The Christian Underground Encyclopedia

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====== MxPx ======

Pop Punk\\
Bremerton, Washington, USA

MxPx is an American pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington, founded in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. A number of the group's releases have charted on Billboard, including the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Billboard Christian Albums.

MxPx was formed in July 1992 by Mike Herrera, Yuri Ruley, and Andy Husted, who were 15 years old at the time, and classmates at Central Kitsap High School in Silverdale, Washington. Initially, the band played music inspired by Descendents, Black Flag and other punk rock bands.

The name, originally Magnified Plaid, was a tribute to Husted's fascination with plaid shirts, but did not fit on the band's posters. Consequently, the name was abbreviated to M.P. on show posters. Yuri Ruley, who used Xs in place of periods, made the posters for the band, resulting in the four-letter moniker.

MxPx caught the attention of [[Tooth & Nail Records]] when the band played a showcase for the label in 1993 in Herrera's parents' back yard. The band's first major album, //Pokinatcha// (1994), was released while the band members were still in high school. The album, though classified as Christian punk, incorporated the quick styles of hardcore punk, and is composed of influence from skate/surf punk and punk underground. The songs are characterized by their raw punk sound, catchy rhythm, and classic punk three-chord guitar style.

Guitarist Andy Husted soon left the band and was replaced by Herrera's longtime friend, Tom Wisniewski. Despite only knowing power chords on guitar, Wisniewski was willing to be in the band. MxPx released two further albums with Tooth & Nail: //Teenage Politics// in 1995, and //Life in General// in 1996, which features the single "Chick Magnet" and artwork by the artist Coop.

In 1997, MxPx signed a deal with A&M Records. This record deal saw the re-release of 1996's //Life in General//. MxPx then released two more studio albums, the first, //Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo// was released in 1998. The album peaked at No. 99 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold on January 27, 2000, by the RIAA. The band first appeared on Kevin Lyman’s //Vans Warped Tour// in 1997 alongside Blink-182, The Descendents, and more, and went on the full tour in 1998 alongside Bad Religion, Rancid, NOFX, and many others.

In 1999, they released //At the Show//, their first live album recorded on August 24, 1998, at the 930 Club in Washington, DC and on August 25, 1998, at TLA in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the time of the recording, the band was touring in support of //Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo// as well as the B-sides collection //Let it Happen//, also released in 1998.

//(to be continued...)//

===== Discography =====

| 1993 | Magnified Plaid (demo) | Cheezy Records |
| 1993 | I Like Orange Station Wagons (demo) | Cheezy Records |
| 1993 | Summer Jam '93 | Cheese Productions |
| 1993 | Magnified Plaid (Circular Files) (demo) |
| 1994 | Bootleg | [[Casa Recordings]] |
| 1994 | Pokinatcha | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 1994 | 17 (7") | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 1995 | Teenage Politics | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 1995 | Punk Rock Show (7") | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 1995 | On the Cover | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 1996 | Move to Bremerton | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 1996 | Life in General | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 1997 | Small Town Minds (7") | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 1998 | Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo | A&M Records / [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 1998 | Let It Happen | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 1999 | At the Show | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 2000 | The Ever Passing Moment | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 2000 | The Broken Bones (7") | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 2001 | The Renaissance EP | Fat Wreck Chords |
| 2001 | Fat Club (7") | Fat Wreck Chords |
| 2003 | Before Everything & After | A&M Records |
| 2004 | The AC/EP | SideOneDummy |
| 2005 | Panic | SideOneDummy |
| 2007 | Secret Weapon | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 2009 | On the Cover II | [[Tooth & Nail Records]] |
| 2009 | Left Coast Punk EP | Rock City Recording Company |
| 2009 | Punk Rawk Christmas | Rock City Recording Company |
| 2012 | Plans Within Plans | Rock City Recording Company |
| 2016 | Life In General 2.0 | Rock City Recording Company |
| 2018 | Best Life |
| 2018 | MxPx |
| 2020 | Life in Quarantine |

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==== Magnified Plaid ====

1993 Cheezy Records

Mike Herrera – Bass, vocals\\
Andy Husted – Guitar, backup vocals\\
Yuri Ruley – Drums, backup vocals

  - Special Report
  - A Thought
  - Ditch
  - Prolonged
  - What Makes Anything
  - Brick Wall
  - W. Woman
  - Look At You
  - Answerless
  - Spinning
  - People Mover

Recording Dates: January 11, 29 & February 12, 1993

"Special Report" was the first song Mike ever wrote for MxPx. It was released in 2018 on a special bonus flexi-disc with the Deluxe Collectors Edition vinyl release of MxPx.

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==== I Like Orange Station Wagons ====

1993 Cheezy Records

Mike Herrera – Bass, vocals, backup vocals\\
Andy Husted – Guitar, backup vocals\\
Yuri Ruley – Drums, backup vocals

Caitlin Herrera – Backup vocals on "Come Around"

  - One Way Window
  - Knowledge Without Wisdom
  - Low Point
  - Stones Throw
  - My Broken Machine
  - Skeptic
  - Come Around
  - Enmity
  - Circuit
  - Blind
  - Kling
  - Algea
  - Talking to Myself

"This was the demo cassette that was given to [[Aaron Sprinkle]] at a [[Poor Old Lu show]] in Port Orchard, WA in the Summer of 1993 that ultimately lead to the band recording a four song demo with Aaron that fall and eventually getting signed to [[Tooth & Nail Records]] the following year."

