Schoolyard Heroes

Schoolyard Heroes
Schoolyard Heroes in 2009
Background information
Genres	Horror punk, alternative rock, gothic rock, shock rock
Years active	1999–2009
Labels	The Control Group Stolen Transmission
Website	http://www.schoolyardheroes.com
Members	Ryann Donnelly Jonah Bergman Steve Bonnell Brian Turner

Schoolyard Heroes was a horror punk/alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington, consisting of four members: Ryann Donnelly (lead vocals), Jonah Bergman (bassist, back-up vocals), Steve Bonnell (guitar), and Brian Turner (drummer).

They originated in Tacoma, Washington where Ryann, Steve, and Jonah attended Charles Wright Academy, a private school in University Place. They first garnered attention in 2003, after winning second place in Experience Music Project's Sound Off! Competition. They continued on to make a debut album, The Funeral Sciences. 2005 saw the release of their second effort, Fantastic Wounds and a nationwide tour with Vendetta Red. They have been featured in the Seattle newspaper The Stranger.

Singer Ryann Donnelly claims that the band has its roots in the year 2000, when she and the band attempted to play a cover of a Misfits song, "Last Caress", but were cut off due to offensive lyricism (they were playing a Christian Battle of the Bands function).

The Heroes entered the studio on January 16, 2007, to record their third full-length record, titled Abominations. Recording wrapped on February 3, 2007, and the album was released on September 18, 2007 on a major-label, Stolen Transmission, for the first time. The band announced a nationwide tour to showcase their new album.

On March 20, 2007, Schoolyard Heroes debuted a song on their PureVolume music page. "Dude, Where's My Skin?" went on to become the website's most downloaded song of the day. After a short 24-hour stint, the song was removed.

In early 2008, the band completed a nationwide tour, opening for the Seattle-based band Aiden.

The band announced their breakup on November 20, 2009.

On December 30, 2009, the band posted an announcement on their Myspace about a "new project" that they called Blood Cells.This is a band featuring both Jonah Bergman and Ryann Donnelly, as well as two new members. Their musical style is extremely similar to that of the Schoolyard Heroes, and they had announced through their email newsletter that they are working on new material, but later said it was an error.