Who’d a thought 15 years ago that a three piece punk rock band from Bremerton, WA would be one of today’s most recognizable trio’s in the music industry. Flash back to the early 90s and you’d find MxPx’s Mike Herrera (bass/vocals), Tom Wisniewski (guitar/vocals) and Yuri Ruley (drums) wearing out their Descendents and NOFX cassettes, breaking into the industry on Seattle based indie label, Tooth & Nail.
Bring us back to 2006…MxPx is still making music together, and they are still wearing out their NOFX and Descendents cassettes. Marking their growth and loyalty, the band has teamed up with their first label, Tooth & Nail for the sole release of the deluxe-edition, Let it Happen, the 1998 rarities compilation that marked MxPx’s move from Seattle indie-label stardom to the great wide open of popular music.
True to form, they’re pulling out all the stops the second time around: Besides the original 32 tracks, the deluxe edition of Let it Happen features three new studio tunes produced by longtime band associate Aaron Sprinkle (Anberlin, Emery, Mae), three original demos from MxPx’s salad days, and a bonus DVD videography compiling 12 music videos from throughout the band’s history. Factor in the new artwork—which finds the band’s “Pokinatcha Punk” mascot rocking Herrera’s Ernie Ball bass—and the exclusive photos, and Let it Happen isn’t just a deluxe-edition reissue; it’s a veritable time capsule from the biggest pop-punk export in Pacific Northwest history.
It’s only fitting that Tooth & Nail Records, which originally released Let it Happen in 1998, is back onboard for the re-release. MxPx and Tooth & Nail both got their start within a year and only 20 miles from each other—MxPx forming in 1992, Tooth & Nail launching a year later. —But more famously, they first crossed paths at an MxPx gig in Herrera’s parents’ back yard. That show, which Herrera remembers as “terrible—I blew out my voice just from practicing for it,” nonetheless marked the beginning of a long relationship, from which MxPx built their name.
“It’s been great coming back to Tooth & Nail, because we as a band are in a different place, and they as a label are in a different place than when we last worked together,” Herrera says. “We did [the 2002 career retrospective] Ten Years and Running with them, but we were still under contract to A&M at the time. Now, we’re not under contract with anybody—which, if you know anything about the business of being in a band, is a great position to be in. We’re on a record-by-record basis with anybody we work with, and that’s a great thing, to finally have that sort of independence, that autonomy.”
Fans who bought the original version of Let it Happen (currently approaching Gold status in the U.S.) will remember all three albums the band has released through Tooth & Nail: 1994’s scrappy, fan-favorite debut Pokinatcha, 1995’s Teenage Politics, and 1996’s Life in General (recently voted by Alternative Press magazine’s editors as one of the 10 best punk albums of 1996).
After building a steady discography through Tooth & Nail and after their indie deal expired, the band decided to take a leap up by inking down a major-label deal with A&M. In 2005, their contractual obligations to A&M complete, MxPx made one of their toughest band decisions yet, they left A&M, and decided to continue as free agents. For all the years MxPx had spent operating as a punk band, it was the most punk-rock business move they’d ever made. To keep the momentum going they headlined the 2005 Warped Tour formally reintroducing them to a world that was more than ready.
While MxPx have released close to two-dozen EPs, live discs, retrospectives and 7-inch singles over the years, Let it Happen will always be the collection that stands out most for the band: not only because it marks the end of one era, but because it kicks open the door to another one. “It’s funny, because time just flies by when you’re in a band for over 10 years. You experience so much together that the day-to-day starts becoming a little more normal, a little less exciting,” Herrera says. “But to look back at the photos in this CD, I’m reminded that we really had a lot of good times.” He laughs. “Don’t get me wrong: We still have a lot of great times, but I’m gonna have to wait another 10 years to look back on the photos from today to realize it.”
Sometimes you can go home. Just ask the iconic, idyllic punk/pop stalwarts MxPx, who have returned to the almighty Tooth & Nail Records for their exhilarating, dexterous eighth studio album, Secret Weapon. Long on the highly-charged, infectious anthems that made them scene favorites and boasting a smattering of adventurous, classic pop-inspired winners, the trio – consisting of frontman/bassist Mike Herrera, guitarist Tom Wisniewski and drummer Yuri Ruley – has delivered what can only be called its most accomplished and cohesive disc yet.
