The New Amsterdams
Lawrence, Kansas1 review across 1 release
The New Amsterdams was formed in Lawrence, Kansas, in 2000 as an acoustic side project led by Matthew Pryor of The Get Up Kids. It gave his songwriting a quieter setting than the parent band's emo-leaning guitar rock, initially functioning close to a solo recording project before becoming a changing group of collaborators. The debut, Never You Mind, established the basic contrast. By the time of the 2002 follow-up Para Toda Vida, Pryor had reduced the arrangements further: most songs rest on his voice and acoustic guitar, with occasional strings or other additions kept in the background. The result is folk-pop with a cold, spare atmosphere, built from simple guitar patterns and exposed lyrics rather than instrumental complexity. "Son Of A Prophet" is its clearest example, carrying a soft string part beneath Pryor's vocal.
When The Get Up Kids broke up in 2005, Pryor shifted more attention to the New Amsterdams, which had by then expanded from a solo outlet into a full band. The group also recorded children's music as The Terrible Twos. In 2008, it announced a hiatus while Pryor pursued solo work, and the project did not resume as a regular band. Pryor formally ended the New Amsterdams in 2013, using Outroduction as the final release and a collection of B-sides. The other musicians associated with the later lineup included Dustin Kinsey, Bill Belzer, and Eric McCann, while Robert and Ryan Pope had contributed during the earlier recording period. Pryor remains active as a musician in Lawrence, Kansas.
1 release reviewed
Para Toda Vida