No one in Sean Mackin's high school circle batted an eye when he pulled out his violin at sunset jam sessions.
Granted, his riffs leaned a bit on the classical side, owing to his 14 years of classical training, but in his chest beat the heart of rocker.
When those high school sessions evolved into the pop-punk quintet Yellowcard in the late 1990s, Mackin and his violin came along for the ride. While the teen band members thought nothing of it, the critics and fans were a bit stumped: Are they playing Beatles or Bach?
"I think that's one of the biggest misconceptions. 'Where did you guys get the idea?' I think it was just the environment we were in," said the 27-year-old Mackin.
Yellowcard, which swings through Tucson on Monday, is not the first rock outfit to incorporate a typically classical instrument into its arsenal, but it may lay claim to being the most visible today, especially among pop-punk groups.
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Mackin, who pens much of the music to match lead singer Ryan Key's lyrics, gives his violin a prominent role in almost every song, and helps to set the band apart from the slew of similar outfits clogging the airwaves and concert circuit. The violin is raw and scorching on its own, acting as a harmonic voice in the chorus alongside Key's guitars, Peter Mosely's keyboards and bass, Longineu Parsons III's drums and Ryan Mendez's guitar.
The band's January 2006 album "Lights and Sounds" opens with Mackin's violin and Mosely's keyboards on the 1-minute, 23-second instrumental "Three Flights Up." The midtempo song teams with lush piano and violin that gives way seemlessy to the rest of the album's gut-driving punk thrash.
The true departure from that formula comes wrapped in a soaring string section — eight violins, cello and viola — that dominates mostly muted guitars and drums on the midtempo pop ballad "How I Go." Dixie Chicks lead Natalie Maines fills in an earthy alto to Key's nasally vocals, but it is easy to dismiss the vocals altogether and concentrate just on the lush orchestration.
"I think it adds a lot of depth and emotion to it," Mackin admitted. "Classical music back in the 1600s and 1700s was pop music. If you break it down you can see obvious similarities. I kind of do that and play my violin. I'm part of the team."
Classically trained Tucson cellist Michael Ronstadt can relate. He recently recorded a pop album with his cello as its centerpiece, and he agrees with Mackin that classical instruments add a tangible character to the music.
"With the cello, you can sustain a note forever and a guitar cannot do that," said Ronstadt, who is moving to Ohio to study for his master's degree in cello performance. "It's a good combination because a cello . . . acts as another voice in the group."
Mackin said his pop compositions are informed by his classical background.
"I hear a song and I immediately go, 'OK, this is the key, this is what I do.' That's how I work," he confided. "And that's why there's so much diversity in our band. My biggest influence is classical music. I like a lot of heavier rock bands that have classical influences, but that's where I'm more comfortable. That's where I've been my whole life."
Key's cords
Back in the spring, Yellowcard lead singer Ryan Key had had enough of his on-again-off-again sore throats.
The 26-year-old Floridian would emerge the day after a recording session without a voice, said his bandmate and longtime friend Sean Mackin. The stress was taking its toll on Key and his band, which was embarking on a tour to promote its latest album, "Lights and Sounds."
Turns out Key had a cyst on his vocal cord that required emergency surgery in mid-May. The band had to cancel a number of shows, including one in Tucson in June. (Monday at the Rialto is the make-up show.)
Mackin said Key is feeling and sounding better than ever.
"He sings better than he did four years ago, before the rush, before the stress on his vocal cords," Mackin said. "It's totally taken that emotional toll away from him and all of us. Now that we don't have that cloud over us. . . . We're really excited to be playing shows again."
Quick Take
Yellowcard in concert
With Matchbook Romance, Authority Zero and Narwhal
When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
Where: Rialto Theatre (Main Stages map, Page 26)
Tickets: $26 through the Rialto Theatre, 740-1000
Et cetera: This is an all-ages show.