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==== Summer Jam '93 ====

1993 Cheese Productions

Mike Herrera – Bass, vocals\\
Andy Husted – Guitar, backup vocals\\
Yuri Ruley – Drums, backup vocals

  - Special Report
  - Speeding
  - Brick Wall
  - Seeing Isn't Believing
  - The Instrumental to Magnified Plaid
  - The Disney Land Song
  - Look At You
  - Swordfish [Dead Milkmen cover]
  - Ignorance
  - Ditch
  - It's Not Bad
  - Prolong

"This demo made it into the hands of fans and has been relatively widely circulated on CD-R and digitally online."

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==== Magnified Plaid (Circular Files) ====

1993 Independent

Mike Herrera – Bass, vocals\\
Andy Husted – Guitar, backup vocals\\
Yuri Ruley – Drums, backup vocals

Recorded by [[Aaron Sprinkle]] at his church's studio in Seattle

  - Walking Bye
  - Suggestion Box
  - Twisted Words
  - Too Much Thinking

"This demo cassette was sent to Brandon Ebel at [[Tooth & Nail Records]] by Aaron and is what ultimately lead to the band being signed by the label on May 9, 1994. The tracks were originally to be released as a 7" vinyl record to be titled //Circular Files//, but instead it was decided to record a full album at Avast! studios the following July. Three of the tracks from this demo were released on the 2006 Deluxe Edition re-release of //Let It Happen//. All four of these tracks were re-recorded in the studio for the official album releases of //Pokinatcha// and //17//."

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==== Bootleg ====

1994 [[Casa Recordings]]

Mike Herrera – Bass, vocals\\
Andy Husted – Guitar, backup vocals\\
Yuri Ruley – Drums, backup vocals

  - Ears to Hear
  - Think Twice
  - Time Brings Change
  - Another Song About TV [or TV Sucks]
  - Jars of Clay
  - High Standards
  - Dead End
  - Want Ad
  - Food Pavilion
  - No Room
  - Jay Jay's Song
  - Unopposed
  - Realize
  - PxPx
  - Weak

Recording Date: 1994 (likely sometime between May and July, before the July studio recording of //Pokinatcha//)

"This demo cassette contains what appears to be a practice session of the songs which would eventually make their way onto the debut album //Pokinatcha// (all except "Food Pavilion" are on //Pokinatcha//). These demo tracks are occasionally circulated also with 3 (of the 4) tracks from the //Circular Files// demo above."

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==== Pokinatcha ====

1994 [[Tooth & Nail Records]] (TND1014)

Mike Herrera - Bass, vocals\\
Andy Husted - Guitar\\
Yuri Ruley – Drums
	
Brandon Ebel - Backing vocals on "PxPx"\\
[[Aaron Sprinkle]] - Backing vocals on "Twisted Words" and "Walking Bye"

  - Anywhere But Here (3:27)
  - Weak (3:04)
  - Want Ad (1:25)
  - Realize (2:28)
  - Think Twice (1:54)
  - Unopposed (2:29)
  - The Aspect (2:52)
  - Ears to Hear (2:51)
  - Bad Hair Day (1:52)
  - Too Much Thinking (3:41)
  - PxPx (1:06)
  - Time Brings Change (2:27)
  - Jars of Clay (2:20)
  - High Standards (2:23)
  - Another Song About T.V. (1:42)
  - Twisted Words (2:18)
  - Walking Bye (1:50)
  - No Room (2:03)
  - Jay Jay's Song (1:57)
  - One Way Window (2:02)
  - Dead End (2:46)

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==== 17 ====

1994 [[Tooth & Nail Records]] (TNV3)

Mike Herrera - Bass, vocals\\
Andy Husted - Guitar, sang backups on "17"\\
Yuri Ruley – Drums

Aaron Sprinkle - Sang backups on "17" and "The Cheezy Song," lead guitar on "The Cheezy Song"

  - 17 (I Saw Her Standing There)
  - Suggestion Box
  - Creation
  - The Ultimately Cheezy As Can Be Song

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==== Teenage Politics ====

1995 [[Tooth & Nail Records]] (TND1032)

Mike Herrera - Bass, vocals\\
Tom Wisniewski - Guitar, backing vocals\\
Yuri Ruley – Drums

  - Sugarcoated Poison Apple (2:21)
  - Do & Don't (3:37)
  - Teenage Politics (2:51)
  - Punk Rawk Show (2:32)
  - The Opposite of Intellect (2:51)
  - False Fiction (3:25)
  - Falling Down (2:04)
  - Moneytree (1:41)
  - Rainyday (2:42)
  - Like Sand Through the Hourglass... So Are the Days of Our Lives (1:57)
  - Democracy (1:53)
  - Something More (2:19)
  - Different Things (1:18)
  - Misunderstanding (2:42)
  - Study Humans (2:20)
  - Inquiring Minds Want to Know (2:17)
  - I'm the Bad Guy (1:42)
  - Americanism (2:28)
  - Dolores (2:37)

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==== Punk Rock Show ====

1995 [[Tooth & Nail Records]] (TNV#6)

Mike Herrera - Bass, vocals\\
Tom Wisniewski - Guitar\\
Yuri Ruley – Drums

  - Punk Rawk Show (2:32)
  - Let It Happen (2:57)
  - Hot and Cold (2:10)
  - So Kill Me (1:48)

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==== On the Cover ====

1995 [[Tooth & Nail Records]] (TND1044)

Mike Herrera - Bass, guitar, vocals\\
Tom Wisniewski - Guitar, backing vocals\\
Yuri Ruley – Drums

  - Summer of 69 (2:18)
  - Oh Boy (2:02)
  - Drum Machine Joy (3:32)
  - You Found Me (2:29)
  - Take On Me (3:34)
  - Marie, Marie (1:48)
  - You Put This Love in My Heart (1:46)
  - No Brain (2:36)

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//(to be continued...)//

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