Pryor began playing music with the punk/ska band Secret Decoder Ring in 1994, and through playing shows in the Kansas City area, met the members of his future band, indie rock group The Get Up Kids, which was formed in 1995. After getting the attention of major labels with their first album, they found widespread success and acclaim with the release of Something to Write Home About in 1999. It was around this time that he began releasing solo acoustic material under the moniker The New Amsterdams. While touring to support the band's fourth album Guilt Show, Pryor had a breakdown in Australia brought on from the stresses from being away from his newborn first child. After quitting the band temporarily, the group decided to disband after one final tour the following year. It was during this time that he wrote Story Like a Scar, inspired by the band's troubles. After the breakup of The Get Up Kids, Pryor's musical focus shifted to The New Amsterdams, which had now become a full three-piece band. Pryor had two more children, and began writing children's music. His first children's album, If You Ever See an Owl...—recorded with The New Amsterdams under the moniker The Terrible Twos—was released in 2006. In 2008, Pryor announced that The New Amsterdams would be going on hiatus, allowing him to pursue a solo career. The first album released under Pryor's name was Confidence Man, released later that year on Vagrant Records. After a brief tour with Kevin Devine in support of the album, it was announced that The Get Up Kids would be reuniting after a surprise show in their native Kansas City. In 2009, between tours supporting the ten-year anniversary of Something to Write Home About, The Get Up Kids entered the studio with longtime producer Ed Rose to record new material, resulting in the Simple Science EP and the band's fifth album There Are Rules. In 2011, Pryor ran a Kickstarter campaign to fund a second solo album, entitled May Day. The project was funded, and the album was released in January 2012, along with the companion album Still, There's a Light. That same year, he formed the supergroup Lasorda with members of fun., White Whale and Kevin Devine's Goddamn Band, writing and recording their new album remotely in different studios across the country. In 2013, Pryor released Outroduction, a collection of B-Sides meant to serve as the final release by The New Amsterdams. He is also writing a third Terrible Twos album, as well as recording songs with Get Up Kids Bandmate James Dewees for an as-yet unnamed side-project. In 2012, Pryor launched "Nothing to Write Home About," an interview podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with Pryor's musician friends. James Dewees was a regular guest on this podcast and they later announced plans to release a collaborative EP on vinyl/digital formats together. This self-titled EP was released on October 1, 2013. Matt has since followed this up with additional solo albums.
