Virgin Radio 99.9 Toronto

The Christian-themed punk-pop outfit Mxpx was formed in Bremerton, WA, in 1993 by vocalist/bassist Mike Herrera, drummer Yuri Ruley, and guitarist Andy Husted. Originally dubbed Magnified Plaid, at the time of the group's formation all its members were still in high school. Their moniker was later shortened to just Mxpx after Ruley abbreviated their name on some show flyers, but poor handwriting saw the periods being interpreted as x's instead; the name stuck. By the time they got their driver's licenses, the trio had already released several 7" singles and their debut album, Pokinatcha, for Tooth & Nail Records in 1994. It quickly became the label's best seller and prompted the release of the band's sophomore effort, Teenage Politics, late the next year. By this album, Husted had been replaced by band friend Tom Wisniewski, who dropped his drumsticks and picked up a guitar in order to join the band. Popular with the skate/surf community as well as the punk underground (with a snowboard sponsorship to their name), Mxpx broke out of the underground in 1996 with their classic third LP, Life In General. The album included such fan favorites as "Chick Magnet" and "Move to Bremerton." Though dubbed a Christian punk band, religious themes were never an overbearingly dominant force in the band's songs, as they usually relied on universal themes of growing up and trying to figure life out. And as Mxpx progressed in their career, their songs gravitated more toward the secular side of things even further. Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo, their debut for major label A&M, appeared in 1998. That fall they also released the compilation album Let It Happen back on Tooth and Nail, which contained B-sides, demos, and other stray tracks. The live At The Show trailed a year later. The Broken Bones EP came out in 2000 before their next full-length, The Ever Passing Moment, appeared in the spring. A year later, The Renaissance Ep was released, and was followed two years later with Mxpx commemorating their time together with a greatest-hits release, Ten Years And Running. The band's next official studio effort came in the fall of 2003 in the form of Before Everything & After, an album that alienated some fans with its overly slick, pop-oriented nature. Late 2004 saw the release of the career retrospective DVD B-Movie, and the guys passed the following summer back on the annual Vans Warped Tour. Mxpx then returned to form (and back to the indies) with their seventh studio album, Panic, which surfaced in June 2005 on Side One Dummy. Mxpx spent summer 2006 on the road with ska-punkers Reel Big Fish before dropping their next record, Let's Rock, that October. The album was comprised of previously unreleased tracks from recording sessions dating back to 2000. The next month, Tooth & Nail reissued a deluxe version of Mxpx's 1998 rarities compilation Let It Happen, including a bonus DVD and several unreleased songs. Mxpx then confirmed in early 2007 that they'd re-signed with Tooth & Nail, aiming to release a new album that summer, and release they did, with Secret Weapon hitting stores in the middle of that year. ~ John Bush & Corey Apar, All Music Guide