JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Pop punk violinists around the nation are still patiently waiting for their instrument’s popularity in the scene to explode following the “Ocean Avenue” boom in the early 2000s, sources confirmed.
“A lot of people feel the violin is this very prim and proper orchestral instrument, but when you think about it, isn’t it just like a tiny guitar you put on your shoulder and play with a bow?” said Rory Flinn, a still-aspiring punk violinist. “When ‘Ocean Avenue’ was released in 2003, I really thought this was our moment and that so many doors would open. The most it amounted to, though, was some guest spots on various projects, but even then it was mostly playing a moody violin intro. Yet here I am, still playing the same old ‘Violin Concerto No. 2 in B Minor.’ Or worse yet, I’m asked to be in a Dave Matthews cover band. I really picked the wrong instrument to learn in fourth grade.”
Sean Mackin, current violinist for Yellowcard, is just as surprised the string instrument hasn’t caught on.
“I think we can all agree that Black Flag would be greatly improved with a few fiddle parts sprinkled in here and there,” explained Mackin. “Just think, violins don’t have frets—unlike guitars—how punk rock is that? I mean, sure, it can be complex—proper bow speed, pressure, and angle make the margin of error so great that it takes years of practice to lower that margin even just a little. I can’t quite explain why it hasn’t been more popular among pop punk bands.”
Brad Selle, who has made a life’s work of documenting niche instruments in punk bands, isn’t all that shocked at the violin being effectively left out of the genre.
“You really only have to go so far as Yellowcard themselves, or Motion City Soundtrack and their Moog, or every ska band and their horn sections,” said Selle. “These instruments were cool at first, but eventually, they became boondoggles—a logistical nightmare. Imagine getting pretty far into the songwriting process only to realize, ‘Oh, crap. We didn’t account for the violin.’ All of these bands go through a time where, if they aren’t completely nixing the instrument, they’re certainly mixing them down on the records.”
At press time, the rest of the members of Yellowcard had to be reminded they still have a violin player in their band.