July 22nd, 2003 • Page 2

I didn’t hear Yellowcard until 2004, but I remember the first time I heard “Ocean Avenue” on the radio so vividly. It was like someone somehow managed to record the sound of summer. Still love that record. “Back Home” was a song I played on the last night of summer before every year of high school and every year of college. I still do it, even six years removed from my last “last night before school.”

 

My introduction to Yellowcard was them performing on Pepsi Smash. I seem to recall that show introduced me to a lot of bands, but Yellowcard is the one I vividly remember. I'd never had a favourite band before in the way I came to love them, having to immediately order all of their cds, read everything I could about them. Interestingly they didn't send me down the pop punk rabbit hole - that happened later over time, and instead I was otherwise getting into post-hardcore (like Thrice and Thursday.

 

Fun fact: I dropped the band off at a bar here in Portland to watch that the night it aired on TV. I wasn't old enough to go to the bar, so I dropped them off and then sped home to watch it live.

 

That IS a fun fact! I almost always had baseball when the show aired live, but I'd record it on VHS. Thinking about taping anything on VHS makes 15 years feel even longer ago. At the time in my small town Yellowcard felt like my secret, but it wasn't long until everyone was (rightly) in on it too!

 

Hard to believe it’s actully been 15 years since then, I at the time was also between my sophomore and junior years, but in high school lol. My friends and I played the hell out of these records. Time is weird!

 

The summer of 2003 was the summer after my senior year of high school and my first summer living on my own. Yellowcard’s was hands down the soundtrack to my summer.

On another note, I’ve recently done a thing where I’m making playlists on Apple Music for each year starting in 2001 when I first really got into music. It’s been a lot of fun.

 

The back half of Ocean Avenue is a lot better then I remember. All those signature songs load up the front, but they rock out at the end with a few slower, more serious tunes too. It’s actually a better album overall then nostalgia would have you believe, which is an impressive feat.

I’m not a big Thrice fan, but TAITA is the one album I have saved in my Spotify by Thrice. Some, almost all, are certified bangers on that record.

 

Well said, makes me think back to my time with Ocean Avenue. Listening to it on HW 1 driving from SF to LA on a two week roadtrip.

 

There are people on @Jason Tate's Facebook page trying to say that One for the Kids is a better written album than Ocean Avenue. Those people are insane.

 

Haha, I saw that and walked away.

 

I don't even know how you could come to that conclusion. One for the Kids is fine, but this album is a quantum leap forward in every way.

 

Same kinda people that say they peaked with OA and I'm like ... uhhh, I disagreeeee.

 

As silly as it sounds, I have no idea where my life would be had I not heard Ocean Avenue. I joined their message board in August 2003, saw them play in Cleveland sometime in September 2003, worked their tent at Warped in 2004, met some friends off that board in September 2004, moved to California in September 2005, and married one of those friends from that board in 2012. Our son turned 1 in May.

 

I did a thing last fall where I went through each school year from like seventh grade (the first year I really got into music) to senior year of college, and picked the 18 songs that most soundtracked those years. It was a fun walk down memory lane and made me think of the project differently than just "here are my favorite songs from this year." It was a lot about capturing landmark moments from those years. Some of my favorite playlists I've ever made.

Yeah, I don't agree with that either, but I feel like I could at least entertain an argument for that which is more than I could do for OFTK. Haha

 

Ha i remember this day! It was a good one for sure. I'd been waiting for Yellowcard for ages and was so happy it was finally out. Thrice was a nice surprise since I had only heard the single up to that point.

 

It’s been really weird going through each playlist because it just brings back really really weird memories. Awkward moments, great times, bad times.

When songs from the glass passenger played I about lost it. First time I had listened to anything off that album in a long time and it really helped me get through some tough times when I was going through chemo and shit

 

The Glass Passenger has a ton of weight for me too, but not anything like that. Wow.

 

Pretty sure I’ve talked to you on here about it before. But I hear you man same for me. Still feel like that album was written about me.

 

Eve 6 released It's All In Your Head on July 22nd, 2003 as well. I saw them in concert that night on it's release date haha.

 

Anthem is so good. I was just listening to it the other day. Those songs hold up so well for me. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but it’s my favorite LTJ record and it isn’t even close.

 

...Not to make everyone feel old but I was 7 in 2003 lol. However, Ocean Avenue is the first non-Green Day or Blink pop-punk song that I remember absolutely loving and it's still one of my favorite songs of all time to this day. A few years later I dove into the full (at the time) YC discography and they became one of my favorite bands. I miss them

 

Yeah it sucks because it’s such a beautiful album but it’s so hard for me to get through without breaking down. I definitely feel ya and I think we’ve talked about it before

 

Wow! Definitely a summer to remember, also prety much life-changing for me over here.

 

Damn, seems like 2003 was the year that shaped my musical tastes.

 

It’s not my favorite but I went back and listened recently and it’s a dang good album. I also recently picked up GNV FLA on vinyl and that’s a great album too! I don’t even know how many times I’ve seen LTJ live. Such a great band.