BY DC CUEVA
We are heading towards the final of The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions, the last week of Stranded with a Million Dollars, and after tonight will be the halfway point of Are You The One? Second Chances. DCBLOG will have this week all covered for you coming up this weekend with our look Inside the MTV Trifecta, as we usually do at the end of your work week. But now in a special midweek post, we're proud to bring you another long-form story told through the prism of this ecosystem, and which took place on The Challenge thirteen years ago.
The two words "big break" mean so much to big name musicians, actors, actresses and so many others in show biz. The word's definition reads, "a breakthrough, especially the first big hit of a previously unknown performer or performers in the entertainment industry...an opportunity or chance that leads to professional success." Over the years, there have been many instances where a movie or an awards show provided the first appearance of those who have made a mark on a cultural level.
Last November, we took a look back at when the first inklings of the term "party rock" came to fruition when LMFAO took center stage in Cancun, Mexico and hung out with the cast of Season 22 of Real World in 2009, two years before RedFoo and SkyBlu became worldwide stars. And it was a year earlier that a relatively unknown New York singer named Lady Gaga headlined an Interscope Records event in a West Hollywood event, and cameras from MTV's The Hills were there to capture Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port helping to zip up a broken zipper on her catsuit.
Those two instances offer the backdrop for this edition of ExtraTime In-Depth, where we'll take a look at one rock band who, a few days ago, brought the curtain down on their 20-year run. And they have something in common with these two artists above in that their breakthrough came on MTV and on a reality TV show airing on the channel. This is the story of Yellowcard's Big Breakthrough.
On the night of Saturday, March 25th in Anaheim, CA, last call came for one of alternative music's top bands when a punk rock group who joined up in Jacksonville, FL got together for the very last concert of their 20-year career at the House of Blues. A sold-out crowd in Orange County with no dry eye in the house watched Yellowcard perform their hits and go on a trip down memory lane as they soaked in the final hours of a run that that began all the way in the northern part of the Sunshine State.
Last November, we took a look back at when the first inklings of the term "party rock" came to fruition when LMFAO took center stage in Cancun, Mexico and hung out with the cast of Season 22 of Real World in 2009, two years before RedFoo and SkyBlu became worldwide stars. And it was a year earlier that a relatively unknown New York singer named Lady Gaga headlined an Interscope Records event in a West Hollywood event, and cameras from MTV's The Hills were there to capture Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port helping to zip up a broken zipper on her catsuit.
Those two instances offer the backdrop for this edition of ExtraTime In-Depth, where we'll take a look at one rock band who, a few days ago, brought the curtain down on their 20-year run. And they have something in common with these two artists above in that their breakthrough came on MTV and on a reality TV show airing on the channel. This is the story of Yellowcard's Big Breakthrough.
On the night of Saturday, March 25th in Anaheim, CA, last call came for one of alternative music's top bands when a punk rock group who joined up in Jacksonville, FL got together for the very last concert of their 20-year career at the House of Blues. A sold-out crowd in Orange County with no dry eye in the house watched Yellowcard perform their hits and go on a trip down memory lane as they soaked in the final hours of a run that that began all the way in the northern part of the Sunshine State.
The band formed in 1997 at one of the nation's most-renowned high schools, the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, where Fred Durst, Wes Borland and John Otto first met and formed the nucleus of Limp Bizkit. YC's original lineup consisted of frontman Ben Dobson, guitarists Ben Harper and Todd Clary, bassist Warren Cooke and drummer Longineu Parsons III, and released two albums when their musical style was more hardcore punk. The band's moniker came from a phase the guys used from their high school years: if someone pulled off something stupid at a party, they looked to that soccer speak and gave the offending party a "yellow card" for committing a "party foul."
By the time their third album dropped, Ryan Key replaced Ben at the mic, and the group was joined by violinist Sean Macklin. His addition in bringing along that instrument usually reserved for a night at the orchestra instantly gave the band some distinction in their sound when they transitioned their musical style to pop punk. Shortly thereafter came a recording deal with indie labels, followed by a full 2,500 mile drive straight along I-10 to the West Coast to pursue their dreams of making it big, just like anyone with aspirations on a long career in the entertainment industry.
Capitol Records had eyes on signing up pop punk groups during this time, and in late 2002 Yellowcard signed with the label, followed shortly thereafter by the band starting work on their major label debut which came later that year. During this time of recording Pete Mosely then joined the departed Cooke in his bassist position in a break from being longtime frontman of fellow Jacksonville band Inspection 12 (which he still is to this day). And that summer came the group's major label debut single, "Way Away" off of the album Ocean Avenue.
