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United States Matt Pryor is an influential American musician, author, and podcast host, best known as the lead vocalist of The Get Up Kids, a prominent band in the second-wave emo music scene.
Head of all operations including writing, recording, management, tour event planning, publicity, and merchandising for the band The Get Up Kids.
Head of all operations including writing, recording, management, tour event planning, publicity, and merchandising for The New Amsterdams.
A business partnership for music releases, described as a 50/50 split.
An imprint by podcaster and emo expert Tom Mullen, which published Matt Pryor's memoir, 'Red Letter Days'.
His record label for his solo album 'Confidence Man'. Also, hosted and produced "Vagrant Records: 25 Years on the Streets", a retrospective podcast chronicling the label's history.
Record label for some of Matt Pryor's musical projects.
Record label for some of Matt Pryor's musical projects.
Record label for some of Matt Pryor's musical projects.
Record label for some of Matt Pryor's musical projects.
Record label for some of Matt Pryor's musical projects.
Record label for some of Matt Pryor's musical projects.
Powers the website/platform where Matt Pryor's events are listed.
Matthew Pryor was born on March 16, 1978, in Kansas City, Missouri. His musical journey began with drumming and guitar in the post-punk band Take a Joke, followed by the avant-garde group Secular Theme. Matt Pryor then transitioned to pop punk, co-founding Secret Decoder Ring, where he met Jim Suptic. In 1995, Pryor, along with Jim Suptic, Rob Pope, and Nathan Shay, formed The Get Up Kids. This band became a significant act in the Midwest emo scene, gaining widespread recognition with their 1999 album, *Something to Write Home About*. During his time with The Get Up Kids, Matt Pryor also pursued solo acoustic work under the moniker The New Amsterdams, exploring different musical styles influenced by artists like Steve Earle and Richard Buckner. This project gradually evolved into a full band over subsequent albums.
Following a period of intense touring that led to personal reflection, The Get Up Kids disbanded in 2005. Matt Pryor then focused on The New Amsterdams, which became a three-piece band. During this time, he expanded his creative endeavors into children’s music, releasing *If You Ever See an Owl…* in 2006 with The New Amsterdams as The Terrible Twos. In 2008, The New Amsterdams went on hiatus, and Pryor released his first solo album, *Confidence Man*, through Vagrant Records. The Get Up Kids reunited in 2009, releasing the *Simple Science* EP and their fifth album, *There Are Rules*. After a brief period considering leaving the music industry and taking jobs as a farmhand and food truck worker, Pryor returned to music. He formed the supergroup Lasorda in 2011 and successfully crowdfunded his solo album *May Day*, released in 2012, alongside *Still, There’s a Light*.
Matt Pryor continued to develop new projects, releasing *Outroduction* in 2013 as the final release for The New Amsterdams. In 2018, he collaborated with Jim Suptic and Josh Berwanger to form Radar State, a punk-rock side project. Demonstrating his commitment to the music industry and its history, Matt Pryor also hosts “Nothing to Write Home About,” an interview podcast launched in 2012, and later became the host and producer of “Vagrant Records: 25 Years on the Streets” podcast in 2021, documenting the label’s history.
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