There was a relatively quick turn around between Lights and Sounds and Paper Walls, is there any particular reason for this?

Well, you know I had the surgery in May of last year on my vocal chords, and that sort of stopped the train from running for a little while. There were four weeks where I was absolutely mute – couldn’t speak at all. And I was really frustrated at that point, you know, with what was happening to my voice – so I had the surgery and then there was that time where I couldn’t speak; no press, no tour, nothing. So that was maybe the first time in a long time where I had some time to just stop and breathe. Time to myself. And so I used that time to think – because I couldn’t talk - and I suppose, in hindsight, that was maybe the best thing to ever happen for me or for Yellowcard. What it forced was a real sense of perspective – seeing where everything was at that point – and reevaluating our band and myself. Because around that time “Rough Landing Holly” went to radio and the video was done but we weren’t able to tour. And I can’t say if it was because people didn’t like the song, or because we weren’t touring, but things didn’t go anywhere. So, we had to sort of back-up and take a look at things – sort it out and then move on.

So when we could, we headed back out on tour that summer, in September, and this time when we went out, I feel that I went out with a completely new perspective. Maybe a better perspective than I’ve ever had on any of this – at anytime with Yellowcard. It was just a totally different headspace for me. And we were playing smaller shows, which lead to a feeling of acceptance, a feeling of “ok, this is where we are – let’s move on – things have happened but we can’t look back.”

And while I can’t speak for the entire band (which is sometimes hard in these one on one interviews) I can say that I, personally, had a great summer. I loved the shows we were playing – and everything. And while the “old” version of myself probably would have thought our career was over, and after we had worked so hard, and all that, I made a conscious choice not to act or feel that way. Instead I was able to enjoy it – enjoy playing music with my friends – and it may have been the first time in a long time I felt that way. And with that feeling in mind we talked as a band and felt that we didn’t need to take anytime off before putting the next album together. We had been writing as a band while on the road, especially during a lot of the international stuff, in the dressing rooms, things like that. Mainly we just had a bunch of riffs put together. I mean, Ryan (Mendez) is basically playing guitar – all of the time. And that makes it almost impossible not to write music. So we had a lot of riffs, not really whole songs, I think I had a couple songs done – “Keeper” was pretty far along and so was “Light the Sky” when we went into production. And we had enough pieces where we just felt, as a band, we should go in – you know? Just go and do it – fresh – and see what we come up with – and so we did.

So based a little off of that – Lights and Sounds may not have been as critically accepted as some of the band’s previous work. In hindsight – what are your thoughts on that album?

I suppose it depends how you look at “critically accepted” – I mean, when the album first came out, you could say, in many ways, for a variety of publications that it was released to critical acclaim. It depends what and where you read. For example, many publications that had sort of shunned the band before for - actually similar reasons I read in your review of the new album in reference to “pop-punk” - that very word - and I think some of those people came around and said, “oh this record is very different and it’s sort of taken them out of that genre.” And on the other side we have a lot of kids who were previously fans of the band, and they maybe didn’t like that. You know?

So I look at it like this – first, it’s hard to include One for the Kids in this analogy because that album was so different, we wrote it at 18, and so many of those songs came from like 3 other bands I had been in. So if you look at these three records (Ocean Ave., Lights and Sounds, and Paper Walls) you’ll find this: Ocean Avenue was a record that was very much about moving out and finding your place in the world and looking at everything that you wanted to be. Lights and Sounds was then a record that was about the realization that you had gotten lost. And where people grabbed onto Ocean Ave. and applied it to their lives – both in the music and the lyrics – Lights and Sounds was a record that came from a completely different perspective. It was completely introverted and came from – I wish I had a different word but I don’t – “darker” place. And I don’t think I ever expected everyone to grab on to those feelings – I think our hope was that maybe we had done something that could transcend the genre. And I really think you have to go through that – we can’t make the same record over and over again. We change as people and we feel our fans do too – they’ve grown with our band. Now you look at Paper Walls, which is very much a record of hope and finding yourself again. It’s after you’ve come through all of that – going to the height of it – and picking yourself back up again. And by “hitting rock bottom” I don’t mean in record sales or fame or any of that shit. I mean personally – emotionally.