At the same time, MTV was filming the eighth season of what was known then as The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, which was entitled The Inferno, and taking place in Acapulco, Mexico. Two old-school veterans representing that generation of Challengers on this current season of Invasion of the Champions were on that season in Darrell and Shane, and that season saw the debut of who would become a longtime staple in CT. This cast also included such notable names as Coral, Mike the Miz, Abram, Trishelle, Katie and Syrus... all during this time when it was alumni of MTV's two original reality shows making up its roster, and the late BMX rider Dave Mirra was the show's host, not TJ Lavin.
Of course, this period of the early 2000's was that time where a music video countdown show and a pop culture hangout named TRL was the place to be on a weekday afternoon from MTV's iconic Times Square studios in New York. One day, MTV was looking for a way to integrate a piece of its musical pie into this world of reality TV that, up until then, was MTV's domain in a cable sense. So, the powers that be came up with the idea to having a rock act come onto The Challenge and perform. And in this case, it's not just one time, but two.
That was just the beginning. It was in Episode 3 that the guys would have, quite literally, their breakout moment, to put it bluntly. And for that third challenge, Teams Real World and Road Rules would find their next task: "Wreck N' Roll," and the title simply told them what to do.
Unlike what would happen in the Bloodlines elimination of the game ending once everything in the room was gone, it was when the song ended when it came down to who smashed the most. At the end of this wreck-fest, Julie was over the moon: "Dude, that was the best experience of my life, I'm serious. I can die a happy woman now. I lived my dream fantasy."
But for Darrell and Team Road Rules, there were worries: "I'm not feeling too great about this mission right about now. Hopefully, everything will be fine." However in the end, he and the RV mates did just enough, and came out victorious in that challenge, by the final total of 290 lbs. to 266 lbs. And ultimately, they would take the season altogether when they won the final.
While Darrell, Abe and two girls who engaged in the season's biggest fight - Katie and Veronica, basked in victory, there were greater results in the broader picture for the group at the middle of that hotel room. Yellowcard was given the kind of exposure that Gaga, LMFAO and, yes, Limp Bizkit (who performed at Spring Break '98 before they battled pop stars for #1 on TRL) would get and took advantage of their first mainstream exposure to become MTV staples. "Way Away," which documented their move from Florida to California for a shot at the big time, charted in the top 30, got MTV2 exposure and along with this Challenge appearance helped generate enough buzz to give them their breakout, to put it bluntly.
By the time their third album dropped, Ryan Key replaced Ben at the mic, and the group was joined by violinist Sean Macklin. His addition in bringing along that instrument usually reserved for a night at the orchestra instantly gave the band some distinction in their sound when they transitioned their musical style to pop punk. Shortly thereafter came a recording deal with indie labels, followed by a full 2,500 mile drive straight along I-10 to the West Coast to pursue their dreams of making it big, just like anyone with aspirations on a long career in the entertainment industry.
Capitol Records had eyes on signing up pop punk groups during this time, and in late 2002 Yellowcard signed with the label, followed shortly thereafter by the band starting work on their major label debut which came later that year. During this time of recording Pete Mosely then joined the departed Cooke in his bassist position in a break from being longtime frontman of fellow Jacksonville band Inspection 12 (which he still is to this day). And that summer came the group's major label debut single, "Way Away" off of the album Ocean Avenue.
At the same time, MTV was filming the eighth season of what was known then as The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, which was entitled The Inferno, and taking place in Acapulco, Mexico. Two old-school veterans representing that generation of Challengers on this current season of Invasion of the Champions were on that season in Darrell and Shane, and that season saw the debut of who would become a longtime staple in CT. This cast also included such notable names as Coral, Mike the Miz, Abram, Trishelle, Katie and Syrus... all during this time when it was alumni of MTV's two original reality shows making up its roster, and the late BMX rider Dave Mirra was the show's host, not TJ Lavin.Of course, this period of the early 2000's was that time where a music video countdown show and a pop culture hangout named TRL was the place to be on a weekday afternoon from MTV's iconic Times Square studios in New York. One day, MTV was looking for a way to integrate a piece of its musical pie into this world of reality TV that, up until then, was MTV's domain in a cable sense. So, the powers that be came up with the idea to having a rock act come onto The Challenge and perform. And in this case, it's not just one time, but two.
First, there were the opening titles that viewers see at the beginning of every episode (which were still 30 minutes back then instead of an hour now), and Yellowcard was asked by MTV to take the stage in that Acapulco night sky in the Challenge house. And this was also in a time where there was actually space in the show's budget to do elaborate main titles to the show instead of just mixing & mashing footage as is the case now.
