Pop-punk band Yellowcard is currently in the middle of its latest tour and is making a stop at Baton Rouge’s Varsity Theatre. The band released its most recent album “Lift a Sail” in 2014, and while the band plans to showcase its newer material, fans can expect to hear a few classics as well. The Daily Reveille sat down with Yellowcard’s violinist and vocalist Sean Mackin to discuss the band’s upcoming show.
The Daily Reveille: How’s it going?
Sean Mackin: I’m great, thank you. The band’s great. We’re just doing some B-market cities and shows that we haven’t done in a long time, or ever, in hopes of spreading the good Yellowcard vibes for our new record “Lift A Sail.”
TDR: What’s the energy been like on tour so far?
SM: It’s been awesome. We paired up with long-time friends — a band called Finch who put out a new album also. We met them — man, it’s been 13 years — on our first Warped Tour, and we’ve been watching their career with great interest. Took a little time off and saw them again on Warped Tour and said ‘Hey, let’s get together and get out there and play some good ‘ole rock music,’ so that’s the vibe out here, and we’re really enjoying it. Fans are coming out. We’re seeing a lot of familiar faces, a lot of new faces, and that mix is obviously great when you’re in a band for a good number of years to see some new faces out in the audience. It’s really exciting stuff.
TDR: You all have played in Louisiana before. What’s it like to be coming back?
SM: Usually we do the New Orleans circuit, or N’awlins — however you think I should say it. This will give us the opportunity to play a little college town and have some fun.
TDR: Do you have a favorite place or thing to do in Louisiana?
SM: You know, I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, and we didn’t head west too often. So, Bourbon Street, we usually play the House of Blues over in New Orleans, but very early in our career we moved farther west to California. It’s a little bit bigger music market out there, so anytime we’re running the [Interstate-10] here, we do a couple stops along the way.
TDR: What can fans expect to hear at the show Wednesday night?
SM: I think it’s very important for everyone to know that we try and focus on music first and that kind of carried us through the years. We’re going to play a good mix of our new songs off “Lift a Sail,” mix in all our old favorites and the hits of Yellowcard albums of past. We want to meet it with a little bit of high energy, and I think the best part of a Yellowcard show is really the interaction between the audience and what’s happening onstage. That’s what makes each night unique and what keeps us going every day. We don’t mess around beforehand, we focus on making sure we’re onstage and ready to play as the best version of our band. We might cut loose a little bit afterward, but when we get up there, we’re going to be the best Yellowcard we can be.
TDR: Do you have a favorite song to perform live?
SM: I do. We wrote a song on an album called “Ocean Avenue” called “Believe.” It sort of commemorated the heroes of 9/11. Over the years, we’ve had a great relationship with military, and that song has taken on many different shapes with people and whatever trouble they’ve found in their life. It’s a great moment for me in the set to always sit back and reflect on how lucky we are to play music for a living. We’re going to play this song on this tour, and I think it probably will go down in history as my favorite song to play. Maybe we’ll write one that means more that matches that same emotional level for me, but right now, that’s the one.
TDR: Do people know the backstory of the song, or is that more personal?
SM: I think they know. Thanks to the Internet.com, we’re pretty fortunate to have a good number of our endeavors and our secrets out there online. We’ve always had our hearts on our sleeve and know what’s going on. We didn’t write the song to try and get famous or get rich quick, we just wanted to say thank you. We’ve done a couple things for the USO, and a lot of military has always come out and supported us as well. We’re just a bunch of guys that play music, and we like to say thank you for the people who take care of us and the people who dedicate their life to the service of our country.
TDR: What would you say has been the most rewarding part of what you do?
SM: Just the fans. I mean, being in Yellowcard and being in high school with my friends and not really knowing what we were going to do — just hanging out and writing songs. It turned into something that I get to hang out with my friends and we get to write songs, and then people turn around and sing these songs and share them with their friends. To have the support of so many people in so many countries is unbelieveable. I never imagined any of it. I never dreamed that it would happen, especially as a violin player.
TDR: What’s next after your current tour?
SM: Yellowcard will probably tour some more, and then maybe we’ll do a record, but we’re really just focused on enjoying this moment and playing these songs off of “Lift a Sail.” We’re doing some European festivals in June, and we’re going to co-headline and do some headlining shows down in Australia and New Zealand with our friends in a band called Mayday Parade. Then we have some totally top-secret really cool stuff happening maybe in the fall with some other bands that I can’t tell you about, but I just wanted to tell you that we’re working on more tours and tours and tours.
TDR: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
SM: Just grateful for the fans, and we’re really excited to come to Louisiana and see some new faces and hopefully meet up with some familiar faces. People have been supporting us along the way.
Yellowcard will perform at the Varsity Theatre on Wednesday, April 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $27-$30.