So I suppose there was always the hope that we had done something great and maybe different – Sean and his arrangements on Lights and Sounds for example, was a huge undertaking. And I remember saying back when the album was about to come out that there were going to be some people that were alienated by the record. But that was necessary for our career and for me as a person to get those feelings and emotions behind me. Because, to not really get specific, I was not taking very good care of my body at that part of my life, falling into a lot of the common pitfalls that come with being in a rock band. And I think if I wouldn’t have made that record, Lights and Sounds, I wouldn’t have made it through it and came out of those pits and with a new feeling of hope. And now Paper Walls is the story, the feeling, of what it’s like to be out of those holes, looking back, no regrets, but smarter and having grown through them.

Some people have said that the new album has a sound that could be described as more “commercially viable,” for lack of a better term, how would you respond to such comments?

Sure, that is actually really easy to explain. When we finished the touring for Ocean Avenue we’d been out for maybe 19 or 20 months. So almost two years – no break – every night on the road. When we were done with that it was like, okay, I will see you guys later. And at the end of the cycle Pete and I had talked about moving to New York. It was something where we both realized we’d sort of be homeless at the end of the tour and we started talking – and we thought “well, we’re both 25 and single – let’s do it.” A lot of the music was conceived there. In a very dark place. Middle of the winter, I was pushing more limits on myself – both personally and emotionally – than I had ever done before, and so that was what we got. And then we came back out to LA to record, and you know it’s funny – the tracks we wrote and recorded with a full band in LA were “Lights and Sounds” and “Rough Landing, Holly” – the two, I guess, commercially viable songs. So if you look at the whole batch – it’s kind of telling that the two that we did as a whole band were I suppose the ones that were as you say “commercially viable” – if you want to call them that. You know what I mean?

And now “Paper Walls” was written – the five of us – together – in a room. So, I think what we find kind of relates to the phrase “commercially viable,” but, more so, what you’re really seeing is what Yellowcard actually is – as a band – as a whole. What we as a whole band sound like compared to Pete and I writing together in an apartment. And for me – I love “Lights and Sounds.” I love it because it was a challenge. Like, let’s see how far we can test and push ourselves musically and such. Things like “Two Weeks from Twenty” and the intro and outro to the record where we transposed the keys, all of that, was very challenging for us – and exciting. And if it was critically accepted, or commercially accepted, to us it didn’t really matter. And the album went gold. To be honest, if in today’s music industry you’re not happy with a gold record … hell, we have no guarantees or can’t say if even Paper Walls is going to even be able to do that, you know?

And I think “Lights and Sounds” really showed us a lot about ourselves, and helped us really define what Yellowcard is. And of course people are going to now say “Paper Walls” sounds kind of like “Ocean Ave.” and you know what? It does. Because that’s Yellowcard, as a five person group, all together – all the time. That’s the energy you get from that – and that’s the sound – that’s Yellowcard. Now if you were to take me out and I was to go off and write all by myself it would probably sound very different again. But circumstances being – we all wrote the album and I am really, really happy with it. I think it took all of this for me to find out what I really love about Yellowcard, and about being a part of Yellowcard. And a big part of “Paper Walls” was coming to a realization that we are pretty fucking good at writing three and a half minute pop songs. And there’s nothing wrong with that. We’re good at that – that’s our talent – I feel like we’ve been given that gift. Let’s just embrace that and make a record that is the best of our talents and the best of our abilities – and I think that’s what we were able to do. And I think the best thing about the record is that we drew on both records to take the melodic hooks and drive from “Ocean Ave.” and the more alternative rock stuff from “Lights and Sounds” to fuse them together and create “Paper Walls.”

You mentioned loving “Lights and Sounds” – a year from now do you believe you’ll love what you’ve created with “Paper Walls.”

Certainly, because I still love “Ocean Ave.” We play those songs every night and I don’t cringe at it. And that’s one of my favorite parts of the show – because I know that song speaks volumes about who I am. Therefore, when we play that song, even if it is for the five thousandth time, we still get that same energy and same feeling and it is almost like a hurricane hitting you on stage.

For example, when this really hit me was back when we were playing Bamboozle a little while ago and we had a real problem with our in-ear monitors. They were broken or something – not working. And so I hadn’t played a show without those in a long time – so there are some 20 thousand kids or whatever out there and for the first time in as long as I can remember … I can really hear them. I mean, really hear them. Hear the audience, naturally, and when we played “Ocean Ave.” it was fucking unreal. They were singing that so loud that it was mesmerizing. And that moment made me stop and realize this is everything, this is why I do this. And this record, these songs, are things that people can feel and react to in a similar manner – and I just know I’m going to love this fucking record forever.

Slightly off-topic, but have you read anything about the “band in a bubble”?

Nope. I just saw a preview for it yesterday actually.

