Ryan Key
| Ryan Key | |
|---|---|
 Key with Yellowcard |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Ryan Key |
| Born | December 17, 1979 |
| Origin | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop punk, punk rock, alternative rock, acoustic |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter, vocalist |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, violin |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Hopeless, Capitol, Lobster, Fueled By Ramen |
| Associated acts | Yellowcard, Big If, Inspection 12, Craig's Brother, Silverstein |
| Website | www.yellowcardrock.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Gibson Les Paul Studio Gibson SG Gibson Explorer |
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Ryan Key (born December 17, 1979) is an American rock musician. He is best known for being the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the American pop punk band Yellowcard, and one of the two lead singers in his side project Big If. Key is known and often praised by music critics for his honest and self reflective lyrics, aswell as being considered one of the 'best and most distinctive voices in Pop punk'.
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Early life [edit]
Key was born William Ryan Key on December 17, 1979. He grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He began to play piano at the age of 7 and guitar at 13. He attended Episcopal High School of Jacksonville before transferring to Douglas Anderson School of the Arts from which he graduated. Ryan then attended Florida State University together with fellow musician Dan McLintock from the local pop punk band Inspection 12, inviting Ryan to perform guest vocals on their 1999 album Step Into the Fire for the song "Nothing to Lose". They majored in theater for a short while before dropping out to go to Santa Cruz, California and audition together for the Tooth & Nail punk rock band Craig's Brother, which was looking for two guitarists and backup vocalists. They were successful, but after touring for a while, at one time representing the band as an acoustic duo at the Cornerstone Festival, the band's van broke down and with the tour abruptly cancelled, Ryan moved back to Jacksonville and took a shift at Chili's with bandmate and friend Sean Mackin.[1]
Music career [edit]
Other work: 2008-present [edit]
During the Yellowcard hiatus Ryan also started singing in a side project entitled "Big If" with Sean O'Donnell of Reeve Oliver. Big If has released several songs on their MySpace page, but have not yet released a record. They are not currently signed to a record deal. Although they have never officially announced their break-up, all members of the band are now in Yellowcard and the band's Twitter and MySpace pages have been removed.
Ryan Key recorded a song entitled "Stop Right There" with Hollywood based pop-punk band Assemble the Skyline. The track was released on January 7, 2011 with Assemble the Skyline's new EP "Right Here. Right Now".[2] Ryan also collaborated with the Michigan pop-punk band Every Avenue. He has co-written their songs "Girl Like That" from their album Picture Perfect[3] and "Tie Me Down" from their album Bad Habits.[4]
Key also contributed guest vocals on a new Silverstein song, entitled "Stay Posi", released in early 2011.
Non-musical projects [edit]
In 2008, Key worked with Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy in a film called Moustachette.[5] He has appeared as a Made coach on the MTV series MADE and featured in MTV Cribs.[6] He also had an appearance as a party goer in the 2008 Monster film, Cloverfield and appeared in the film How to Make Love to a Woman in 2010.
Personal Life [edit]
Key married Alyona Alekhina, a Russian snowboarder, on May 6, 2013.
Discography [edit]
- Still Standing (2000)
- One for the Kids (2001)
- The Underdog EP (2002)
- Ocean Avenue (2003)
- Lights and Sounds (2006)
- Paper Walls (2007)
- Live from Las Vegas at the Palms (2008)
- When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes (2011)
- When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes (Acoustic Version) (2011)
- Southern Air (2012)
References [edit]
- ^ "Craig’s Brother | Interviews". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
- ^ "Yellowcard's 'Rough Landing' Clip Lands Ryan Key On The Operating Table". MTV. February 16, 2006.
- ^ "Twitter / William Ryan Key: The new @EveryAvenue recor". Twitter.com. 2009-11-06. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
- ^ http://twitter.com/#!/williamryankey/status/98622495720079360
- ^ "Moustachette: A Film from the Mind of Patrick Stump". moustachette.com.
- ^ "Watch Ryan Key showing his house". Mtv.com. 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
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