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Warped veterans MxPx are a staple on the tour of misfits.  MxPx formed while still in high school in 1993 in Bremerton, WA by the original members:  vocalist/bassist Mike Herrera, guitarist Andy Husted and drummer Yuri Ruley.  Originally known as Magnified Plaid, the band abbreviated their name to MxPx on show flyers and given that they were scribbled; it appeared as MxPx and it stuck.  The band has kept the shortened name since.  Now fourteen years later, touring in support of their 12th release “Secret Weapon,” the band is looked up to on the tour by most newcomers because they see they’re talented, remain fresh and relevant and are experienced beyond most their years.

Musicpix had the chance to sit with drummer Yuri Ruley after their Warped set during their Cincinnati stop.  The green room is actually a terrace that sits above the Ohio River- the most quiet and peaceful spot to be found at Warped.  We talked about the glue that keeps MxPx together after a decade-plus, being a pre-internet band and advice for new bands on tour.
Read on…
Yuri:               What a great view….

Musicpix:      [Laughing]   Yeah, I arranged this just for you!  Nothing like a cool shade considering its 90+ out there!  You guys are obviously veterans.  Tell us what it’s like being a big brother out here?

Yuri:               There something fun about it.  Not only do the fans that come out on the tour and come out and say hello –other bands do too.  As we walk by merch tents, bands reach out and I think that’s only something that goes along with being around as long as we have.

Musicpix:      Do you feel like the big daddy?  We talk to a lot of new bands and it’s a breeding ground for new artists.  Do you feel like that?

Yuri:               Not necessarily.  I guess only in the sense that we’re an autopilot.  We know everybody.  We’ve known Kevin Lyman and all those folks behind the scenes for ten years!  It’s like seeing old friends.  To a certain extent, I notice when new bands come and talk to us and watch us play.  Warped Tour has been important to us.  For many years now, Warped is our summer.  It’s been really really good for us.

Musicpix:      Okay-you’re on autopilot but you still have to be flexible…

Yuri:               Yeah, we played at 3 yesterday and we play at 2 today or sometimes we play first or we play last.

Musicpix:      New bands are really giving the internet credit for their quick rising star and your band didn’t have the web when you got started.  Do you think as time marches on, will there be a dividing line between pre & post internet bands?

Yuri:               Being in a band, there’s a pirate business that you have to attend to.  You have to be business-minded at the same time and for musicians, it’s not an easy transition to make.  When we first started, we gave out cassette tapes and hoped that the right people heard them.  Now bands have My Space….Prior to the internet, we didn’t have access to hundreds and hundreds of bands from all over the world…it is a totally different world.  Although it’s there and it’s important, bands still have to get out there and perform.  That’s the most exciting thing about being in or seeing a band…They’re coming to your town and it’s going to be an experience you’ll never forget.  For us, it’s our day job but you have to step out of it and put yourself in your fans shoes.  This could be the best day of their life.  It energizes you as a musician to think about that…

MxPx Photo Gallery

Musicpix:      Talk about your latest release “Panic” a bit…. it parallels the feeling in this country that we’re so panic stricken.  I happen to subscribe to:  Music Can Save Planet…theory and there are lot of you guys out there sharing your perspective and preaching to the world about problems that need to be solved…

Yuri:               It’s personal to me.  Not every band is preaching their ideals. We’re not a preaching band either but our songs have a message.  With “Panic” it was where we were at as a country and as a world.  We had just seen Fahrenheit 911 and other films like that that took a look at how the media makes things worse.  You can get worked up into frenzy and the stuff you read and see may never happen.  We looked at that.  As a general rule, we just wanted to capture what it felt like to be us…we consider ourselves to be pretty average Americans and it’s disturbing.

Musicpix:      At the front end of “Heard That Sound” there’s a quick flash of a man holding a billboard that say “Lost but not Hopeless”…just for that second and then the imagery that followed has an impact.  How involved are you as a band in the creative process of videos?

Yuri:               It depends…the person who wrote that video is an old friend of ours.  We're involved but some of the imagery…Jeff Myers…he’s a filmmaker.  To a certain extent, we just let him do his thing.  Beyond the treatment, when you’re filming, there’s the freedom to improvise.  We’re involved but if we like the idea, we just go with it.

Musicpix:      Talk about the evolution of your band.  What’s the MXPX glue?

Yuri:               [Long Pause….]   It would seem like it would be an easy question to answer….It always has been three guys that all want to head in the same direction.  We might not always get along perfectly.  Nobody has a perfect human relationship.  No matter what, when we get on stage when it comes to dealing with the band, we’re all headed in the same direction.  You’re happy enough with each other to move forward.  Sometimes we have to pick each other up.  We’re not always on the same page.  We’re there to motivate each other.

Musicpix:      I’ve got a new band- GWYN…what advice would you give me?  This is my first time the Warped Tour...

Yuri:               One thing that’s important for new bands to understand and I think a lot of them do is: take it seriously and say goodbye to your ego.  Young bands usually don’t have a lot of that.  Most people in a band are hard working and know Warped is grueling because of the hours and the heat.  You just have to put your nose to the grindstone and work hard.  They’re fundamental things.  No one else is going to do it for you.

Musicpix:      Sounds like good advice to me whether you’re in a band or not!  Thanks for your time Yuri, stay cool out there!

The Band:
Mike Herrera- vocalist, bassist
Andy Husted-Guitarist
Yuri Ruley-Drums

Discography
Pokinatcha-1995
Teenage Politics-1995
Life in General-1996
Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo-1998
Way of the Buffalo Vol. 2-1998
At the Show (live)-1999
The Ever Passing Moment-2000
MXPX Lost in Japan-2002
Before Everything & After-2003
Panic-2005
Let’s Rock-2006
Secret Weapon-2007
The Tour
09/01/07  Frenchtown, NJ
09/02/07  Quincy, CA

By:  Gywn Tyme