Ok, well the rundown is a band (Cartel) was recording an album in a bubble in 20 days in New York and it all aired on MTV. I was just curious as to your thoughts on the project and if Yellowcard would ever participate in something like that?

You know you take things one day at a time with stuff like that. There are like a thousand offers and 999 of them you hope you never see because you have a great manager that looks through those things for you. And I don’t know that we would do something like that man, and I don’t want to sound like I’m talking shit or bashing what another band has chosen to do – but recording is one of the most personal times we have and one of the most personal times we, as a band, need. I don’t think we could do it under that large of a microscope. And you know, I don’t know what’s going to happen with this record – we sort of have a new direction and vision for what we want to do and where we want to go as a band. And we have this really strong “here we go” energy about the band and through the band right now. So I don’t know if we would do that Verizon thing again like with the last album or any of that. It seemed to make sense at the time – but did it help or hurt? I don’t really know. But now, I don’t think that makes as much sense to where we are as a band. I think, instead, we’re of a mindset that we really want to put our trust in us, and in these songs, and this album – more so than our “celebrity” or whatever you wanna call that whole thing.

So, do you mind if I ask a question about Ben (former guitarist)?

Well, you can, I don’t know what kind of answer I will give.

Well you don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to. Basically, since Ben’s departure from Yellowcard he’s appeared and then left two other bands (Amber Pacific and NHOI) – is there any felling of vindication from that?

You know what? I don’t want to feel vindicated. I don’t want to have any “see I told you so” moments. And the reason is that what happened between us was such a traumatic thing – and it’s still something I don’t want to spell out or even tell my “side” of the story because it’s very personal. However, I feel that the circumstances about what happened in the next two bands may have been very similar to what happened with us, minus the 10 years of history. And right now, I still feel the same as I did before, that I just really wish that he (Ben) would be able to get his life on track. And who knows, he may say that he does have it exactly where he wants it to be. But, I mean, dude, having Ryan (Mendez) here now, I can say that it’s not a “replacement” for Ben. It’s a fresh start.

And for the record, there is a song on the new album, “Five Becomes Four,” and just to clear it up – it is about Ben and myself and the band. Completely. And I don’t think I could have gotten through the recording process without touching on that subject. I think, and hope, that the way the song was written really explains the situation on as true of a level, emotionally, as I could have written it. And I guess people can look to that for answers. Because, I think the worst part of that whole thing were people taking sides. It was the whole “who was on whose” side – and no one except the five of us even knew what was going on. It was all hearsay. And it was all basically based on a little four question interview in Alternative Press magazine that was clipped into a feature on the band – and within that interview we were saying we didn’t want to comment and that there was no need to air that laundry … but then the magazine goes and gets Ben to comment. But I understand, that’s what they do, and that’s what you guys do. And so a lot of people based their information off of that. But it’s really hard dude, I’m not going to lie, it’s really hard. Especially during some of those months when I really wanted to just come out and say: this is what happened. But that’s not the right thing to do, and I still don’t believe it would be the right thing to do – and so that’s why I haven’t and I won’t.

So how was the recording process different with the inclusion of Ryan Mendez in the band?

Well, Ryan is a – ah fuck it I’m just going to say it – he’s a guitar geek. He’s on the internet, on ebay all the time looking up guitar stuff. You know? He can play “Master of Puppets” from beginning to end with his eyes closed – shit like that. He’s insane. And so on the road when we were touring it was next to impossible to not be writing songs almost all the time. Because he was always playing guitar. In the dressing room he’d have an acoustic guitar warming up – things like that. And there’s a video tape of us in the dressing room in Milan, Italy – hanging out, drinking, stuff like that. On the tape one of the guys on the road with us is walking around filming and throughout the entire thing you can just hear this shredding in the background. I mean, full on face melting – and it never stops. And this is a 25 or 30 minute tape – and it was Ryan in the backroom playing the whole time. And that sums up a day in the dressing room with Ryan. So we were always throwing ideas off each other. Then we get into the studio together and it was really cool to have someone that just wanted this – wanted this all – and was really hungry for these songs, to tour, to do all of this – and it really brought a great energy into the recording process. And I think that rubbed off and it really helped us charge forward.

So what would you like to say about “Paper Walls” and Yellowcard to everyone reading this?