In those old days, along with what was the case in the previous "seven strangers" era of Real World, they would introduce the castmates one by one, and in the case of The Inferno it would be a few at a time. Dave rode his bicycle all around the house - both inside and outside, all leading to the final scene of those main titles: Yellowcard performing "Miles Apart." The results of that are embedded below.
That was just the beginning. It was in Episode 3 that the guys would have, quite literally, their breakout moment, to put it bluntly. And for that third challenge, Teams Real World and Road Rules would find their next task: "Wreck N' Roll," and the title simply told them what to do.
Dave revealed the rules: "Just like all the rock bands you see in all the videos and all that good stuff, you guys are gonna be decorating these two rooms. Each team will have their own hotel room. Your challenge will be to smash everything in the room. The band with us today here is Yellowcard. They're gonna give a guy and a girl from each team a guitar and play one song. When the song starts, you're gonna use that guitar and all that strength to smash everything in sight. The rubble that you smash must fit inside the crates." The team with the most weight wins to grab a $10,000 prize to be put into their team bank account, similar to what we've been seeing so far on Invasion.
For a guy who would see this very mission more than a decade later, Abram helped explain this whole thing: "Our mission is to take a mock hotel room and pretend like we're rock stars and just beat the s... out of everything." However, one of those who replaced him and others on the South Pacific RV, Jeremy, would smash for Team Road Rules. And for a longtime friend of Abe's, Mike the Miz took on the task of being smasher for Team Real World along with Julie from RW New Orleans, who became notable for bringing the issue of being a Mormon to MTV and, as a result of living with others in a co-ed environment on national TV, got her expelled from BYU.
And then, the game begins... All as Yellowcard performed "Way Away." Abram observed, "It just feels so f...ing good to pick up that thing up and smash it on the ground. it's great. I'm loving this mission." For another Road Rules original, Timmy of Season 2 added, "We're doing great. We're working as a team." For Jeremy, he was left to say, "You have the opportunity to take a brand new guitar and smash it straight through a brand new TV, I mean this is a guy's freakin' dream." For The Miz, similar dreams: "I'm actually breaking stuff to the beat of the song. I'm going nuts. It's like, that song gets you hyped and gets you so pumped to wreck stuff."
And then, the game begins... All as Yellowcard performed "Way Away." Abram observed, "It just feels so f...ing good to pick up that thing up and smash it on the ground. it's great. I'm loving this mission." For another Road Rules original, Timmy of Season 2 added, "We're doing great. We're working as a team." For Jeremy, he was left to say, "You have the opportunity to take a brand new guitar and smash it straight through a brand new TV, I mean this is a guy's freakin' dream." For The Miz, similar dreams: "I'm actually breaking stuff to the beat of the song. I'm going nuts. It's like, that song gets you hyped and gets you so pumped to wreck stuff."
Unlike what would happen in the Bloodlines elimination of the game ending once everything in the room was gone, it was when the song ended when it came down to who smashed the most. At the end of this wreck-fest, Julie was over the moon: "Dude, that was the best experience of my life, I'm serious. I can die a happy woman now. I lived my dream fantasy."
But for Darrell and Team Road Rules, there were worries: "I'm not feeling too great about this mission right about now. Hopefully, everything will be fine." However in the end, he and the RV mates did just enough, and came out victorious in that challenge, by the final total of 290 lbs. to 266 lbs. And ultimately, they would take the season altogether when they won the final.
Shortly after the episode aired in February 2004, YC released "Ocean Avenue" where the guys finally got to break through into the mainstream. It charted inside the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, and brought Ryan and the guys to TRL...and the video starring him went to No. 1 on the show. The song paid homage to their hometown of Jacksonville, which Ben says of the track, "It's this place where we used to hang out in Jacksonville. Instead of talking about a girl, it’s talking about a scene and a feeling that we want to get back to: hanging out and writing, before we moved to California."
Soon, Yellowcard's music was found everywhere from The WB's One Tree Hill (starrring TRL alum Hilary Burton) to Madden NFL 2004 to the movie Spider-Man 2, and to the cover of Alternative Press magazine. That summer, the guys headlined the 2004 Vans Warped Tour and soon enough, they were on stage performing at the MTV Video Music Awards, and walked out of Miami that hot August night with a VMA moonman in their hands. After the success of "Ocean Avenue," the guys dropped the ballad "Only One," which also charted on TRL... and when the year was over, Ocean Avenue the album had sold a million copies in the U.S. alone, giving them platinum record status.
