Put aside the usual pigeonholes, things like style and genre classifications - it takes much more for a band to really make a personal connection with people. Yellowcard understands this. The Ventura-based punk quintet (by way of Jacksonville, Florida), have made that direct musical connection in each of the hundreds of shows they've played at all-ages, punk nights, rock dives, school events, suburban VFW halls, living rooms, back yards and any of the other places they play more than 200 nights a year.

It's a mature insight for five guys who don't take themselves too seriously, but then Yellowcard is not your typical young punk band. They created a powder keg of affecting, personal and explosive rock.

Yellowcard formed in 1997 but quickly made some lineup changes. Current singer Ryan Key was friends with most of the band from their high school days in Jacksonville, Florida. He and Sean Mackin, in particular, were close friends and both enrolled at Florida State University after graduating.

Key dropped out of college after only half a year, moving to Santa Cruz to follow his heart and make music. He played with a couple of punk bands in California and Florida but nothing really stuck. Yellowcard guitarist Ben Harper saw one of Key's band practices and quickly extended an invitation to him to jam with the rest of the band - as luck would have it, they had jettisoned their current singer and were looking for a replacement.

"We started playing some songs I had written," remembers Key, "and it all just clicked. Sean and I had always been really tight and I had a good relationship with the rest of the guys. It just seemed to work very naturally somehow."

Yellowcard was now a complete band and Key convinced the band that they needed to move from Florida to Southern California to have a real shot of catching their aspirations. They would move to Ventura County and quickly find their collective voice together, playing many of the songs Key wrote on his own before joining the group. Most of these were recorded on their debut album, "One For The Kids" (Lobster Records), released in 2001, and the 2002 follow-up, "The Underdog EP" (Fueled By Ramen Records). Both releases received favorable reviews and genuine buzz, particularly for the group's upbeat, honest music. "Ocean Avenue," Yellowcard's debut for Capitol Records, was produced by Neal Avron and mixed by Tom-Lord-Alge.

"We're definitely a positive band," says Key. "We want to take experiences in our life and use them in a productive way, to encourage people not to let anybody tell them what to do with their life." Ocean Avenue offers a passionate brand of upbeat punk - but with a twist, complementing the standard band setup with the exotic (by rock standards, anyway) inclusion of a violin as a rhythm instrument, played by Sean Mackin. It makes their songs stand out.

Key says, "I write the verses and the chorus and then let the band take it from there. They come up with any new kind of rhythms or chord structures that they can to just make the songs more interesting, to make them better. It's a very equal-parts thing that comes out really strong."

Indeed, it's that kind of wise-beyond-their-years sensibility that has helped Yellowcard stand out from the pack. In 2002, they joined the West Coast leg of the famed Warped Tour, a breakout stint for the band, and they soon used their newfound buzz to land spots on tours opening up for revered punks like No Use For A Name, Lagwagon and Less Than Jake.

"It's awesome to know we sacrificed and followed our hearts to end up where we are right now," says Key. "We definitely feel lucky, but we've worked hard as hell to make that luck happen."

Yellowcard members are --

• Ryan Key - vocals, guitars
• Sean Mackin - violin, vocals
• Ryan Mendez - guitar
• Longineu Parsons - drums
• Pete Mosely - bass, vocals

Hit songs include --

• Lights and Sounds
• Ocean Avenue
• Only One
• Way Away
• Rough Landing, Holly
• Light Up The Sky

Other notable songs include --

• View From Heaven
• Breathing
• Only One

Yellowcard may be available for your next special event

For booking information, click HERE!