Well, I think “Paper Walls” is such a definition of what we’ve been through and who we are. And we’ve had ups and downs, we’ve had a lot of bumps, but everything we do is for us to still prove to everyone that we still care. We love our fans. We are not in this because we want houses in the hills – we love being out there, playing shows, and love knowing that someone, anywhere, is moved by our songs. In addition, I already feel an energy building on this album and this particular set of songs. I really hope people react to them – and I just want everyone to give us a chance, or a second chance, or whatever – we are still here to do this for a long time. And a huge thank you to you guys, and all the readers of AbsolutePunk, we read the site everyday and everything that’s been going on over there is amazing.

Who would have thought?

Roughly a year and a half ago, we chatted with Sean Mackin (see Yellowcard In Lights And Sounds), violinist for Jacksonville, Florida's Yellowcard, about the band's then new album Lights And Sounds but it never did occur to us that the band had gone through their darkest moments while recording that album. According to Sean, it's has something to do with fame, each member losing their ways and in the process, building this invisible barrier amongst themselves.

But the good thing is, Yellowcard -- Sean on violin, vocals, Ryan Key on vocals, guitar; Peter Mosely on bass; Ryan Mendez on guitar; Longineu Parsons III on drums -- managed to come together as a team, unifying their love for the band and the music for their third major label release titled Paper Walls that's scheduled for release on July 17 in the U.S. Not only does the album mark the end of the dark days, it's also a testament by Yellowcard that with love and hope, anything can be conquered. It's a lesson to us all, as Sean revealed when we caught up with him when he and Ryan were on a promotional tour in Japan on June 13.

Hello Sean! This is the second time we are catching up! How are you?

I'm wonderful, thank you!

You and Ryan are in Japan right now. How are things?

It's beautiful! We love coming to Japan. We are doing a bit of a promotion and we are just so excited about the release of Paper Walls that we couldn't wait to do a little bit of work before the album release. We'll be coming back for the Fuji Rock Festival but we don't have any tours planned so early as the album isn't out yet. But hopefully, we will make it back here around winter time, maybe.

Speaking of the new album, it's only been a year since the release of the last album Lights And Sounds. Seems like you guys are pretty prolific these days!

Actually, Lights And Sounds was finished around May/June of 2005. And with the complexity of the record industry, it got pushed way back to January 2006. After Ryan had some sort of a physical mess-up with his vocal cords, it was just hiccups all the whole way. We toured as much as we could on the album and once Ryan had his surgery, we were very focused on writing a new album. We just came together as a team. Now we are just very excited to have a new album out.

Why the title Paper Walls?

We didn't really come together for a title for the album until it was pretty much done. "Paper Walls" is a song on the album and the theme behind it is that we were going up in Yellowcard but after having some success and a little bit more popularity in the spotlight, we were all putting a barrier in-between us with business and the record industry. Lights And Sounds sort of marked a dark time for Yellowcard. So after the recording of "Paper Walls," we noticed that we really came together, unifying as Yellowcard. The lyrics in "Paper Walls" suggest that we burn those barriers down, scrap everything and come together. That energy and that collaborative power really shine through on this Yellowcard album.

You mentioned that Lights And Sounds was a dark period because of the business stuff. How did you guys manage to resolve all the tension?

Lights And Sounds really marked an individual effort and development from each member of the band. We were very separated and each of us went through a difficult path of finding our ways. With Ocean Avenue, we came out on the scene and gained some popularity. We were reading about what people were saying about us and what we were but we never really had a chance to stand for ourselves. Paper Walls is the story of finding yourself again and standing on your own two feet. And we did that together. It's very important for us to have this chapter in our career and we are glad that we have Paper Walls that marks the end of this dark period and made us very focused for the future of Yellowcard.

Is that part of the reason why the record sounds more uplifting in a way?

A little bit. I think Ryan really wanted to be a little bit more honest. He wanted to apply what he learnt from sharing that honesty in Lights And Sounds but also add some of that hopefulness that Yellowcard always give to our listeners. In realizing a few different things from the evolution of the band, he realized that it's nice to have that hope back.

For the creative process, it was mentioned that Yellowcard went into the studio with no expectations of the record. In a way, was that easier for the band to write without any pressure from expectations?

It was frustrating at first. But once we were on the right track, it was definitely easy to make Paper Walls. I always say that I am so lucky and so privileged to have so many talented musicians in my own band. Once we were on the trail, it was very smooth-sailing for us.

Ryan Mendez also went from a touring guitarist to a full-time member for this album. Did he bring anything to the creative table?

