The Get Up Kids
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| The Get Up Kids | |
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From left to right: James Dewees, Matthew Pryor, Jim Suptic, Robert Pope, Ryan Pope
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| Country | Missouri, USA |
| Years active | 1995–2005 |
| Genres | Emo, Indie rock, Pop punk |
| Labels | Vagrant Records, Doghouse Records |
| Members | Matthew Pryor Jim Suptic Robert Pope Ryan Pope James Dewees |
The Get Up Kids were a Kansas City-based American emo/indie rock band.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Get Up Kids debuted in 1995 and began releasing singles on Doghouse Records. The original line-up consisted of Matthew Pryor (guitar/vocals), Jim Suptic (guitar/vocals), Rob Pope (bass), and Nathan Shay (drums). Matt Pryor was in a band called Secret Decoder Ring, and Jim Suptic was in a band called Kingpin. They met while playing shows together in the Kansas City area.
Nathan Shay was soon ejected for reluctance to tour, and was replaced with Rob Pope's younger brother Ryan.
In 1997, their full-length debut, Four Minute Mile, was released. Recorded in a mere two days by Midwest hardcore mainstay Bob Weston, Four Minute Mile immediately garnered attention. They spent the following two years touring with bands like The Promise Ring, Braid and Jimmy Eat World.
In September 1999 The Get Up Kids released Something to Write Home About their first record for their own newly created label Heroes and Villians which came to fruition after mojo records had been decided against. Later a deal was made with Vagrant Records to manage H&V. Something to Write Home About was largely touted as the album that launched Vagrant into the public eye, Something To Write Home About marked a major step into bringing emo to the mainstream. The Get Up Kids toured relentlessly in promotion of the record, criss-crossing the nation several times over, as well as doing tours in Europe, Japan, and Australia. Their tourmates at different points included Green Day, The Anniversary, Koufax, Hot Rod Circuit, Jebediah, Weezer, Ozma and many many others. It was during this time, with constant touring for a landmark album that The Get Up Kids had solidified themselves in the hearts and minds of thousands of fans in the U.S. and abroad, as well as influencing many bands that made their mark in the following decade.
Something To Write Home About also marked the first album with James Dewees on keyboards. Also a Kansas City native, James was previously playing drums in a hardcore outfit called Coalesce.
Amongst feverish anticipation for their next album, The Get Up Kids released a rarities compilation titled Eudora in 2001. Eudora consisted of alternate takes, cover songs and rare B-sides released since the band's formation.
May 2002 marked the release of the long-awaited third album, On A Wire. On A Wire was an evolution in their music, leaving behind much of their punk and emo sound and style, for a mature rock and folk sound. On a Wire was produced by Scott Litt who had worked with bands as prolific as R.E.M. and Nirvana. The album alienated some older fans, but attracted many newcomers to The Get Up Kids' music. The evolution of their music continued in March 2004 with the release of their fourth and final studio album, Guilt Show, produced by Ed Rose.
[edit] "Say goodnight, mean goodbye"
On Tuesday, March 8, 2005, The Get Up Kids announced that after ten years they were calling it quits and breaking up as a band. They sent out a heartfelt message to their fans through their website. Also announced was a short US-only 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.
The Get Up Kids will continue with their side projects.
"Say goodnight, mean goodbye" is a reference to the song "Holiday" on Something to Write Home About.
[edit] Side projects
Every member of The Get Up Kids is involved in some sort of side project.
[edit] Reggie and the Full Effect
In 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).
[edit] The New Amsterdams
In 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), the Internet-available 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.
[edit] Blackpool Lights
Jim Suptic's new band, Blackpool Lights formed in 2004 with members of Creature Comforts and Ultimate Fakebook.
[edit] Terrible Twos
Matt Pryor's other band, Terrible Twos, records children's music. For a 2006 release he has been working on a series of childrens 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.
[edit] White Whale
Rob Pope has co-formed a band White Whale in 2005. On July 25th, 2006, the band released "WWI" on Merge Records.
[edit] Tijuana Crime Scene
Rob 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.
[edit] Other projects
Rob and Ryan Pope have played bass and drums off-and-on in Koufax in 2004 and 2005.
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.
[edit] Influence
[edit] Emo Movement
The Get Up Kids, along with Braid and The Promise Ring have been cited as having jump-started the second-wave emo movement, most notably in an article in Alternative Press (issue #204).
[edit] Fall Out Boy
The same article included a mini-interview with Fall Out Boy frontman/bassist Pete Wentz, saying that "Without The Get Up Kids, there would be no Fall Out Boy."
[edit] Mark Hoppus
Blink-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 headline a Blink-182 tour after Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, but they declined. (confirmed by ex-Get Up Kids Guitarist Jim Suptic in an interview with hometown radio station 965 The Buzz KRBZ)
[edit] Dashboard Confessional
One of the most common credits to The Get Up Kids is Dashboard Confessional, to the point where when Dashboard Confessional began to gain national prominence, there were comments made between The Get Up Kids and Superchunk about Dashboard Confessional "Stealing Their Bread" when the three bands toured together. (AP Magazine, Issue #204}
[edit] Discography
[edit] Full-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 at the Granada Theater (Vagrant, 24 May 2005)
[edit] 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
- 'iTunes Sessions' Acoustic EP (Vagrant, 2004)
[edit] Compilation appearances
- 'I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel' on 'Postmark 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)
[edit] Samples
- Download sample of "Red Letter Day" from Something to Write Home About
[edit] External links
[edit] Official sites
[edit] Interviews
[edit] Media
- Transmission3000: The Get Up Kids (live performances)