Soon, Yellowcard's music was found everywhere from The WB's One Tree Hill (starrring TRL alum Hilary Burton) to Madden NFL 2004 to the movie Spider-Man 2, and to the cover of Alternative Press magazine. That summer, the guys headlined the 2004 Vans Warped Tour and soon enough, they were on stage performing at the MTV Video Music Awards, and walked out of Miami that hot August night with a VMA moonman in their hands. After the success of "Ocean Avenue," the guys dropped the ballad "Only One," which also charted on TRL... and when the year was over, Ocean Avenue the album had sold a million copies in the U.S. alone, giving them platinum record status.
However, as the band prepped to release their sophomore effort, problems plagued the group: production, the fame of being rock stars and Ben Harper devoting energies to other projects saw guitarist Ryan Mendez replace him. Yellowcard took a gamble of in a concept album called Lights and Sounds that finally dropped in January 2006, but didn't live up to the huge expectations and sales of its predecessor.
After Key had surgery to repair his vocal cords that year, the band in 2007 then released the album Paper Walls as the group returned to its rock roots, and did reasonably well in them catering to their passionate fan base rather than to the mainstream. After that, they announced a hiatus that lasted two years where they left Capitol Records and bandmates went off to do side projects with the occasional YC concert too.
In the summer of 2010, the guys reformed to begin work on a comeback album which would be ultimately titled When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes, and spent much of the next year on the road with two other bands who also enjoyed a meteoric rise of popularity, All Time Low and Good Charlotte, as the band finally had reason to enjoy being able to do what they do best. Then came not one but two albums in the next couple years: Southern Air in 2012 featuring guest bits from ATL's Alex Gaskarth and future Voice winner Cassadee Pope from Hey Monday; and an acoustic re-release of Ocean Avenue in 2013 to mark the tenth anniversary of their breakthrough album.
Yellowcard would go on to headline the 2014 Vans Warped Tour, but without longtime drummer Longineu Parsons, who was part of the revolving door of bandmates coming and leaving over the years, as well as the band going from Hopeless Records to Razor & Tie. Another album dropped in Lift a Sail in 2015, along with tours with New Found Glory and Mayday Parade, and another Warped headlining gig in 2016. That also came with one more bittersweet piece of news: they would release one more album and embark on one last world tour before bringing this long chapter to a close.
Yellowcard would go on to headline the 2014 Vans Warped Tour, but without longtime drummer Longineu Parsons, who was part of the revolving door of bandmates coming and leaving over the years, as well as the band going from Hopeless Records to Razor & Tie. Another album dropped in Lift a Sail in 2015, along with tours with New Found Glory and Mayday Parade, and another Warped headlining gig in 2016. That also came with one more bittersweet piece of news: they would release one more album and embark on one last world tour before bringing this long chapter to a close.
And this brings us back to that last night on stage. It felt only natural that the last song of their very last concert was their signature song. And before playing "Ocean Avenue," Ryan gave one final heartfelt speech: "Each and every one of you deserves a personal thank you from us. I wish we had time to do that but you know how much we love you and you know how much we're going to miss you. From all of us here, from anyone who's ever been a part of this band, worked for this band, behind this band, we are all so grateful to you for your love and support. It is now time that we say thank you for almost two decades of rock and roll. We're going to say goodbye to you tonight here in Anaheim, California for the very last time."
And just this past week, Yellowcard posted their last music video, entitled "A Place We Set Afire," which featured footage shot from the last night and concert of their career. The band's website at YellowcardRock.com has also been updated to feature a fan wall with pictures and thank you notes from hundreds of fans who have enjoyed their music and got the chance to meet the guys as well.
That March night in Orange County was the culmination of a twenty-year career that began inside the walls of a Jacksonville high school, brought them all the way west to California and to a career full of highs and lows. Along with way, Yellowcard has entertained a legion of fans through a resume of twelve albums and dozens of songs. And their breakout year came about by being given a cameo appearance of performing while dozens of Real World and Road Rules icons smashed hotel rooms in true rock star fashion all around them. That Big Breakthrough was all part of Yellowcard's journey.
An additional footnote: Yellowcard might not have reached the peak of their mainstream popularity after Ocean Avenue, but the hardcore fans of Ryan & co. have stayed loyal over the years over the band's career, which included the person who was a past subject to my FORUM posts. During Real World Ex-Plosion, we met Eric Cebellos, who now goes by the new name of River Zain Cebellos, and saw a couple after-shows during that season in San Francisco, which we covered here also.