Yes! He's all over the record! We are very grateful that he's a part of Yellowcard. He really embodies the musical passion that we always have in Yellowcard. It was a delight being able to work with him as a violinist. The ability to have such beautiful conversation between the violin and the guitar is just amazing. Prior to Yellowcard, Ryan was in a small band and most of his recordings were in a small studio or even in his bedroom. So for him to come in everyday and have this "kid in the candy store" vibe and eagerness to find the most beautiful guitar tone really rubbed off on us in a good way. Not to say we take it for granted, but we saw how lucky we are and that energy is apparent as well.

Did he sort of bring you guys back to the fond old days where everything was new and fresh?

I think there was a little bit of "back to the basics" type of feel. When we were recording Paper Walls, it was about being in a team and rediscovering ourselves as a band. It was just very exciting for us.

The band uploaded three new songs from the album on MySpace. Is there any significance for the song choice?

It's sort of like an appetizer for our fans. We have a very loyal internet community and we wanted to share some songs with our fans. We have great responses and our fans have been so supportive. We are very anxious right now because the album's been finished at the end of March and we just want to share Paper Walls with everyone. It's going to be release on July 17 and I believe July 11 in Japan.

I saw some video stills for "Light Up The Sky." Any clue to what the video is about?

I'll give you a little clue! Lisa Mann is the director and she has recently worked with The Used. This is a performance video and Lisa interpreted the song and did a beautiful job on it. She created this alternate reality where in the beginning it was very dark and then through the performance of the song, it brings color and light to this supposedly post-apocalyptic world.

Oh! Those are supposed to be colors. It sort of looked blood from the stills!

Yeah! I know! (Laughs) They are colors and it's really beautiful. We just saw the first cut of it and it looks amazing. We have never done a video like this very highly stylized sort of thing. It was a one day shoot so we flew through it. And we are so happy with the job that Lisa and her crew did.

Let's talk about some of the songs. "Fighting" comes across as really powerful and engaging. Any story behind it?

"Fighting" is about how Ryan's looking back on the darker times and seeing what people have taken away from him. It was him looking at the band and the team of people who worked with us, saying "Let's get it back! You can't do this to us!" It's very hopeful for all of us. I think you can definitely hear it in the delivery of his vocals.

There's also another song called "Dear Bobbie" that's written about Ryan's grandparents.

Ryan has such a beautiful family and his grandfather is the pillar of that. He's 87 and they have been married for about 58 years. This is a song Ryan has been working on for a long time. It's about the story of his grandparents' relationship and he wanted to do something really special to immortalize how important his grandfather has been to the family and in his life as well. There are so people in this world who don't really have strong families anymore. For Ryan, that has always been a big part for his inspiration. On a whim, he asked his grandfather to write a letter to his grandmother and he recorded it on a digital recorder and sent it to us in the studio. We know how much this song means to them and we just want to make this song as beautiful as possible. A lot of people have asked about this song and I'm just very privileged to be part of it.

Just curious though. Is the grandmother still around?

Yes! They are both still alive and they do come to all the Yellowcard hometown shows and it's just such a beautiful thing to see them when they are out in public. They still hold hands and it's really beautiful!

Yellowcard released a live DVD a couple of years back for Ocean Avenue. Any DVD plans for the new tour?

Maybe! A big part of Yellowcard is the live shows. Hopefully, we will be able to do something similar like that for our fans but we don't want to try to mimic Ocean Avenue too fast. Maybe we will have something special to offer to our fans this year.

On to the subject of shows, Wikipedia said the band played over 800 shows in three years.

Yeah, we definitely have a grueling schedule!

So what's the most important thing that the band learnt while on tour?

Co-existence. You are on an island really. You are lonely and you rely and annoy one another. I think the bands that last are the bands that really appreciate what everyone brings to the band and I think that's what we have learnt. We grew up being friends together and sort of grew to become a family. We know how to push each other's buttons and we definitely know how to fight. But we also know how to have a good time! We just enjoy being in Yellowcard together. It's a difficult thing to learn but once you've learnt it, it's very easy to apply that.

But I guess for newer bands, it only comes if they have the experience of relentless touring.

Yeah! It definitely takes a long time but once you have it, you have it!

Goodman: Hey Ryan, Goodman chanel 93,3 Denver, how are you?

Good, man. How are you?

Well, Paper Walls’ coming out on July, 17th. Is there a significance behind the album title for you guys? What’s the title about?

Yes, hum...That’s a short story behind. It’s the title track on the record, which is the last song on the record and it’s very much about what’s has been of Yellowcard in the last year, with my surgery and the division on the band, when we lost Ben and Pete’s living in New York, I was living in L.A. and Jacksonville. Just coming to adults for real, really passing that twenty-mark. You kinda start to put a lot of walls between each other and it’s very methaphoric reference to the band and the idea behind the song on the record is telling what’s has been to pass through this and burn them down. And I think the idea behind Paper Walls is that because Yellowcard has been such a strong force in our lives for so long that the walls coudn’t be that stick, you know what it means?

