With the release of the Get Up Kids’ new full-length, There Are Rules, a mere five days away (preorder here!), it’s hard to believe it’s been five years since the group disbanded. Seems like only yesterday I was stoked that my mom was letting me stay out late on a school night to catch TGUK perform in the big city (when you live in the Midwest, the “big city” means Cleveland).
Then there was the time I was in college and my sister and I drove 3 hours to catch the group playing with Dashboard Confessional, only to miss the Get Up Kids’ set because of construction on the freeway (I’ve never felt such loathing for plastic orange barrels before). Oh, and I couldn’t even begin to recount the number of times I’ve listened to their albums over and over again, or just one song over and over again, or just one part of one song over and over again (the build-up from 1:28 to 2:35 in “Fall Semester” takes my breath away every time).
Needless to say, the Get Up Kids aren’t just another group for many fans; they’re a major part of our pasts, linked to fond memories and good times, and now with the release of There Are Rules, looks like they’ll be a part of our future too.
LA Music Blog recently had a chance to talk to the Get Up Kids’ guitarist/vocalist James Suptic about recording new TGUK music, self-releasing the album, and the band’s plans for the rest of 2011.
In 2009, you announced a reunion tour in support of the re-release of Something to Write Home About. Shortly after, you went back into the studio to write the Simple Science EP and then went on to write There Are Rules. Was this planned before the tour or was it something that was discussed during the tour?
I was actually heading back to college after the tour. We just got along so well and had so much fun we thought, “Why not make new music?”
What was the deciding factor in releasing a full-length album at this time?
It just felt right. We didn’t want to keep touring and be a nostalgia act.
Why did you choose the name There Are Rules as the title for the new album?
The last few times we were in Germany we really fell in love with the culture all over again. It is a very rule-based society, and we thought the title was fitting.
There Are Rules feels like a culmination of all The Get Up Kids’ albums that were previously released, but also includes a sound that your fans might not immediately recognize as classic The Get Up Kids. Was this intentional or did it just happen naturally during the writing process?
We really didn’t over think things. We just started writing, and this is what came out. When the same five guys make music over and over again, reoccurring things will always come through.
Do you have any expectations for the new album when it comes to the reception from fans?
Some people will love it, some won’t get it. That tends to happen every time we put out an album.
You released There Are Rules on your own label, Quality Hill Records. What prompted this decision to self-release and the decision to start your own label?
We realized we didn’t need a label to fund us anymore. We can pay for recording, publicity, and all the things a record label does. We just get to keep most of the money.
Has the band’s songwriting process changed considering everyone writes and records music with other bands?
We are more of a democracy than we used to be. Everyone helps shape the songs now. It’s more how we wrote in the beginning stages of the band.
You seem to always tour with great bands, from The Anniversary to Dashboard Confessional to Thrice, and now you are out with Steel Train. Do you have any say in which bands you tour with, and if so, what do you look for in a band to hit the road with?
We always pick the bands we take out. The only rule is they have to be good, and we as a band have to like the music.
What would you say has been the most difficult part of the reformation of The Get Up Kids?
Being away from my family. I stopped touring shortly after my daughter was born. It’s been an adjustment.
What else is planned for the band in 2011?
Tour, tour, tour.
The Get Up Kids Tour Dates:
01/21 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
01/22 – Austin, TX – Emos
01/23 – Dallas, TX – The Loft
01/25 – Tempe, AZ – Clubhouse
01/26 – San Diego, CA – House Of Blues
01/27 – West Hollywood, CA – The Troubadour
01/28 – Pomona, CA – Glasshouse
01/29 – San Francisco, CA – Slimm’s
01/30 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill
02/01 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
02/02 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
02/03 – Boise, ID – The Knitting Factory
02/04 – Salt Lake City, UT – Club Sound
02/05 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
02/23 – Orlando, FL – The Social
02/24 – Orlando, FL – The Social
02/25 – St. Petersburg, FL – State Theatre
02/26 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club
02/27 – Carrboro, NC – The Cat’s Cradle
03/01 – Washington, DC – The Black Cat
03/02 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
03/03 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/04 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of the Living Arts
03/05 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of the Living Arts
03/06 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
03/08 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
03/09 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop
03/10 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall
03/11 – Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge
03/12 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
03/13 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
For more on the Get Up Kids:
