Written by Anthony Nguyen
June 30, 2005

Its 2005 and on the eve of the 10th year since the Get Up Kids splashed the emo/punk scene with their fantastic Woodson EP, they are disbanding... on good terms. The band -- Matthew Pryor, Jim Suptic, James Dewees, Ryan and Robert Pope -- have seen a huge transition in their music and continued to deliver quality albums even up to their final release: a live album.

The Live @ Granada release is a more recent set taken from their show at the Granada Theatre on January 11, 2005 and is a nice set featuring songs from the beginning to the end. It has the pure punk and edgy "Woodson", which is full of raw energy to the more indie electronic sounds of "Is there a Way Out?" And there's just plenty of their superb Something to Write Home About era material. The only thing missing are the cover songs they perfected.

But what this record brings are the memories; memories of a fantastic band that came at the right time with the right tools and just a bit more excitement, and quality than the rest of the pack. At the base of it all, The Get Up Kids were a standard punk band with emo-like qualities. That's where they were in 1995, when Woodson showed up in 7" form. The critically acclaimed Four Minute Mile followed and reinforced the notion that The Get Up Kids were a songwriting force to be reckoned with. With their blend of power pop, punk, and emo flying high, the band was ready to let loose. It also didn't hurt that they had two guitarists that could sing. The whiny screechy vocals of Matt Pryor, and the energetic post-grunge sound of Jim Suptic gave the Get Up Kids versatility many pop-punk bands didn't have at the time.

But the band wasn't done. How did they top it off? They decided to toss in a friend who could play drums real well -- but they didn't put him at drums. No, they placed him at the seat of the keyboard and he could play them better than most anyone. James Dewees helped craft the Get Up Kids from a good band into an excellent one. His placement of the perfect synth melodies was uncanny and it shows even more on his own side project, Reggie and the Full Effect. But with that, the Get Up Kids released another awesome EP, Red Letter Day and an incredibly fun cover of The Cure's "Close to Me." Then the album that garnered them king of emo -- Something to Write Home About -- dropping in 1999.

STWHA's uptempo emotional ramblings were solid, and the added keyboards were just the right touch to make this band magical. The energy and excitement was only increasing, but the band took a long hiatus and decided to change their sound once again -- This time growing up a bit, mellowing out the edgy punk driven tunes and going more towards and indie rock route with their singer/songwriter style On a Wire. While this album garnered some very mixed reviews, it definitely showed the versatility of the band, and eventually led to the improving sound of Matthew Pryor's side project, New Amsterdams, which can full sail with his stellar Worse for the Wear record in 2003.

The Get Up Kids took their experience and culminated a blend of their previous two records with much improved songwriting into the full fledged mature Guilt Show, an album about growing up, starting a family, and the troubles ahead.

At each stage, the Get Up Kids were on top of their game, and it still shows today on their latest live album. Although the live album doesn't capture all the magic a live Get Up Kids show may have -- full of energy, jumping crowds, and lots of smiles -- it's a nice addition and a token of how wonderful this band really is. They will be sorely missed as this weekend marks the end of their 10 year run.

It is however time for their many side projects to take off, with Reggie and the Full Effect taking flight this summer on the mainstage of Warped Tour. New Amsterdams has shown the most potential with Matthew Pryor's excellent songwriting talents put to more use. And even Jim Suptic has his own new band out now. So, if you missed a chance to see this band as a band, don't make the mistake and not see one of the children of a pioneering "emo" band.