back at:07/20/1999 color:lines layer:back at:04/17/2001 color:lines layer:back at:07/22/2003 color:lines layer:back at:01/24/2006 color:lines layer:back at:07/17/2007 color:lines layer:back at:03/22/2011 color:lines layer:back at:08/14/2012 color:lines layer:back at:10/07/2014 color:lines layer:back at:09/30/2016 color:lines layer:back at:01/01/2000 color:lines2 layer:back at:04/22/2002 color:lines2 layer:back BarData = bar:BenD text:"Ben Dobson" bar:RyanK text:"Ryan Key" bar:BenH text:"Ben Harper" bar:RyanM text:"Ryan Mendez" bar:Todd text:"Todd Clary" bar:Warren text:"Warren Cooke" bar:Alex text:"Alex Lewis" bar:Peter text:"Pete Mosely" bar:SeanO text:"Sean O'Donnell" bar:Josh text:"Josh Portman" bar:Longineu text:"Longineu Parsons" bar:SeanM text:"Sean Mackin" PlotData= width:13 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:BenD from:01/01/1997 till:10/01/1999 color:lvocals bar:RyanK from:01/01/1997 till:02/01/1997 color:bvocals bar:RyanK from:10/01/1999 till:03/01/2017 color:lvocals bar:RyanK from:06/01/2000 till:03/01/2017 color:rguitar width:3 bar:RyanK from:07/20/2002 till:03/01/2017 color:piano width:7 bar:RyanK from:07/20/2002 till:02/15/2003 color:bass width:9 bar:RyanK from:03/01/2004 till:10/17/2007 color:bass width:9 bar:RyanK from:10/17/2007 till:08/01/2010 color:bass width:9 bar:RyanK from:05/09/2022 till:end color:lvocals bar:RyanK from:05/09/2022 till:end color:rguitar width:3 bar:SeanM from:01/01/1997 till:03/01/2017 color:violin bar:SeanM from:01/01/1997 till:03/01/2017 color:bvocals width:3 bar:SeanM from:05/09/2022 till:end color:violin bar:SeanM from:05/09/2022 till:end color:bvocals width:3 bar:Longineu from:01/01/1997 till:03/13/2014 color:drums bar:Todd from:01/01/1997 till:06/01/2000 color:rguitar bar:BenH from:01/01/1997 till:08/06/2005 color:lguitar bar:RyanM from:08/06/2005 till:03/01/2017 color:lguitar bar:RyanM from:08/06/2005 till:03/01/2017 color:bvocals width:3 bar:RyanM from:08/06/2005 till:08/01/2010 color:bass width:9 bar:RyanM from:05/09/2022 till:end color:lguitar bar:RyanM from:05/09/2022 till:end color:bvocals width:3 bar:Warren from:01/01/1997 till:07/16/2002 color:bass bar:Warren from:01/01/1997 till:07/16/2002 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Peter from:03/01/2004 till:10/17/2007 color:bass bar:Peter from:03/01/2004 till:10/17/2007 color:piano width:9 bar:Peter from:03/01/2004 till:10/17/2007 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Alex from:03/10/2003 till:03/01/2004 color:bass bar:Alex from:03/10/2003 till:03/01/2004 color:bvocals width:3 bar:SeanO from:08/01/2010 till:02/03/2012 color:bass bar:Seano from:08/01/2010 till:02/03/2012 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Josh from:02/17/2012 till:03/01/2017 color:bass bar:Josh from:02/17/2012 till:03/01/2017 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Josh from:05/09/2022 till:end color:bass bar:Josh from:05/09/2022 till:end color:bvocals width:3


Discography

;Studio albums *''Midget Tossing'' (1997) *''
Where We Stand ''Where We Stand'' is the second studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. It was released in 1999 (and re-released in 2004 and 2005). It was released by Takeover Records, a label created by one of the band's guitarists, Ben Harper. Thi ...
'' (1999) *''
One for the Kids ''One for the Kids'' is the third studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. It was released on April 3, 2001 on Lobster Records and is the first Yellowcard album to include Ryan Key as lead singer and guitarist. It was produced, engineered a ...
'' (2001) *'' Ocean Avenue'' (2003) *''
Lights and Sounds ''Lights and Sounds'' is the fifth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Yellowcard, released on January 24, 2006, in the United States through Capitol Records. ''Lights and Sounds'' is Yellowcard's first concept album, which was inspire ...
'' (2006) *''
Paper Walls ''Paper Walls'' is the sixth studio album by American pop punk band Yellowcard, released on July 17, 2007. This is also the first Yellowcard album with Ryan Mendez, their last with Peter Mosely, and their last studio album to be released through C ...
'' (2007) *''
When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes ''When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes'' is the seventh studio album released by American rock band Yellowcard on March 22, 2011 under Hopeless Records. The album has received positive reviews. The album's title comes from a text message sent t ...
'' (2011) *''
Southern Air Southern Air Inc. was a global air cargo carrier headquartered in Florence, Kentucky. It was the first airline to provide ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance) service for the wide-body Boeing 777F. On November 17, 2021, Southern Air c ...
'' (2012) *''
Lift a Sail ''Lift a Sail'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. This was the band's first album without drummer Longineu W. Parsons III, who left the band in March 2014. Background On March 13, 2014, it was announced that drummer Long ...
'' (2014) *''
Yellowcard Yellowcard is an American rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1997 and was based in Los Angeles beginning in 2000. The band is recognized for having a distinct sound in their genre, primarily due to the prominent use of a violin ...
'' (2016)


References


External links


Official website

Audio: interview with Ryan Key
at
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
* {{Authority control Capitol Records artists Pop punk groups from Florida Hardcore punk groups from Florida Alternative rock groups from Florida Musical groups from Jacksonville, Florida Musical groups established in 1997 Musical groups disestablished in 2008 Musical groups disestablished in 2017 Musical groups reestablished in 2010 Hopeless Records artists 1997 establishments in Florida Musical groups reestablished in 2022 American punk rock groups