YELLOW CARD

Yellow Card

Genre : pop punk/alternative/punk rock/Melodic Hardcore

Yellowcard is a pop punk band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and based in Los Angeles, California since 2000. Their music features the use of a violin, unusual for the genre. They are best-known for their songs "Ocean Avenue", "Only One", "Lights and Sounds", and "Light Up the Sky". The band announced their return from a two-year hiatus on August 2010 and is currently working on a new album.

Yellowcard was formed in 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida after meeting at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. The band released its first album, Midget Tossing, in 1997. The original members were vocalist Ben Dobson, guitarist/vocalist Todd Clary, bassist Warren Cooke, guitarist Ben Eric Harper, and drummer Longineu W. Parsons III ("LP"). While vocalist/violinist Sean Mackin was featured on some of the songs, he was not a full-fledged member yet, as he still objected to many of the band's messages.

Where We Stand, their second album, featured the same lineup as Midget Tossing, and Mackin was featured on more songs. Soon Ben Dobson was replaced by Ryan Key (vocals and rhythm guitar). Ryan Key was formerly in a California band called Craig's Brother. This changed the band's music style drastically, from hardcore punk to pop punk. It also changed most of their fan base, leaving them with a new beginning and a fresh start as a band.

In early 2000, the band recorded the Still Standing EP. Soon after Still Standing EP 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 their first recording contract in June 2000 and by November had headed west to Camarillo, CA to begin working on another full length album.

The group released their third album, One for the Kids (Lobster Records), in 2001 and followed up with The Underdog EP (Fueled by Ramen Records) in 2002. Both of these were well-received by fans. However, soon after The Underdog EP was released, Warren Cooke left the band due to personal reasons. The band then asked an old friend, Peter Mosely from Inspection 12, to play bass for them. Before Warren Cooke left, the band filmed an unreleased music video for the song "Powder". The video was later put on the enhanced version of the band's next album, Ocean Avenue.