Band of the Week: The New Amsterdams

[January 5-11]

The New Amsterdams
Sounds Like: Indie / Acoustic
Drinking Buddies: The Get Up Kids, The Scene Aesthetic, Kevin Devine

Synopsis:

Makes You Want To...: Go driving; Walk in the park; Sing
[Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is The New Amsterdams.


The new year! A fresh start. 2008 was a strange one indeed, yet a wonderful year for the music world. We can only hope that 2009 holds a few musical surprises for our eager ears. But just because of the new year doesn't mean we need to launch ourselves headfirst into uncharted territory. No, maybe staying within our comfort zone can be something not only comfortable, but also something we can relish. Let's not search for some unknown band, but one with a stronger since of familiarity. Let's peruse some folks who've been playing some wonderful music since the beginning of the decade.

The New Amsterdams didn't intend to be a big hit. In fact, it was originally just a side project of Matt Pryor, lead singer of The Get Up Kids. A very stripped down musical outfit from his work in the 90s emo rock band known for playing alongside the likes of Jimmy Eat World, The Promise Ring, and Weezer, along with spawning Reggie and the Full Effect and The Anniversary after The Get Up Kids' break up. The band quickly began to build itself up, as Pryor asked his bandmate Ryan Pope along with Pope's brother to help with recording an album.

But The Get Up Kids broke up in 2005. And thus, Pryor took hold of The New Amsterdams as a new full time musical career. Crafting their own unique sound apart from The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams bring a stronger blend of acoustic, country, as well as folk influence to the table The simultaneous blend crafts a thoroughly vibrant combination of sounds that sends listeners on an intriguing ride while Pryor lilts us with his consonant tenor. Continuing with an emphasis on the acoustic, The New Amsterdams present a very lighthearted mood; a mood that presents far too many reasons to tap your foot and hum along to the melody. I have yet to share The New Amsterdams with a friend and find someone who was unhappy with them. I hope to keep that tradition going.

The New Amsterdams are presently on a bit of a hiatus, staying silent in the background and enjoying themselves. Rumour has it that they're busying themselves by recording new material for their next album, following the release of their previous work At The Foot of My Rival. Over the past couple years, they released a few EPs, and of course, they have their extensive repertoire of albums released over the past nine years. Definitely wander down to their Myspace, where you can catch their videos, tons of their songs, along with other neat things.

It's time to ring in the new year!
Have a nice week, reader. Hopefully we all start January off right.