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The Get Up Kids were a Lawrence, Kansas-area American Indie Rock band. The band's name came from the lyric "Suburban Get Up Kids" in a song by a previous band featuring future Get Up Kids members.
HistoryWhen the Get Up Kids formed in 1995, the lineup consisted of Matthew Pryor (guitar/vocals), Jim Suptic (guitar/backup vocals and occasional lead vocals), Robert Pope (bass), and Nathan Shay (drums)
. Pryor and Suptic met playing shows in different bands in the Kansas City area. In 1995, Pryor and Suptic saved their own money to put out their very first 7". However, due to a reluctance to tour, Shay was replaced by Robert's younger brother Ryan in April of 1996. Soon afterward, the band was signed to Doghouse Records, where they put out their first EP, Woodson.
Four Minute MileIn 1997, TGUK released their debut full-length, Four Minute Mile on Doghouse. Recorded in a mere two days by Bob Weston of Shellac, Four Minute Mile created enormous buzz with a hooky immediacy and pleading intimacy that was becoming the signature of Midwest indie-pop. They spent the following two years touring with like-minded bands The Promise Ring, Braid and Jimmy Eat World.
Something to Write Home AboutIn September 1999, after recruiting keyboardist James Dewees and declining a contract with Mojo Records, the band released Something to Write Home About on Vagrant Records (under their own imprint, Heroes & Villains). The album streamlined the scrappy indie sound of the band's debut into concise, visceral and downright loud synth-driven power pop while retaining the signature drama that constituted Four Minute Miles lyrics.
It is hard to overstate the impact of Something to Write Home About. Garnering uniformly rave reviews and capitalizing on the promise of TGUK's debut, following its release the band arrived at small venues like Orange County's indie-mecca Koo's Cafe to find crowds overflowing out the doors. Not only did the album make TGUK the standard-bearers for emo, but it also launched the genre into a public consciousness broader than the local scenes that had previously embraced it. Further, the album made Vagrant Records a household name amongst indie connoisseurs.
As a result of their newly increased profile, The Get Up Kids toured relentlessly in promotion of the record, as well as touring Europe, Japan, and Australia, touring with such acts as Green Day, The Anniversary, Koufax, Hot Rod Circuit, Jebediah, Weezer, Ozma, and many others.
To capitalize on anticipation for their next album, The Get Up Kids released a rarities compilation Eudora in 2001. Eudora consisted of alternate takes, covers and B-sides released since the band's formation.
On a Wire and Guilt ShowMay 2002 marked the release of the band's highly-anticipated third studio album, On a Wire, produced by Scott Litt (best known for his work with R.E.M.). The album saw the band take on a new style, with spare arrangements and a tightly-locked rhythm section. On a Wires lyrics show the band taking a turn for the obscure, relying on vague memories and moods in place of the hyper-sincere relationship drama that made up their earlier work.
In March 2004, the band released their fourth and what would be their final studio album, Guilt Show, produced by Ed Rose. Slickly polished and bright, the album seemed to be more of an energetic continuation of their sound from "On a Wire", rather than a return to the emo-pop of Something to Write Home About.
"Say goodnight / mean goodbye"On Tuesday, March 8, 2005, the Get Up Kids announced that after ten years they were calling it quits. Also announced was a short tour ending on July 2, 2005 in their native Kansas City and a retrospective live album entitled Live at the Granada Theater:
''Ladies and gentlemen, the rumors are true. After ten years, close to a hundred recorded songs and several trips around the world, The Get Up Kids will be playing their last shows this summer. We're celebrating the release of our as-of-yet-untitled live record and we're coming around one final time. We'll be playing gigs in the west, in the east and in the middle of the US. Our very last show will be in Kansas City, MO (our hometown) Fourth of July weekend 2005.
''As a group we'd like to thank each and everyone of you for supporting us over the years. Whether we slept on your floor in '97 or you drove all the way to Lawrence to see us play in '05, we are forever grateful. We feel it's best to let the last ten years speak as a document for what the band was. We can look back and say that we are proud of everything that we accomplished. In the end, we will always remember this as a good time; we hope that you remember it that way too.
See you this summer,The Get Up Kids
Following the announcement from the band, fans flocked to the message board on the official website to leave messages for Robert, Ryan, Matthew, Jim and James. The group disbanded after their sold-out July 2, 2005 farewell show at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, MO.
Side projectsEvery member of The Get Up Kids is involved in some sort of side project.
Reggie and the Full EffectIn 1998, prior to joining The Get Up Kids, James Dewees, who was still in Coalesce, started writing his own songs. Matt Pryor urged James to release his campy new songs, and thus Reggie and the Full Effect was born, Dewees taking the name of a friend's dog. For the most part, these songs parodied the sound of the emo genre, as well as other genres like nu-metal and synth pop. Reggie and the Full Effect, released the debut album Greatest Hits 1984-1987, in 1999 on Second Nature. Over the years and through several line-up changes, they have since released three other albums on Vagrant Records: Promotional Copy (2000), Under the Tray (2003), and Songs Not to Get Married To (2005).
