Combining punchy emo-punk and sweeping, violin-led alternative rock, Yellowcard's distinctive sound has helped make the Jacksonville, Florida band one the more popular acts to emerge from the fertile 2000s pop-punk scene. The group found mainstream success in 2003 after their fourth album, Ocean Avenue, went platinum on the strength of the chart-topping title cut. Yellowcard issued ten albums, including Billboard-charting efforts like Lights and Sounds (2005), Paper Walls (2007), and Southern Air (2012), before ceasing operations in 2016. Returning from a seven-year hiatus, the band issued the EP Childhood Eyes in 2023, followed by the 2024 collaboration A Hopeful Sign with the post-rock duo Hammock. Yellowcard formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997 but didn't solidify their lineup until a move to Southern California in early 2000. Comprised of vocalist/guitarist Ryan Key (who had briefly played with Cali-based Craig's Brother), backing vocalist/violinist Sean Mackin, guitarist Ben Harper, drummer Longineu Parsons, and bassist Warren Cooke, the band officially debuted on wax in 2001 with One for the Kids (Lobster) and returned a year later with the Underdog EP on Fueled by Ramen. The group had a big year in 2003, replacing Cooke with Pete Mosely (of Inspection 12), signing with Capitol, issuing Ocean Avenue on the label, and heading out for a series of Warped Tour dates, with the recently added Mosely replaced by Alex Lewis. Fall and winter found Yellowcard hitting clubs with acts like Matchbook Romance and Less Than Jake. In late 2004, Ocean Avenue was certified double platinum by the RIAA, and singles such as "Way Away," "Only One," and the title track continued to impact MTV and Top 40 radio for the rest of the year. The same year, Lewis was given his walking papers when Mosely approached the band about rejoining. Yellowcard's sophomore effort, Where We Stand, was reissued in June 2005 and Lights and Sounds was released in early 2006. Though ultimately not as well-received by fans as prior albums, Lights and Sounds entered the Billboard 200 at number five upon its first week of release, and earned the number one spot on the Alternative Album chart, quickly gaining momentum on the 2.5-million-selling Ocean Avenue. Meanwhile, founding member Harper (who also runs Takeover Records) left the group amid some band controversy and was replaced by Staring Back guitarist Ryan Mendez. The band returned to the studio later that year and went to work on its fifth full-length, Paper Walls, which was released in July 2007. In 2008, the bandmembers announced they would be going on an indefinite hiatus, leaving Capitol Records. After recharging their batteries for a couple of years, Yellowcard signed with Hopeless Records and in 2011 released When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes. One year later, they returned with their eighth studio album, Southern Air. Featuring guest appearances from All Time Low's Alex Gaskarth, Hey Monday's Cassadee Pope, and We Are the In Crowd's Taylor Jardine, the album included the alt radio hits "Surface of the Sun," "Awakening," and "Here I Am Alive." Ahead of the tenth anniversary of Ocean Avenue, Yellowcard announced that an acoustic reinterpretation of the album would be issued in August 2013 and that a celebratory world tour would follow. Longtime drummer Longineu W. Parsons III left the group ahead of the release of 2014's well-received Lift a Sail, which was issued by Razor & Tie. At the beginning of 2016, the band announced the arrival of their tenth studio album. The eponymous effort was their last, with the group calling it quits after a worldwide tour in support of the release. Yellowcard returned to the stage in 2022, performing at Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois. The re-formation resulted in a string of studio dates and the release of the 2023 EP Childhood Eyes, the group's first new music in seven years. A Hopeful Sign, a collaboration with post-rock duo Hammock, arrived in early 2024 and featured nine previously released Yellowcard songs reworked with new instrumentation. ~ Johnny Loftus & James Christopher Monger, Rovi

Guy Davis

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