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Ben Harper | |
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Birth name | Benjamin Eric Harper |
Also known as | Benjammin |
Born | November 14, 1980 |
Origin | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1997–present |
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Formerly of | Yellowcard |
Benjamin Eric Harper (born November 14, 1980) is an American rock musician. He is best known for being the founder & former lead guitarist for the American rock band Yellowcard, as well as for the bands Amber Pacific and HeyMike! and This Legend. Benjamin Harper is founder and CEO of Takeover Records. Alongside these projects, Harper is the owner and founder of Takeover Live, a broadcasting and media production company that specializes in live-streaming bands along with giving artists a platform to share their sound on.
Harper Founded Yellowcard in 1997 with Longineu W. Parsons III, Ben Dobson, Todd Clary, Warren Cooke, and Sean Mackin after meeting at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. The band released its first album, Midget Tossing , recorded in Jacksonville Beach in 1997. Its second album, Where We Stand, was released in 1999. After Dobson left the band, Harper asked friend Ryan Key to be the band's new lead singer. The band then released the Still Standing EP in early 2000. Shortly after the release of their EP, Todd Clary left the band, Key then filled in as the rhythm guitarist. The members moved to Camarillo, CA, after being signed to Lobster Records. They then begin working on their next album.
The group released their third album, One for the Kids in 2001 and followed up with The Underdog EP [1] in 2002. After the release of The Underdog EP, Warren Cooke left the band for personal reasons. The band later asked close friend Peter Mosely from Inspection 12, to become the band's new bass guitarist. After Yellowcard released The Underdog EP the band signed with Capitol Records, who were looking to sign pop punk bands at the time. Yellowcard then began the recording of their major-label debut album Ocean Avenue in late 2002.
Mosely left during recording of the album due to personal problems. The band then asked Alex Lewis to join as the bass guitarist. Yellowcard released their album Ocean Avenue on July 22, 2003 reached No. 23 on U.S. Billboard 200, the album was a commercial success in the United States with the hit singles Way Away, Ocean Avenue, and Only One.
In early 2004, Lewis left the band after Mosely rejoined as the band's bassist. In 2005, Harper went with the other band members to Los Angeles while Key and Mosely moved to New York City to create new material for their next album. During the following months, tensions arose between the band members. In an interview with MTV News, he said that he was finished with writing the guitar tracks for the album and that he was leaving the band. He was replaced by Ryan Mendez from the band Staring Back.
After leaving Yellowcard, Harper joined Amber Pacific as their rhythm guitarist, replacing Justin Westcott. Harper left the band before recording their second studio album, Truth in Sincerity in October 2006. [2]
In 2008, Harper joined the band as the new lead guitarist alongside Steven Neufeld, Justin Cabrera, and T.J Arriaga. HeyMike! reconstructed its original trio in 2009 when Josh McDonald came back to continue his bass playing duties. Harper remained with the band and the quartet toured in the United States and Japan throughout 2009.[1] In 2010, HeyMike! finished recording their third record and second full length album titled Pop and Circumstance which is Harper's first recorded appearance since Yellowcard's Lights and Sounds. HeyMike! also toured in Europe and played a limited engagement of shows in the United States. "Pop and Circumstance was released on April 19, 2011.
In June 2014, Harper formed a new band with former Yellowcard drummer and good friend Longineu W. Parsons III, Chris Castillo (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Steven Neufeld (bass guitar) called This Legend. [3] The band played several shows across the U.S.
The band has been on hiatus since that first tour because of the members diverging interests.
Craig's Brother is an American punk rock band. They have released three albums internationally, two on Tooth & Nail Records and one self-released.
Yellowcard is an American rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1997. The lineup currently consists of lead singer Ryan Key, lead guitarist Ryan Mendez, bassist Josh Portman and violinist Sean Mackin. Primarily a pop-punk group, their music is recognized for having a distinct sound in its genre, primarily due to the prominent use of a violin in their songs, and are best known for their singles "Ocean Avenue", "Only One", and "Lights and Sounds". Released in 2003, "Ocean Avenue" and its parent album of the same name are both certified double platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); "Only One" and the band's 2006 album Lights and Sounds have been certified gold. The band has released ten studio albums, with its most recent, Yellowcard, released on September 30, 2016. Following this release and supporting tour, the band broke up. The band reunited in September 2022 for a performance at Riot Fest and embarked on a 20th-anniversary tour for Ocean Avenue in 2023. A new EP, Childhood Eyes, was released on July 21, 2023.
Where We Stand is the second studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. It was released in 1999. It was released by Takeover Records, a label created by one of the band's guitarists, Ben Harper. This is the last release to feature vocalist Ben Dobson, whose position would later be taken over by guitarist/vocalist Ryan Key. The songs "Sue" and "Uphill Both Ways" were re-recorded, originally appearing on Yellowcard's first extended play, Midget Tossing.
Ocean Avenue is the fourth studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. It was released on July 22, 2003, through Capitol Records. After touring to promote their third album One for the Kids in 2001, the band signed to the label in early 2002. Following this, bassist Warren Cooke left the band in mid-2002, and was replaced by Inspection 12 guitarist Peter Mosely. In February and March 2003, the band recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California, with Neal Avron. Ocean Avenue is a pop-punk and punk rock album, which was compared to Blink-182 and Simple Plan.