Yeah, you start to put your illusion almost...

Yeah, exactly. It means that it couldn’t be that stick that we couldn’t get through this, that we can’t move foward, can’t continue with the love we have for eachother. It’s just that we lost something along the way...

It’s just man growing!

Exactly, and I think it’s normal to happen to the best of us and this record was such a positive experience and such a growing experience for us as a entire group. It seems filling the title of the record after the song, after I wrote the lyrics about...

It was written in a interview, I can’t remember the words, but you guys seem like to come from a different headspace...I mean, Lights and Sounds - I like that a lot! – it’s a great album but in the past you were kinda loking back and it was said that “maybe we came off a little jaded” or might have been perceived a little too dark and you definitely look a different headspace from this one.

Right, hum...I was never afraid or ashamed of the percepcion of that album. I was extremely proud of that album mainly because, I’m proud because the people didn’t understand it. I got to a place musically, the band got to a place musically and we got to the edge and pushed a limit and we thought we were really capable to go to another direction and I think it’s definitely necessary, man! Because if you’re gonna get stuck in writing the same album over and over again, the hole thing’s gonna crash down on you. It’s just wouldn’t be real at that point and Lights and Sounds was a such a real experience for me personally, specially for the moment I was passing in my life and I say it like this: Ocean Avenue, our first album, was really about finding a place in the world...You know, leaving home and finding what you probably gonna be. Lights and Sounds became a record that was very much about realizing you completly gone lost on that path, you know? And it some much of the things you hoped and dreamed of are not what you expect them to be when you got there. Paper Walls become to be in the story that you’re finding yourself again, so I think that made sense in sequence like that, if you look to the light that has been until now. For the band and for me personally, being the lyric writer, it just make sense to put it in that order. It is a different headspace, man, a good headspace...really is! And you know what? No ashame either Lights and Sounds was the bad headspace...It was a bad time!

Yeah!

And writing that record and geting that lyrics out and doing them was absolutely necessary and important for me to grow as a person and as a musician and I’m really proud that it happened and I don’t care...You’re really measuring the level of the success of the record is supposed on the level of failure they’re gonna be. Lights and Sound’s still a gold record. A lot of people falled in love with it and there were a lot of people didn’t fall in love with Ocean Avenue. So, I mean I really think we’ve done a lot of great things in our career and this record is a proud moment to all of us. Paper Walls, I mean, because as you said, it’s a good headspace for us.

Well, talking about the song Light Up The Sky, it’s the first single of the album. I’ve already heard two songs on your myspace page, I haven’t heard the hole album yet but what’s the new song about?

It’s kinda a story about this person that I, this young lady that I was quite interested in but she’s a extremely well-known, if you will...and you know, it’s kind of one of this things when your life it’s just so crazy that no matter if she’s into you and anything or not, it doesn’t matter because her carrer, the things all around is so insane that there’s no time for anything else. And the song’s about...It’s the same way that I would write a song when I was in high school about being in love with this popular girl and I’m not that popular, you know what it means? I’m just saying: Come down with me in the normal undreground guy and I’ll kinda save your life. That’s what the song really is.

And you’re not allowed to talk who this girl is?

No, I’d rather not...

Ok

R: It’s not about me, it’s more for her.

I’ve got you.

There’s a lot of...Paper Walls’ song are really cool. There’s two things on the album, one about this new confidence and being comfortable in my skin and who I am, who I wanna be, really the band, who we want to be but has also this feeling of still kinda lonelyness and doing all of this things and experiencing all of this adventures and amzing things in your life by yourself. I’m still searching for something. It’s cool, it’s this sense of find but also searching for something on the record.

I have seen a lot of change with the band over the last year, it’s like you said. And one of the changes was Ryan Mendez, that is now in the band, he’s your new guitarrist. How is it working with him? How is the chemistry being? I mean, he’s a new guy at a entire group like that...Sometimes it goes a little rought but it seems like he’s very welcome, right?

Yeah, definitely it doesn’t start anything else like that, we have been with this for seven years straight now and bringing him in the 5th, 6th year of the band was like a challenge to the group. It’s a new person, a new energy, a new personality at the group in the road or anything but let’s talk about Ryan. Ryan is so insane, I mean, he’s that guy that live for guitar, He goes to E-bay and looks for guitar all day...He’s insane, he lives for this success and that was good for all of us. It was a good energy, he brought something when we wrote the album. It was a feeling of excitement and that was good for us.

