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…)

1993 Cheezy Records

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

1. Special Report
2. A Thought
3. Ditch
4. Prolonged
5. What Makes Anything
6. Brick Wall
7. W. Woman
8. Look At You
9. Answerless
10. Spinning
11. 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.

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”

1. One Way Window
2. Knowledge Without Wisdom
3. Low Point
4. Stones Throw
5. My Broken Machine
6. Skeptic
7. Come Around
8. Enmity
9. Circuit
10. Blind
11. Kling
12. Algea
13. 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.”

1993 Cheese Productions

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

1. Special Report
2. Speeding
3. Brick Wall
4. Seeing Isn't Believing
5. The Instrumental to Magnified Plaid
6. The Disney Land Song
7. Look At You
8. Swordfish [Dead Milkmen cover]
9. Ignorance
10. Ditch
11. It's Not Bad
12. Prolong

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

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

1. Walking Bye
2. Suggestion Box
3. Twisted Words
4. 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.”

1994 Casa Recordings

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

1. Ears to Hear
2. Think Twice
3. Time Brings Change
4. Another Song About TV [or TV Sucks]
5. Jars of Clay
6. High Standards
7. Dead End
8. Want Ad
9. Food Pavilion
10. No Room
11. Jay Jay's Song
12. Unopposed
13. Realize
14. PxPx
15. 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.”

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”

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

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”

1. 17 (I Saw Her Standing There)
2. Suggestion Box
3. Creation
4. The Ultimately Cheezy As Can Be Song

(to be continued…)