After reuniting in September 2022 to end a five-year break, Yellowcard has enjoyed a memorable 2023: the pop-rock veterans released their first new project in seven years, the Childhood Eyes EP, this summer, right around the time they celebrated the 20th anniversary of their beloved 2003 album, Ocean Avenue. That breakthrough full-length included hits like “Ocean Avenue,” “Way Away” and “Only One,” and became the first of their seven albums to reach the top 40 of the Billboard 200.
Yellowcard will bring their hits to Las Vegas this weekend as part of When We Were Young, the huge pop-punk and emo festival that is back for its second year beginning on Saturday (Oct. 21). Green Day and Blink-182 will be headlining in 2023, and Yellowcard will be sharing a stage that also includes The Offspring, Good Charlotte and 5 Seconds of Summer, among others.
Ahead of When We Were Young — and a 2024 that promises to keep fans of their toes — Yellowcard leader Ryan Key checked in with Billboard about the band’s recent EP, future plans and more, in this edition of 20 Questions:
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- What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?
Michael Jackson’s Bad on CD.
- What was the first concert you attended?
New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men at the Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum.
- What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid?
My dad was general manager / vice president of a car dealership and my mom was a mom.
- Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?
My mom was a huge source of support for me as a kid and encouraged my creativity, but actually my high school theater teacher, Michael Higgins, made me realize I could be an artist.
- What’s at the top of your professional bucket list?
The very top? To one day sit at the Oscars, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score. When I’m not touring with Yellowcard these days, I’m working towards furthering my career in film scoring.
- How did your hometown/city shape who you are?
The most influential part of my upbringing in Jacksonville, Florida was attending Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. I feel like most people don’t look back very fondly on their high school experience but mine transformed my life.
- What’s the last song you listened to?
I just walked downstairs from the studio, and the Imperial March from Star Wars was playing.
- If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?
Nirvana.
- What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen happen in the crowd of one of your sets?
2006 – Brazil. Mix Festival in Sao Paulo, 50,000 people in attendance. The entire place was a giant mosh pit, and in the middle of it, the fans made a human pyramid that was 3 people high and hoisted a Brazilian flag with a Yellowcard logo in the middle of it. It was iconic and I’ll never forget it.
- How did the pandemic affect your creative process?
When I lost the ability to tour, I was pretty scared. At that point I didn’t know that Yellowcard would ever be a part of my life again, so losing the ability to play shows on my own made the future and my income really uncertain. In the end, the pandemic turned out to be a strangely positive experience for me though, because it taught me how to take my professional life online, and I built a community with fans like I’d never had before.
- What was the reception like to Yellowcard’s Childhood Eyes EP upon its July release?
Overwhelmingly positive. We were all amazed by the outpouring of support and love for the new songs.
- How did the EP capture where the band might be headed next?
We hoped that, with this EP, we were able to rediscover the core sound of the band while also representing who we are now. I think we found exactly the direction we were looking for, and if we do any more new music, we’ll continue down that path.
- Yellowcard is playing When We Were Young this weekend. What are you most looking forward to about the festival?
Watching Blink-182 and Green Day play two-hour sets each night.
- When We Were Young exploded last year, with some industry members surprised at the demand for a major pop-punk/alternative/emo festival. What do you think the overall reaction to the festival says about where that sound is at?
I think it’s incredibly encouraging for bands like Yellowcard, who are realizing how much life there is left in our careers.
- You’ve toured with a lot of the When We Were Young bands. Have you been able to stay in touch with many of them over the years?
Yes – some of my oldest and closest friends will be in Las Vegas, and I think we are all looking forward to recreating the Warped Tour environment and supporting each other.
- What’s one thing your most devoted fans don’t know about Yellowcard?
The chorus melody and lyric on “Honest From the Jump” (from our recent Childhood Eyes EP) was taken note for note from one of my solo compositions recorded back in 2020, from a song called “Brighton.” You can hear it on my EP, Everything Except Desire.
- What’s your karaoke go-to?
“Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer.
- What movie, or song, always makes you cry?
“Evaporated” by Ben Folds Five.
- What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
Get started making electronic music much earlier.
- What can Yellowcard fans look forward to in 2024 and beyond?
Everything is top-secret right now, but we have some amazing plans for next year. Fans can follow us on social media to make sure they don’t miss future announcements.