Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and later based in Los Angeles, California in 2000, Yellowcard was a striving force in the pop punk community for twenty years. The band is known for its prominent use of the violin. The band’s revolving door of members featured Ryan Key, Sean Mackin, Ryan Mendez, Josh Portman, Longineu W. Parsons III, Peter Mosely, Sean O'Donnell, Ben Harper, Warren Cooke, Ben Dobson, Alex Lewis, and Todd Clary.
Yellowcard initially had a hardcore-punk sound as noticed in the albums Midget Tossing and Where We Stand, both featured original vocalist Ben Dobson. While not yet permanent members, Mackin and future member Ryan Key contributed backing vocals to the first album, Midget Tossing. However, the band fired Dobson before recording the Still Standing EP and hired Ryan Key as a vocalist. When original rhythm guitarist Tom Clary left, Key then took up both duties as vocalist and guitarist before recording the album One For The Kids. Both releases transcended the band into the pop-punk genre.
After releasing The Underdog EP, Yellowcard signed to Capitol Records and began recording their major label debut and breakout record Ocean Avenue. The album dropped in 2003 and saw major success for the band. Yellowcard toured endlessly until returning to the studio once again to record Lights And Sounds for a 2006 release. Unlike the previous summer jam Ocean Avenue, the concept record was a reflection piece of the band’s maturing and tense recording process. The band parted ways with lead guitarist Ben Harper and recruited Ryan Mendez of the band Staring Back. Yellowcard recorded and released Paper Walls in 2007. It showed a return to the band’s pop punk sound while incorporating the songwriting of the previous record. It was the last album to feature bassist Pete Mosely, who had a significance in the songwriting since Ocean Avenue, and it was the last album before the band’s hiatus in 2008.
Yellowcard reformed in 2010 and signed to Hopeless Records. They recorded and released their 2011 comeback, When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes. It is the only album to feature Sean O'Donell, whom which Key shared a side project with called Big If. The positive reception of the album and the band’s return encouraged the immediate follow-up in 2012, Southern Air. The album featured Hopeless label-mates Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low, Cassadee Pope from Hey Monday, and Taylor Jardine from We Are The In Crowd as guest vocalists. Josh Portman, while not on the album, became the band’s new bassist during the release after being a fill-in over the years. In 2013, Yellowcard released an acoustic renditions album of Ocean Avenue to commemorate the album’s 10th anniversary. The band did an acoustic tour playing the album in its entirety.
In 2014, the band went through yet another period of change. They parted ways with long-time drummer Longineu Parsons III, whose explosive drumming was another prominent factor in the band’s sound. In addition, Yellowcard left Hopeless Records and signed to Razor & Tie Records for the next album. Lift A Sail marked an extreme departure from pop punk for a more stadium rock sound. Nate Young of Amberlin provided drums on the album while Tucker Rule of Thursday joined Yellowcard as a touring drummer. When dealing with personal dilemmas in and outside of the band, Key has gone on record calling it the most “important” album they have made.
In 2016, Yellowcard began recording their next album at Key’s new studio, The Lone Tree Recordings, and announced their return to Hopeless Records. On June 24th of the same year, Yellowcard announced that the [self-titled album] would be their last. “Rest In Peace” was released the same day, with a music video featuring fan and professional photos of the band’s career. The band went on a final world tour in support of Yellowcard, with their final show on March 25, 2017 at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California. While Yellowcard has closed its doors, their music still lives on.