In addition to being a big MTV fan like me, he is also one of the millions of fans of Yellowcard and in 2011, he was invited by the band to take part in the music video shoot for their song "Sing For Me." The song's backstory was inspired by Ryan Key's late mom Stephanie, who passed away after a battle with brain cancer while the band was on tour, and the video tapped into both the motivational and inspirational sides of the group, interspersed with motivational sayings and messages from those who have endured a lot in their lives.
This includes Eric, who has had to encounter the untimely death of his brother which still haunts him to his day, as well as thoughts of suicide and depression that he has had to deal with over the years, including checking into a rehab center just last fall. His story was worthy enough for music video director Robby Starbuck to have River join others who have had to endure greater hardship in the "Sing For Me" video. We've included an Instagram picture of Eric on set with Ryan and others shooting that video, as well as Eric's story from shooting the video and watching the premiere of the video, which is embedded below along with the video itself.
Tonight is an all-new episode of Are You The One? Second Chances, and of course DCNOW at @DC408DxNow will have live tweets of that coming up at 9PM Eastern/6PM Pacific. We'll have that episode, last night's events of The Challenge Invasion and Stranded with a Million Dollars covered in our usual episode posts coming up this weekend. And we'll be announcing what else will be covered after tonight's episode concludes over on my other hub, @DC408Dxtr.
Talk to you there on Twitter, and thank you for checking out this edition of ExtraTime In-Depth. See you back here this weekend.
- I AM DC
Bibliography:
● Wikipedia - Yellowcard, Ocean Avenue (Song), The Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno
● Alternative Press: "Yellowcard Play Memorable Last Show in Anaheim"
And just this past week, Yellowcard posted their last music video, entitled "A Place We Set Afire," which featured footage shot from the last night and concert of their career. The band's website at YellowcardRock.com has also been updated to feature a fan wall with pictures and thank you notes from hundreds of fans who have enjoyed their music and got the chance to meet the guys as well.
That March night in Orange County was the culmination of a twenty-year career that began inside the walls of a Jacksonville high school, brought them all the way west to California and to a career full of highs and lows. Along with way, Yellowcard has entertained a legion of fans through a resume of twelve albums and dozens of songs. And their breakout year came about by being given a cameo appearance of performing while dozens of Real World and Road Rules icons smashed hotel rooms in true rock star fashion all around them. That Big Breakthrough was all part of Yellowcard's journey.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
An additional footnote: Yellowcard might not have reached the peak of their mainstream popularity after Ocean Avenue, but the hardcore fans of Ryan & co. have stayed loyal over the years over the band's career, which included the person who was a past subject to my FORUM posts. During Real World Ex-Plosion, we met Eric Cebellos, who now goes by the new name of River Zain Cebellos, and saw a couple after-shows during that season in San Francisco, which we covered here also.
In addition to being a big MTV fan like me, he is also one of the millions of fans of Yellowcard and in 2011, he was invited by the band to take part in the music video shoot for their song "Sing For Me." The song's backstory was inspired by Ryan Key's late mom Stephanie, who passed away after a battle with brain cancer while the band was on tour, and the video tapped into both the motivational and inspirational sides of the group, interspersed with motivational sayings and messages from those who have endured a lot in their lives.
This includes Eric, who has had to encounter the untimely death of his brother which still haunts him to his day, as well as thoughts of suicide and depression that he has had to deal with over the years, including checking into a rehab center just last fall. His story was worthy enough for music video director Robby Starbuck to have River join others who have had to endure greater hardship in the "Sing For Me" video. We've included an Instagram picture of Eric on set with Ryan and others shooting that video, as well as Eric's story from shooting the video and watching the premiere of the video, which is embedded below along with the video itself.
▪ ▪ ▪
Tonight is an all-new episode of Are You The One? Second Chances, and of course DCNOW at @DC408DxNow will have live tweets of that coming up at 9PM Eastern/6PM Pacific. We'll have that episode, last night's events of The Challenge Invasion and Stranded with a Million Dollars covered in our usual episode posts coming up this weekend. And we'll be announcing what else will be covered after tonight's episode concludes over on my other hub, @DC408Dxtr.
Talk to you there on Twitter, and thank you for checking out this edition of ExtraTime In-Depth. See you back here this weekend.
- I AM DC
Bibliography:
● Wikipedia - Yellowcard, Ocean Avenue (Song), The Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno
● Alternative Press: "Yellowcard Play Memorable Last Show in Anaheim"
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