As Secret Weapon uncorks with the 1-2 punch of the title track and “Shut It Down,” it’s hard not to think masterpiece as the Aaron Sprinkle (The Almost, Anberlin) produced set unfolds. Counting a guitar solo from Bad Religion’s Brian Baker, “Secret Weapon,” the incendiary, attention-grabber, also finds MxPx wielding its infamous, optimistic tack.
“We’ve always been a band that’s tried to focus on the sunny side of life,” acknowledges Herrera. “But we try to do it in a way that’s real to people and not cheesy. We kind of embrace the dismal and the uplifting at the same time. And “Secret Weapon,” the song and the album, sums up where MxPx is right now.”
From the aforementioned “Shut It Down” – an equally blistering homage to the Clash replete with soaring choruses, thundering drums and a vocal cameo from Sugarcult’s Tim Pagnotta – to the riotous, 90-second circle-pit anthem of “Contention” and the stellar harmonies that elevate the lush, Beach Boys-inspired “Sad Sad Song” (with guest John Davis, formerly of Superdrag on piano and backing vocals) MxPx finds the perfect balance of dichotomy and consistency on Secret Weapon.
Reuniting with Sprinkle – who also helmed the band’s 1994 debut Pokinatcha – was a home run, says Wisniewski. “Not only is Aaron a man on the rise, based on his credits, but more importantly, he’s able to help deconstruct a song and put it back together in a way that makes a lot of sense.” Case in point is “Punk Rock Celebrity,” a hard charging rocker that takes an adventurous left turn at the bridge, integrating piano and a wall of brass.
Elsewhere, the alluring contagion “Top of the Charts” is an acerbic look back at MxPx’s frustrating “we don’t hear a single” experience at a major label, it just may be the band’s most accessible number ever. “You know, they’d tell us, ‘Oh, the record’s perfect. It’s great,” says Tom. “Then two weeks later they’d be back in touch and say, ‘Can you get back to us with a couple more songs.’ Like, ‘I know you just spent the past year writing, but now can you pull an amazing single out of a hat?’”
In its decade and a half in operation, MxPx has nonetheless had its share of triumphs. Founded in July 1992 by Herrera and Ruley, the Bremerton, Washington-bred band’s line up has remained constant since Wisniewski joined in 1995. Counting a series of alternative radio and video favorites like “Punk Rawk Show,” “Chick Magnet,” “Move To Bremerton,” “I’m Okay, You’re Okay” and “Running Out Of Time” over seven extremely popular studio albums, an array of EPs, plus one live disc and a DVD.
With their weighty back catalog of should-be smashes, returning to Tooth & Nail – a label now running circles around the conglomerates when it comes to getting rock albums on the charts by the likes of Underoath, Anberlin and The Almost – made perfect sense for its glimmering but tenacious eighth album.
“It’s no secret that years ago we had a pretty well publicized falling out with them but it’s been a long time and things have healed,” Tom says. “We sort of picked up where we left off.” Fresh off the completion of an amicable deal with respected indie SideOne Dummy, MxPx began seriously considering label founder Brandon Ebel’s offer to rejoin the label.
Herrera says of Tooth & Nail’s powerful industry position helped the band’s decision, but he also insists, “A lot of it was based on redemption and wanting to right some of the wrongs and be righted for some of the wrongs that were done to us. We felt like this was our way to rebuild everything. I think, if anything, regardless of the success of this record, having that relationship with Tooth & Nail again is going to do wonders for our career, our personal lives and the well being of the whole camp.”
From the explosive closer “Tightly Wound,” which boasts a guest contribution by Benji Madden of Good Charlotte, to the upbeat punch of “Here’s To The Life”, the men in MxPx – who were handed the Keys To The City of Bremerton last year – have delivered the strongest record of its career.
“This band is sort of a microcosm of how a lot of people live their lives,” says Herrera. “And “Here’s To The Life,” kind of speaks to that. “Here’s to the life that we always never wanted.’ Like, ‘This may not always be how we planned it, but it is what it is. We might as well enjoy it.’”
With that credo in place and Secret Weapon under its sleeve, 2007 seems certain to be the year that Mike, Tom and Yuri conquer the world. Onward and upward, MxPx!
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