Yellowcard band members don't discriminate when it comes to music, according to violinist Sean Mackin.
"We're all into Face to Face, No Use for a Name, Ben Folds and the Beatles," Mackin said during a telephone interview from El Paso, Texas. "We also like Death Cab for Cutie. They have cool songs."
Mackin grew up in a home where there was plenty of music to choose from. "I played classical violin because my mother told me to. I've been playing for quite a while. Then, when I was in high school, I rode with people who liked Pornos for Pyros and Jane's Addiction."
Once he started hanging out with vocalist/guitarist Ryan Key, guitarist Ben Harper (not to be confused with the modern soul-blues lead singer of Innocent Criminals), bassist Pete Mosely and drummer Longineu Parsons, who now make up Yellowcard, Mackin started seeing different ways to play his violin. "We got together because we wanted to play music. We want to see how long we can play together as a band. We don't want to be one of those bands that have one hit and fizzle out. We want to make this our career."
Yellowcard also wants to play music that is different than what is heard on radio. "It's not necessarily about putting the violin in the mix. It's just about assessing our musical influences and taking our style into other directions."
The challenge of trying new things is getting people to listen, said Mackin. "We think to ourselves, 'How do people find out about us? How can we get in touch with our fans?'
"Back in 1999, we signed to an independent label and tried to get our music into the stores. We didn't want to become an Internet novelty band, so we worked real hard."
One day, Capitol Records came knocking. "There were other record labels but we felt at ease with Capitol. And they let us work with a great producer, Neal Avron."
Avron has a way of capturing a band at its finest, said Mackin. "We were able to get away and record the album up in the mountains. We had a lot of inspiration. We wrote songs all day and hung out like a family. Then, when we went in to lay the tracks, Neal caught our sound and made a record out of it."
The album's sound has paid off, as the band has caught the ear of high-profile media notables. Yellowcard has appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and WB's "Pepsi Smash." The song "Way Away" premiered on Fox's "The O.C." and also appears on the XBox "Madden NFL 2004" video game.
"Hopefully," said Mackin, "all this will help us stand the test of time."
If you go
What: Yellowcard, Something Corporate
Where: In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South
When: Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $17
Phone: 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com