Reunited Get Up Kids Weren't Pen Pals During Split

When bands break up, nobody expects them to be knocking on each other's doors just to say "hey." That's true even for emo bands that are branded with that title because they have a tendency to show their emotions. Lots of it. But when the Get Up Kids disbanded in 2005, frontman Matt Pryor confirmed that, for awhile at least, everyone just needed some space. Or as he puts it, bluntly, "We weren't really pen pals or anything. We didn't really keep in touch."

They say that time heals all wounds and not only would Pryor agree with that, he also tells Spinner that, looking back, time itself was actually all the band needed. "I think ultimately, hindsight being 20/20, we just needed to take a three-year break," he says. "But at the time, I quit the band because I just really didn't want to do it anymore. I didn't want to tour anymore. I just really wanted to be home with my family. And we didn't really talk to each other because we just needed to get away from each other."

Cut to 2009. After a late night of hanging out and drinking beers together without any baggage, the guys decided to give it another whirl. Initially, the idea was to just get back together for a show or two. But one thing led to another and, well, the Get Up Kids will hit the road together again, hard, for extensive touring this fall. Time may heal old wounds but it doesn't erase the past, so, even though Pryor says the band has new material, first they're celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their defining album 'Something to Write Home About' with a deluxe-reissue edition featuring a new live DVD.

This time around, Pryor says, he and his bandmates are a little bit older, a little bit wiser, and a lot more privy to what it takes to stay together -- including scheduling time apart. "We've been through more real life experiences that ultimately, when you compare them to the experience of being in a band, makes being in a band seem really trivial," he says. That means that the Get Up Kids won't be their year-round, full-time priority anymore. But when they do join forces, they'll make it count. Or, as Pryor puts it, "We're going to take it slowly and keep it light and keep it fun."

Wow, we guess things really are a little bit different this time. You hear that, kids? Emo bands can now, apparently, have fun too. This party starts Sept. 11 when the Get Up Kids kick off their tour in their hometown of Kansas City. Just remember -- it's their party and they'll still cry if they want to.