Thank you for agreeing to talk with Swanktrendz ezine. I was looking forward to meeting you as I have a few questions regarding your ability to sing, play violin, and do back flips, all with apparent ease.

Well, I am not sure about the ease part.

Who generally deals with media interviews?

Ryan and I share them equally. We split the duty, either together or apart. I am really looking forward to playing this venue I feel really good about tonight. Vancouver's been a tough town to sell a lot of tickets, so we want to make sure we give them their money's worth.

It is interesting that you were chosen to open for Nickelback. I wouldn’t say your sound is similar, yet you do complement each other.

Thank you. We do have a solid core fan base who come out to our shows, but we certainly are not breaking into the thousands like Nickelback, so this will be an interesting experience.

Now Sean, obviously - since Yellowcard's inception - there has been a huge buzz about you playing the violin in a rock, formerly punk, band. And, I understand, you were brought up in a classical and jazz environment. So how did you come to marry the two genres?

Yep, I was brought up on classical, with a little more jazz added when I went to high school. I started doing some some improv with the violin and then began a little more of the rock side, but I had been classically trained from the age of six. So I could venture out, yet always return to the classics.

Is this career what you were leaning towards?

No. Actually I never thought I would be doing anything in music, except on an outside scale. I always thought I would be a music teacher at middle school or high school and that would provide my musical outlet.

Too bad you didn't. Canada and the US are starved for music teachers.

Yes, Music education is really a sad thing at present. But, back to my musical direction - it wasn't until I met the group of friends (who would go on to become Yellowcard) that I started playing music and playing different musical styles. I started writing songs, being part of the band, and all along we were really close friends

That makes me wonder - because the fellows in the band are so close - and together constantly -how did you survive this long? The relationship is akin to family and don’t you find you treat your band mates worse than you would an outsider?

There are definitely roots of family involved. You start from there because you are intertwined so tightly, and you know how to push each other's buttons. It can be horrible some times, especially if someone decides to force an issue. Nowadays, we have gotten better at separating issues. It's hard when financial, business, and music are all intertwined.

I've noticed that you have been around for almost as long as the drummer, Longineu. So, that means you could write the Yellowcard Book. You've got all the dirt on everyone, and you have seen all the personalities evolve as the line-ups change.

Well, there wouldn’t be much to write.

I was reading that the CD Light and Sound received many high scores from various online reviewers. Alternative Press (amongst others) rated it 5 out of 5. That must be extremely satisfying and validating for you as you wrote and arranged all the strings, except one.

No, I wrote all of them.

All of them? I have heard that you didn't do the intro to track 8 The Waiting Game.

No. The melody in the song is what Pete thought of, and then we wrote the song together. I arranged the strings.

That is pretty impressive.

I am trying. Like any band from Aerosmith to ... anyone today - they always have string arrangements in their music. I think it is a big point of pride that we are able to do all the arranging 'in house'. Arrangement and orchestration can be done solely by us, and if it falls under the Violin Player's job, I'll do it. Anything we offer on our records we can offer in a live show.

Great segueway - I wanted to ask how difficult is it to transfer your studio music/sound to a live show? I have heard that more and more artists are relying on autotune to perfect their voices - is this the same for the instrument playing?

We definitely shy away from the use of effects and/or outside influences in our music. We have always prided ourselves on being the band that can do it live. Of course fatigue and emotion can come into play during our live shows, and we can make mistakes. But we really embrace just being a band and being out there, creating music, for our audience. There are different technological advances that help say, the Britney Spears in life; but we still have integrity and we are going to be the hardest working band. And yes, we are going to make mistakes.

I would think the fans appreciate that (if you make mistakes as then they know it isn't lip/music synched.)

We pride ourselves on the relationship that we have with our fans and audience, rather than going up and pressing play. Sure if we lip synched, it would sound exactly like the record and it would look like us... But we can't interact with the audience then.

I have heard that you are one of the hardest working bands - with regards to maintaining your myspace site, keeping connected, writing back to fans- in today's industry. Given your present level of success, you do not even have to maintain this fan feedback anymore. So why do it?

Keeping connected and up to date with myspace.com is becoming more and more difficult, but it is very important to us. Bottom line, we would not be here if it weren’t for the fans. There are a million bands out there who these people can support, and they have chosen us. We try to thank and give kudos to our fans for allowing us to live like this.

