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Like many people my age, I was caught by the cool and trendy music scene of the late ’90s/early 2000s so stupidly called “Emo.” Emo was the biggest joke of a genre label the world has ever seen, but we can save that discussion for the comments. Anyway, there were so many bands from that era that I loved which I’ve listened to in later years and questioned every bit of musical integrity in my body. How the hell did I ever think these bands were good and these songs were enjoyable? Of course, there are some bands that were actually great and have stood the test of time for me. One of those bands that I still absolutely love to this day is The Get Up Kids from Lawrence, Kansas.
The Get Up Kids had definite punk rock roots in the mid-90s that evolved into a signature sound in the “melodic rock and roll” category and was supplemented by the addition of key/synth player and backing vocalist, James Dewees, right around 2000. Shortly thereafter came the legendary album, Something to Write Home About. This album still had signs of TGUK’s punk foundation, but demonstrated their evolution in a new and more refined sound.
To this day, The Get Up Kids are still one of my favorite rock bands. One of the highlights of my life was seeing them at The Fillmore in San Francisco on the first night of my honeymoon. It was fantastic.
Here are some great Get Up Kids tracks through the ages:
A nice little New Order Cover:
If you want to see Something to Write Home About played live in its entirety:
