
Music / academy
Yellowcard give yellow card to Less Than Jake
You’re coming up to 20 years as a band, how does that feel?
I believe it is a pretty incredible feat to survive as long as we have as a band. It has not been without a whole lot of luck, but we have also worked really hard to keep it going. So it feels pretty amazing I guess. There aren’t a lot of bands that last 15 plus years and we are grateful to be one of them.
Do you ever look back and cringe at some of the stuff from back then?
is needed now More than ever
Of course. There are plenty of “what was I wearing?!” or “why did we write that?!” moments. You can dig up some pretty amazing stuff if you try.
What’s been your best gig to-date?
Mix Festival in São Paulo, Brazil in 2006. We did a co headlining show with Fall Out Boy in front of about 40,000 people. I just don’t think we’ve ever had a show that big feel as intimate as it did. It was a huge moment for us.
What does the next 10 years hold for Yellowcard?
We honestly try not to look that far ahead. We have found that what works for us is to stay focused on the present the best we can. If we get to continue making music for another 10 years I think we will be happy.
What other musician would you give a yellow card to and why?
I imagine there will be plenty of beers spilled on this tour with Less Than Jake. Yellow cards all around.
What inspired the early shift to a more pop punk vibe?
In our “formative years” we were all collectively influenced by a lot of the mid and late 90’s punk music that was causing the Warped Tour scene to really take shape. I don’t think we knew we were shifting into any kind of vibe. We just played what we loved.
How different is this going to be compared to your Ocean Avenue acoustic tour.
We are playing a few songs from our new record ‘Lift a Sail‘ which gives the show a different energy than ever before. We have been really stoked on playing these new songs.
What can you not live without on tour?
Boots! We try to get out and play soccer as much as possible when we are on the road. It’s my favorite form of exercise for sure, and we can get pretty competitive out there.
Yellocard play alongside Less Than Jake at Bristol O2 Academy on Friday March 13. More info at: www.o2academybristol.co.uk/event/70981/yellowcard-and-less-than-jake-tickets