Lights and Sounds is the fifth studio album by American rock band Yellowcard, released on January 24, 2006, in the United States through Capitol Records. Lights and Sounds is Yellowcard's first concept album, which was inspired to reflect what the band was feeling at the time of production and how they have matured in the process. Lights and Sounds also departs from the sounds on Yellowcard's previous album, Ocean Avenue (2003), which broke away from its pop punk sound to a more alternative rock album.
Amber Pacific is an American pop-punk band that formed in 2002 in Federal Way, Washington. The band has released four full-length albums, The Possibility and the Promise in 2005, Truth in Sincerity in 2007, Virtues in 2010 and The Turn in 2014.
William Ryan Key is an American musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Yellowcard. He is the owner/operator of a recording studio in Jacksonville, Florida, called The Lone Tree Recordings. He is currently writing music under his full name, William Ryan Key, as a solo acoustic act and electronic act. He is also one half of JEDHA, an electronic duo consisting of himself and lead guitarist of Yellowcard, Ryan Mendez. He has recently toured as guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist for New Found Glory. In late 2018, he played as a supporting act on Mayday Parade's Sunnyland tour along with This Wild Life. During 2021, he live-streamed his songwriting process on Twitch full-time.
Put Up or Shut Up is an EP by American rock band All Time Low released, released on July 25, 2006 through Hopeless Records.
"Way Away" is the debut single by American band Yellowcard. It is the opening track of their fourth album Ocean Avenue. "Way Away" was released to radio on July 22, 2003. The song and music video both reflect the band's choice about leaving their hometown of Jacksonville, Florida to California in hopes of making a name for themselves in the Southern California music scene.
"Ocean Avenue" is a song written and recorded by American rock band Yellowcard for their fourth studio album of the same name. It was released as the second single from Ocean Avenue on December 15, 2003, through Capitol Records. "Ocean Avenue" shares writing credits between the band's singer Ryan Key, guitarist Ben Harper, bassist Pete Mosely, drummer Longineu W. Parsons III, and violinist Sean Mackin. It was written about the band's teenage years along the Atlantic Coast. Neal Avron, a veteran punk rock producer, engineered and produced the tune.
"Only One" is the third single from American band Yellowcard. This song is the third and last single from Ocean Avenue and the sixth track.
Paper Walls is the sixth studio album by American rock band Yellowcard, released on July 17, 2007. This is also the first Yellowcard album with Ryan Mendez, their last with Peter Mosely, and their last studio album to be released through Capitol Records. The album was recorded at Ocean Studios in Burbank, California and was mixed at South Beach Studios in Miami, Florida.
Peter Michael Mosely is an American rock musician. He is one of the two guitarists and vocalists and the pianist for the American punk rock band Inspection 12, as well as the former bassist for the American rock band Yellowcard.
Longineu Warren "LP" Parsons III is a French-born American rock musician. He is best known as the former drummer of the American rock band Yellowcard.
Every Avenue is an American pop-punk band from Marysville, Michigan, formed in 2003. The group's most prevalent line-up consisted of David Ryan Strauchman, Joshua Randall Withenshaw, James Francis Deeghan, Matthew Franklin Black and Michael Joseph Govaere. The band is signed to Fearless Records and released their debut album, Shh, Just Go with it in 2008. It was followed up by their second album, Picture Perfect, in 2009, which reached no. 136 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2011, the band's third and latest album, Bad Habits, was released, peaking at no. 63 on the Billboard 200 – the band's highest chart position. Every Avenue has toured with bands such as Boys Like Girls; Mayday Parade, The Maine, and All Time Low on the latter's The Compromising of Integrity, Morality and Principles in Exchange for Money Tour; and have also been a part of the Vans Warped Tour. As of 2023, Strauchman is the sole member of Every Avenue.
Hey Monday was an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album Hold On Tight in 2008, which produced the singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with their 2010 EP Beneath It All, which achieved moderate commercial success, and the Candles EP in 2011. Their final release, The Christmas EP, was released on December 6, 2011. The band is on hiatus and claims to be not "broken up". Cassadee Pope has since released three studio albums as a solo artist and became the first female winner of The Voice.
Joshua "Josh" David Portman is an American musician who is best known for playing bass guitar for the rock band Yellowcard since February 2012. Since 1994, he has played bass and guitar in a number of well-known punk/post-hardcore bands including Near Miss and Staring Back.
HeyMike! is an American punk band out of Ventura County, California, United States. The band's name was originally used by singer/guitarist Steven Neufeld as the title of his early demo tapes from 1998-2001. HeyMike! resurfaced when Neufeld, bassist Josh McDonald, and drummer Justin "Juice" Cabrera signed to Takeover Records and published two records titled "Embrace Your Hooks," (EP) released in 2004, and HeyMike, released in 2006. Their third issue, Pop and Circumstance was released April 19, 2011.
Sean Mackin is an American rock musician. He is best known as the violinist and backing vocalist for the American rock band Yellowcard and the only original member left in the band.
Inspection 12 is an American pop punk band from Jacksonville, Florida, founded by Robert Reid, Dan McLintock, John Comee and Scott Shad. They have released two full-length recordings internationally, one on Honest Don's Records and one on Suburban Home Records and Takeover Records. They have also released four full-length albums independently.