Artist Profile: Yellowcard

Today's Artist Profile is on a band that I discovered the summer before I went to college, Yellowcard. Yellowcard were formed in 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida and the band consists of Ryan Key on lead vocals and guitar, Sean Mackin on violin and backup vocals, Ryan Mendez on lead guitar, Sean O'Donnell on bass, and Longineu Parsons on drums. The band's name is derived from the term "Yellow card" that is used in soccer when an player is penalized for a serious rules infraction, and also from the fact that the members of the group are huge soccer fans. Longineu and Sean met each other while attending the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, and had a different lineup when they released their debut album Midget Tossing in 1997. The album had a more hardcore punk sound starting out, but their sound changed when Ryan Key joined the group and took over the reigns as lead singer in 2000, just in time for the band's next release, Where We Stand. This release featured a more straightforward pop-punk sound that was slowly starting to become popular around the Florida area. Their third release, One For The Kids followed a year later and The Underdog EP followed in 2002. It was shortly after the EP's release that the band signed with Capitol Records and immediately began work on their major label debut, Ocean Avenue. This album came out in 2003 and slowly became an immediate success with both devoted and new members of their fanbase, producing incredible tracks like "Way Away" the monster smash "Ocean Avenue", and "Only One". The album eventually reached platinum status and the band undertook a national tour in support of the release that was very successful as well.

The band later went into the studio to begin work on their next album, Lights and Sounds which was released in early 2006. This album had a decidedly darker, more abrasive feel than their prior material and therefore wasn't as well received as its predecessor was, but it did produce some memorable tracks in the form of my favorite YC song "Lights and Sounds" and "Rough Landing, Holly". The album reached gold certification and the band went on tour to support the album after its release. The band then hunkered down to begin work on their follow up album Paper Walls, which came out a year later. Again, this album fell short of expectations both from fans and critics who were expecting a more return to form sound for the band, but they fell short again this time around yet produced a solid track in the form of "Light Up The Sky". In 2008, the band announced that they would be going on indefinite hiatus and the members retreated into a non-musical lifestyle, deciding that they would return if and when the time is right. The band emerged from their hiatus in 2010 and began work on their first release in 4 years, When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes released earlier this year on their new label Hopeless Records. The album was the nostalgic, return to form effort that fans and critics were clamoring for, and gave way to awesome tracks like "For You and Your Denial" and "Hang You Up". The band embarked on a co-headlining tour with All Time Low this past spring and are in the midst of a summer excursion that will take them across the country. I had the pleasure of catching them on their spring tour with All Time Low and it was like an immediate blast from the past for me. Just seeing a band that I had waited so long to finally see in concert brought back so many positive memories from back in the day and it felt like a revisit to the spirit of my youth that was coming back full circle for me.

This wraps up my 4 month recap of all the artists that have helped shape and define my musical experience. For those of you keeping track, here's a look back at all those artists:

311
All Time Low
Brand New
Coheed & Cambria
Death Cab For Cutie
Eminem
Foo Fighters
Green Day
Incubus
Jimmy Eat World
The Killers
The Mars Volta
Nirvana
The Offspring
Paramore
Radiohead
The Starting Line
Taking Back Sunday
Underoath
Vampire Weekend
Weezer
Yellowcard

If you would like to share some of your favorite musical artists (one from each letter of the alphabet), comment on this post and share some of the musicians who have helped shape who you are today!