The New AmsterdamsIn 2000 Matthew Pryor formed his acoustic side project, The New Amsterdams, with fellow Get Up Kids member Rob Pope, producer Alex Brahl and Jake Cardwell from the band Reflector. The New Amsterdams began as the mellow, folky counterpart to The Get Up Kids' hard-hitting emotional punk. All on Vagrant Records, they have released Never You Mind (2000), Para Toda Vida (2002), Worse for the Wear (2003), Killed or Cured EP (2005), and Story Like a Scar (2006). Like Reggie and the Full Effect, The New Amsterdams have had several line-up changes over the years. However Matthew Pryor is always the creative driving-force behind the band. Currently the band is deviating from its original acoustic format and consists of Kansas City-area musicians Bill Belzer, Eric McCann, and Dustin Kinsey.
Blackpool LightsJim Suptic's new band, Blackpool Lights formed in 2004 with members of Creature Comforts and Ultimate Fakebook.
Terrible TwosMatt Pryor's other band, Terrible Twos, records children's music. For a 2006 release he has been working on a series of children's songs, to be accompanied by a story book for children with art from artist Travis Millard. The line-up of the band is the same as the current line-up of The New Amsterdams.
White WhaleRob Pope helped found the indie rock band White Whale, which released their debut album WW1 on July 25, 2006.
Tijuana Crime SceneRob Pope and Get Up Kids' producer Ed Rose were in the band Tijuana Crime Scene which was fronted by New Amsterdams member Alex Brahl. Tijuana Crime Scene made a single release in 2001 entitled Change of Venue.
Other projectsRob and Ryan Pope have played bass and drums off-and-on in Koufax in 2004 and 2005. Rob is currently playing in Spoon.
James Dewees (who with New Found Glory had previously provided keyboards for the song "Failure's Not Flattering" on Catalyst and toured with them as a sixth member for about ten months) did not permanently join New Found Glory, due to his busy schedule with his own band, Reggie and the Full Effect. He has also toured with My Chemical Romance.
Ryan Pope also currently plays drums in Cavaliers.
InfluenceFall Out BoyFall Out Boy songwriter/bassist Pete Wentz, said that "Without The Get Up Kids, there would be no Fall Out Boy."
Mark Hoppusblink-182 bassist and singer Mark Hoppus is a vocal fan, having proposed to his wife to The Get Up Kids song "I'll Catch You." The Get Up Kids were offered to join a Blink-182 tour after Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, but they declined, which was confirmed by ex-Get Up Kids guitarist Jim Suptic in an interview with his hometown radio station 96.5 The Buzz KRBZ)
Hot Rod CircuitOne of the most common credits to The Get Up Kids is Hot Rod Circuit. At one point, when the two bands toured together alongside Superchunk, there were often jokes between members of Superchunk about The Get Up Kids and Hot Rod Circuit "Stealing their bread," in reference to their capitalizing on the genre The Get Up Kids helped pioneer. (AP Magazine, Issue #204}
MidtownEarly interviews with New Jersey based act, Midtown, would often address comparisons being made between them and The Get Up Kids.
DiscographyFull-length albums- Four Minute Mile (Doghouse, 1997)
- Something to Write Home About (Vagrant, 1999)
- Eudora (Vagrant, 2001 rarities collection)
- On a Wire (Vagrant, 2002)
- Guilt Show (Vagrant, 2004)
- Live! @ The Granada Theater (Vagrant, 24 May 2005)
Singles, EPs and split releases- 'Shorty' b/w 'The Breathing Method' 7" (2,000 pressed) (Huey Proudhon Records, 1996)
- 'Second Place' b/w 'Woodson' 7" (Doghouse, 1996)
- 'A Newfound Interest In Massachusetts' b/w 'Off The Wagon' 7" (Contrast Records, 1997)
- Split 7" with Braid (Tree Records, 1997)
- Split 7" with Coalesce (Second Nature Recordings, 1998)
- 'Ten Minutes' b/w 'Anne Arbour' Sub-Pop Singles Club 7" (limited to 1,300) (Sub-Pop Records, 1999)
- Red Letter Day 10"/CD (Doghouse, 1999)
- Split 7" with The Anniversary (Vagrant, 1999)
- 'Action and Action' European CD-single (Epitaph Europe, 2000)
- Split 7" with Rocket From the Crypt (Vagrant, 2001)
- 'Wouldn't Believe It' EP (Japan only) (Victor, 2002)
- 'iTunes Sessions' Acoustic EP (Vagrant, 2004)
Compilation appearances- 'I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel' on the 'Post Marked Stamps' compilation (Tree Records, 1998)
- 'On With The Show' on the 'I Love Metal' compilation (Triple Crown Records, 1999)
- 'Alec Eiffel' on the 'Where Is My Mind?' Pixies tribute compilation (Glue Factory Records, 1999)
- 'Newfound Mass (2000)' on 'The Best Comp in the World' compilation (Fadeaway Records, 2000)
- 'Holiday' on the 'Vagrant Summer Sampler' (Vagrant, 2000)
- 'Beer For Breakfast' and 'I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel' on the 'Another Year On The Streets' compilation (Vagrant, 2000)
- 'Central Standard Time' and 'Newfound Mass 2000' on the 'Another Year On The Streets: Volume 2' compilation (Vagrant, 2001)
- 'Like A Man Possessed' on the 'Another Year On The Streets: Volume 3' compilation (Vagrant, 2004)
- 'Lion And The Lamb' on the 'Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1' compilation (Fat Wreck Chords, 2004)
- 'Lion And The Lamb' on the 'Blue Collar Distro Sampler' (Vagrant)
Samples- Download sample of "Red Letter Day" from Something to Write Home About
Copyright Citations
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