Interview with Yellowcard

With Sean Mackin & Longineu W. Parsons III - interviewer Pascal Biermann . 02/16/06 . Cologne/ Germany

Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue

Punk76: Hey , how are you? How was the European-Tour so far?

Sean: It has been amazing. We haven’t played here since a hear and a half ago. The last time we played here, we supported New Found Glory and now we are playing headliner shows. The same size, even a little bit bigger.

Punk76: I realised that. You have grown pretty big since “Ocean Avenue”.

Sean: I know. It’s crazy!

Punk76: How is it being on a major label like Capitol records? I mean, you were signed to different independent labels before. First you were on Lobster then on Fueled By Ramen. How did you made it to those great labels?

Sean: Yeah, we were on Lobster Records and FBR but now in 2006 we are longer on Capitol Records than on any other indie label. We got signed to Lobster in 2000 and since 2002 we are on Capitol now. We’ve ben touring, touring and touring. Touring the whole year. And before we start to record our second album we get attention from Capitol, Warner, Isle and Def Jam, you know? They checked us out but we felt home on Capitol. They are very independent minded. They are more concentrated on the musician. It is more important than making a dollar, being on TV, wearing the right clothes... bla bla bla. All the crap that some major labels are worried about. We feel home on an major label with an independent character. You know, they have just worked as hard as we have.

Punk76: Nice point of view. I remember a show I have been two years ago. That was you, New Found Glory and Reggie And The Full Effect.

Sean: Yeah, It was Reggie. I forgot.

Punk76: And I stood there and at that time I only know two or three songs from the album and I was supprised. Very cool style of music- of course especially because of the the violins. How came the idea to play in a Punkrock-Band?

Sean: It wasn’t really an idea. I were on High School and was confronted with some guitar players and one day Yellowcard asked me to play a song. I started learning the guitar language and after I played one song for Yellowcard it started to be a regular thing. I started to write songs and so on. It never was some kind of a “ guest artist” involved into a normal kind of band. It also never was: "Hello, I play the violins in a band". It was always like: These are my frinds and we are hanging around and making music.

Punk76: Yeah I just asked because it is very new. I don´t know about any other Punk-Band which involved a violin-player in the band. Maybe they are scared.

Sean: Yeah maybe. Hopefully you like our music.

Punk76: Yes, of course! I’m not only your interviewer today- I’m also a big fan. But to me personally, I prefer the older records moew. “Ocean Avenue”, “One For The Kids” etc. What do you think are the differences between the old and the new record, which is called "Lights and Sounds"? Some people even think the record could be called “Ocean Avanue II”

Longineu: I think musically we make a big difference on the new album. Every instrument of every member comes out a little bit better. For example Sean has a whole orchestra piece. We put together a lot of material. The whole stuff is more keyboarded. The record goes from Jazz to Rock to Hardrock, Metal influences and whatever. Ocean Avenue was done at a time when we started to get out of our freshman situation of One For The Kids. We had not really much time. We put together the songs in three weeks and this time we spent a lot more time. We had a few months to put the stuff in gear. Another difference was, when we went to the studio for recording Ocean Avanue, we did not really know what we are doing. Most songs were written in the studio. For the new record we had the material at home- a few weeks before we started recording. We had a road map. This time we knew what we had to do. Not to forget the fact that with that extra time knowing what we wanna put on the record, we were able to do that much more to what we wanna to put on there. And from that point on we could modify it.

Sean: I hope that people feel that there is more in us. All the tons and all the themes all the Yellowcard flavours are there. We became more comfortable as a band. We have learned to write songs- I think more time-affectly. And we are just able to hopefully showecase the things that make our band different and better at all. Ocean Avenue had scratched the survice of how to make an album in studio, you know? We are still young musicians and we spent the last two years playing every day. We want to showcase the things that we have learned- how to write drum parts and how to write songs. The new one is not so clean and polish, rar and more naked like one guitar takes you through the whole song instead of layers and layers of perfected guitars, levels of vocal harmonies, choruses, backround vocals. It’s just us and that is what we wanna do for the next couple of years and hopefully people see that it is still us. We haven’t changed very much. I mean you hear a change but you hear that is still us.

Punk76: I assume, that this is the way how it’s going. You know the most people think that the new record must be better or must be something completely new.

Sean: As I said. I only whant to make the record more us. Lights and Sounds is more imperfect and more human that Ocean Avenue and less polish. We don’t wanna do a better record and follow the things which are out there.

Longineu: It is not better. It is only different.

Sean: Our aim was not to record Ocean Avenue II, but we wanted to go deeper.

Punk76: Will we hear more from the old or more from the new stuff tonight?

Sean: You said you are are a fan?

Punk76: Yes!

Sean: Then I won’t tell you! A mix of both. We put together a show on this European trip, whether you are a new Yellowcard fan or a very old Yellowcard fan, you will remember this evening for the rest of your life. Ryan will tell you more at show. The entire show is full of energy.

Punk76: What are you planning to do for this year. Touring Touring Touring or what? Do you have girlfriends?

Sean: Yes we have girlfriends. We will go back to the states for touring. We will have a college tour there and we are gonna to a north American tour and at the beginning of the summer and hopefully we get another headlining tour. We don’t have a time off, we keep touring in Asia. It is amazing how international we are now. We played Japan for four times but this year we will be in China. I’m very exited!

Punk76: Pascal: Will you play festivals in Germany?

Sean: I hope we will play on Rock am Ring and Rock im Park.

Punk76: Pascal: Cool, because until now I do not like the line-up. I thank you very much for the time you spent. It was very interesting. Good luck for the show!

Sean: Thank you man. Thanks for your ear! Hope you like the show!

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