MxPx
is a pop punk band that officially formed in Bremerton, Washington, United States as teenagers. The band has recorded eight studio albums, four EPs, four compilation albums, a live album, a VHS tape, a DVD and released 20 singles.
The original lineup included Mike Herrera on bass, vocals Andy Husted on guitar (later to be replaced by Tom Wisniewski), and Yuri Ruley on drums.
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MXPX TICKETS
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History
Early
MxPx began as three 15-year-olds who called themselves Magnified Plaid. Initially, as a Christian-grounded band, they started playing music inspired by
Descendents,
NOFX, and other Southern California
skate punk bands. The trio —
Mike Herrera,
Yuri Ruley, and
Andy Husted — were classmates at
Central Kitsap High School in nearby
Silverdale, WA. The name was a tribute to the original guitarist's fascination with plaid shirts but did not fit on the band's posters. Consequently, the name was abbreviated to M.P. But in
Yuri Ruley's handwriting, periods appeared as "X"'s, and since he made up the show posters for the band, the four-letter moniker stuck.
[1]
Record Deal
MxPx caught the attention of
Tooth & Nail Records when they played a "showcase" for the label in 1993 in Herrera's parents' back yard. Mike Herrera had practiced so much before the first show that he lost his voice. Their first major album,
Pokinatcha
(1994), was released while the band was still in high school. The album, though classified as
christian punk, incorporated the quick styles of
hardcore punk.
Changes
Guitarist
Andy Husted soon left the band and was replaced by
Tom Wisniewski. MxPx released two further albums with Tooth & Nail,
Teenage Politics
in 1995, and
Life in General
in 1996. They then received a major distribution deal with
A&M Records. After the re-release of
Life In General
, MxPx released two more studio albums jointly distributed with Tooth & Nail and A&M:
Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo
in 1998, and
The Ever Passing Moment
in 2000.
Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo
was their last album to incorporate
hardcore punk and with the release of
The Ever Passing Moment
, the band used frequent
pop punk styles. MxPx had fulfilled their contract obligations and decided to part ways with Tooth & Nail.
Before Everything & After
in 2003 was released exclusively by A&M, and marked a radical departure from their old sound. In 2005, MxPx was dropped by A&M, signed with
SideOneDummy Records, and released their seventh full-length album
Panic
. In 2006, MxPx came out with
Let it Happen deluxe edition
, a Tooth and Nail Records re-release of
Let it Happen
with new songs and a DVD of their music videos.
Current
In September 2006, MxPx and the City of Bremerton started a marketing effort revolving around the band's song "
Move to Bremerton". Bremerton's Community Renewal Agency secured rights for the song to be played in a promotional website for the city, and MxPx played a concert at the downtown
Admiral Theatre on
September 16,
2006 with local bands The Divorce and Ruxton Towers. The band was also given keys to the city by Mayor
Cary Bozeman in recognition of their contributions to Bremerton.
[2] [3]
MxPx spent the majority of 2005 and 2006 touring in support of their 7th album
Panic
. On
November 21,
2006,
Tooth & Nail Records re-released "Let It Happen Deluxe Edition" with a bonus DVD featuring 12 music videos, new artwork, photographs and some other goodies.
Let's Rock
, MxPx's second rarities album, was released on Side One Dummy Records on October 24, 2006. The album consists of many previously unreleased songs, re-recorded b-sides and acoustic demos. A new full-length album from their
side project Arthur is slated for a 2007 release.
MxPx spent early 2007 on an international tour through parts of Australia and Europe. In March 2007, MxPx played at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival in Austin, Texas, and from May through June, they headlined the Tooth and Nail Tour, also featuring
Hawk Nelson,
The Classic Crime,
The Fold,
Sullivan,
Project 86, and
Run Kid Run.
The band recently returned from a tour in
Brazil with
Suicide city, where they co-headlined the 2008 Maquinaria Rock Fest with
Sepultura, the
Misfits,
Biohazard and
Suicidal Tendencies.
Also in 2007, MxPx was featured on the labels of 120 limited edition Jones Soda Bottles to promote their July 2007 release, Secret Weapon. They also returned to Tooth and Nail Records. In an interview with Christianitytoday.com Herrera said the band was now free to get back into more of the Christian Market.
[4]
Currently, MxPx is touring to promote their latest album,
Secret Weapon.
Chris Wilson is covering for Yuri as drummer in some shows, as Yuri is looking after his baby daughter.
MxPx toured the United Kingdom with
Punchline and
The Get Go on the fourth installment of the
Good To Go Tour in February 2008. The last show of the 2008 Good To Go Tour which took place at Glasgow's King Tuts Wah Wah Hut. At this time, during August and September 2008, MxPx joined
Lagwagon to play a handful of shows in Canada and the US.
MxPx has released a follow-up to the cover
EP On The Cover
, which was released on March 24th, 2009. The name of the album is "
On The Cover II", featuring songs covered from fellow punk bands including
The Clash and the
Descendents.
Drummer
Yuri Ruley told ThePunkSite.com that MxPx planned to start writing and recording a ninth album in
January 2009,
[5] but
Mike Herrera more recently stated that there were no immediate plans to do so.
[6]
Band lineup
- Mike Herrera – Lead vocals, Bass Guitar, Keyboard, Rhythm Guitar (Studio Sets Only)
- Tom Wisniewski – Lead Guitar, background vocals
- Yuri Ruley – drums, percussion, background vocals
;Previous
Andy Husted, the founding guitarist, left the band in 1995. He was replaced by
Tom Wisniewski to solidify the line-up that would take the band into their post-teen years.
Discography
Studio albums
- 1994: Pokinatcha
- 1995: Teenage Politics
- 1996: Life In General
- 1998: Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo
- 2000: The Ever Passing Moment
- 2003: Before Everything & After
- 2005: Panic
- 2007: Secret Weapon
Notes
- Magnified Plaid (MxPx) History
- Kitsap Sun, Punknews.org, SeattlePI, The Stranger
- Bremerton MVPs MxPx
[MxPx, 01/07 - Interviews - Christian Music Today]- ThePunkSite.com | MXPX Interview - Yuri Ruley
- altpress.com | Web exclusive: A conversation with MxPx's Mike Herrera