The Get Up Kids and Jimmy Eat World are two of my three most important influences in my musician career, the third is Hüsker Dü (Bob Mould). Please, bring Bob to "Pass-Through Frequencies!
I remember in the fall of 2000 I was at the Metro in Chicago on a Saturday night, Joan of Arc and The Sea and Cake were playing. The night before it was Tortoise, there were 5 big shows in a row for Flowerbooking Festival. I was going through a very difficult time in my life and that weekend so many good shows were happening, before Joan of Arc and the Sea and Cake I saw Buring Airlines play in the Alley behind the Alley on Clark. Anyway, so the Sunday Night show was sold out. It was Jimmy Eat World and Jets to Brazil. After the show on Saturday Night I was hanging out in front of the Metro waiting for the crowd to die down and either grab a cab or hop on the L to hit a party in Wicker Park. I turn to my right and I see Jimmy Eat World, the entire band just hanging out on the street in front of the Metro like I'm looking at the sleeve of an album. They smiled back so I figured it was ok to say hi, I did and the entire group of guys were ridiculously nice and super cool. I was a huge fan so it's always cool when your musical heroes are nice and not total dicks. The band asked me if I was going to the show the next day and I told them I wanted to but it was sold out and I didnt have a ticket. They said that sucks and I agreed and thanked them for their time. I bumped into a friend who drove to the show so I walked with her to get her car and then drove back to Metro to pickup my friend Charlie. Who was still fanboying out. When I got back my friend Charlie was really excited and told me the good news, Jimmy Eat World was able to get me a ticket to the show the next day and gave it to my friend to give it to me since I left. That weekend was one of the best weekends of my life, it started off really bad but I spent Friday Saturday and Sunday drowning in great Rock N Roll and live music. I will forever be a Jimmy Eat World fan because they're such genuinely nice guys and got me a ticket to a show 20 years ago. My favorite Get Up Kids albums were the Woodson EP and 4 Minute Mile, I remember hearing both of those albums and they felt familiar but different. It was more than just pop. Kind of like how the first time I heard Cap N Jazz my life changed. I'm 41 years old and I still love these bands.
Matt’s comment about his livestream with Chris from Saves The Day and Anthony from Bayside made me think... You need to get Chris Conley and Anthony Raneri on PTF!
Wore jimmy eat world shirts to getup kids shows and then getup kids shirts to jimmy shows and had the best time at both and meeting both bands and the love for each other was awesome I hope they tour together again in the future would be the dream!
Student Rick! I saw them with Jimmy Eat World in Columbus OH in 2002! Pretty sure it was JEW’s first headlining tour show in the US... I can not remember the other local group there though... but for being my first concert it was awesome!
I was lucky enough to catch The Get Up Kids last year in Asheville NC! It was sick! Amazing he mentioned Chris from STD I was rocking stay what you are today! Bayside is dope too!
Great episode. I could have watched and listened for another hour or more! I've commissioned Matt via Downwrite before, I was blown away with the song he came up with. It's amazing to know he's done over 1000 songs through that. I wonder if he keeps copies of them all...
I did not keep up with Get Up Kids after the early 2000s, but man, Matt is a beast of a song writer. 1000 commissioned songs? That's insane. I've never heard of someone completing that many songs in a lifetime. I'm so slow at song writing and it's inspiring to think that exercising those muscles until it comes out really quickly is possible.
I love the comments about festivals. I’ve never gone to any of the big ones. I just don’t think I fall into the right age demo anymore. Some of my favorite bands have only done the festival circuit in recent years so I have missed a few.
As I keep watching these I keep thinking of more people I would love for Jim to pick their brains, but my top 2 would be William Ryan Key and John Feldmann. Anyone else have a wishlist going, comment them here!
