Lead Singer Syndrome with Shane Told Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams)
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May 8, 2017 
Matt Pryor, lead singer of The Get Up Kids and The New Amsterdams, shares his integral role in 90s emo music and his influence on Shane Told's career. He discusses his daughter's rising solo musical journey, his custom songwriting service, Downright, and teases upcoming music from The Get Up Kids. The conversation also touches on the balance of family life and music, embracing imperfections in live performances, and the nostalgic connections that shape artists' experiences.
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Musician Interviews Need Different Questions
- Matt says musicians ask different questions than journalists because they focus on the craft, not narratives about scenes or movements.
- He argues many deep journalistic questions can feel absurd to artists who just wrote a song because it sounded good.
No Scene Shaped Their Sound
- The Get Up Kids combined varied influences because Kansas City had no single scene, so they played with diverse local bands.
- That DIY, cross-genre environment shaped their indie-pop-with-heft sound and self-reliant approach.
Emo Label And The Emo Game
- Matt recalls the 'emo' label arriving as an almost mocking term and their pragmatic choice to embrace jokes like the Emo Game shirt.
- He treated the label with humor instead of fighting it, making a t-shirt from the game's images.