With regards to the musical progression of the band... I have two sets of notes, pre Ryan Key and post Ryan. When Ryan is speaking of the band, during interviews, he generally refers to the music done since 2000, and not anything from the beginning of Yellowcard - 1997. Is that in keeping with the music, too? You don’t play any songs that are pre Ryan Key?

We don’t play anything prior to Ryan Key's music in Yellowcard because the earlier stuff was written by Todd Clarry and Ben Dobson and it's more out of respect than anything because it is their music. When Ryan Key joined, he started with just guitar and Todd was singing. After Todd left, Ryan just stepped into/took over the singing as well. He also taught me how to sing.

I've noticed you are coming to forefront, more and more, with your vocals. I guess there won't be any more back flips from you if you have to expend all your energy on playing and singing?

I still try to get them in there, once in awhile.

I wanted to ask who the publicity ideas-mind is behind all your publicity events/decisions? You played the Warped Tour, yet followed some of the Warped shows with impromptu gigs in school cafeterias. Yellowcard was playing in parking lots, and you were - and still are while on tour - participating in radio contests. You are everywhere! It appears to be a fan friendly, savvy, cleverly marketed, publicity plan.

We have a small amount of creative control but it is a cooperative thing. You have to talk with others to sign it off. Our manager is amazing.

Someone is doing some thing right because you name is heard and seen everywhere since the announcement of touring with Nickelback.

Nickelback is amazing because in an era of selling thousands of songs, they have managed to sell millions. They have at least 8 huge hits, so they are the biggest rock band on the planet. I don’t know how we got picked. Our manager mentioned it and we said that would be great. We want to play to the people that have heard of us, but we are also hoping to reach out to the people that haven't heard of us. Nickelback has been nothing but accommodating to us. We are just excited to be able to play to that many people.

With the beginning of Yellowcard, did you only plan to play a couple of songs?

In 1997 the band was very aggressive, very 'good riddance' punk rock music. With the change of the songwriting after Ryan Key came on board showed how diverse everyone in the band is. We have found parts in every song of the Yellowcard song formula for the violin. At first I was part of the band, but more in a 'guest appearance' role. The response was really positive so they said, you’re in and you have got songs you’ve written, so let’s work on them. It’s important for the Yellowcard sound for me to play violin.

How do you maintain your energy level given how frenzied your playing is, on top of stage antics and singing?

My energy level is a reflection of what I get from the crowd. I was used to wearing a tuxedo and playing in an orchestra. Now with having our own show, when it's my turn to play my bit, I stand on that little island I don't have to hold back. It's a relief and it is a lot of fun.

What was a highlight - a big moment where you stopped and thought, you know what? I think we are doing okay.

I am going to say winning the MTV2 awards. We were the underdog. That was a highlight and looking back - we were thinking what the hell were we doing there in the company of all of these people? Another highlight is that we are still here. With the tour for 'Paper Walls', every day I am continually reminded that I get to do this as a living. It's pretty sweet.

Okay fun questions for while on tour. Who’s the messiest on tour?

The messiest - I would say Longineu - he takes out the back lounge like it's his bedroom. Sorry LP.

Who is ridiculously neat?

Ryan Mendez and I share this We seem to both have a little OCD. This is my spot, I know where to find my stuff. Hey who touched my ipod? Why is this over there - I didn’t put it there?

Who is quickest to temper?

For reaction and just being the sharpest is Ryan Key - Good or bad.

Who is most inclined to get a tattoo in every new city?

Longineu, I think. He used to have one artist, but lately he has started to branch out. Ryan only has one artist that he does work with.

Who likes to pester others when he is extremely bored, like a kid brother?

I think I am the most annoying one as I have all this energy. I'll start singing songs or running around heckling people.

Who is the one who generally puts his foot in his mouth without thinking before he speaks?

I don’t know - At this stage of the game we all know how to answer and when to keep our mouths shut.

It is swanktrendz's tradition to allow artists to give a shout out to other lesser know acts. Think of one or more acts who you feel are deserving of some media attention?

Anberlin also from Florida - great friends of ours on the warped tour. Cities of tooth and nail. I am looking forward to what they are going to put out. (http://www.myspace.com/anberlin) And one more, too. The Spill Canvas. Neil, our producer, just did their album They are fantastic. The singer has incredible delivery - he sings so beautifully and they're from South Dakota. (http://www.myspace.com/tsc)

I'll be sure to note them and I want to thank you for your time, Sean.

You bet, my pleasure