The Renaissance EP [EP]

Performer: MxPx
Engineer: Mike Herrera; Tom Wisniewski; Yuri Ruley
Producer: MxPx; Tom Wisniewski; Yuri Ruley
Distributor: RED Distribution

Notes: MxPx: Mike (vocals, piano, keyboards, bass); Tom (guitar, background vocals); Yuri (drums, percussion, cymbals, background vocals). Additional personnel includes: Andy Husted, Gary Barbo (background vocals). Recorded at The Club House Studios, Bremertown, Washington. Personnel: Tom Wisniewski (guitar); Yuri Ruley (drums, cymbals, percussion). Audio Mixers: Tom Wisniewski; Yuri Ruley. Recording information: Club House, Bremerton WA (2001). This brief glance into this cheerful trio's oeuvre (few of the nine tracks last over two minutes) reveals a band that owes much to Green Day and could end up owing more to They Might Be Giants if it plays its cards right. MXPX have Green Day's searing punk energy and musical smarts, and songwriter and bassist Mike Herrera displays enough lyrical skill on songs like "Party II" and "The Opposite" to signal he might have a future beyond mere third-generation punk emulation. There's the condensed polka-beat of "Letting Go" with its teen angst-y "deep inside my soul I've got a voice," the aforementioned "Party II" which deals with that difficult apartment party chucking-out period known to all ("cleaning up is the very worst part"), and the goofy "Yuri Wakes Up Screaming" in which Yuri does just that, at various tempi. The biggest compliment you can give to THE RENAISSANCE EP is that it's just too darn short.

CMJ (6/11/01, p.12) - "...While the LP has some pogoing, power-pop moments...and some quirky keyboards, MxPx isnt rebirthing its happy-go-lucky sound but breathing new, mature life into it..."

MxPx were a spunky trio of Pacific Northwest teenagers with discreetly Christian lyrics and a crisp, tight attack when they were signed to Tooth & Nail Records in 1994. They released three albums for the label and then defected to A&M Records, where bigger budgets afforded them grander production and a busy touring schedule. Being exposed to enthusiastic crowds during the late-'90s heyday of pop/punk paid off, and by 2005, the band had built up such a loyal following that they decided to leave A&M and record independently, pursuing a leaner punk sound. MxPx also helped pave the way for a bundle of emotionally driven pop/punk acts with lyrics that, while not expressly religious, dealt openly with matters of faith.

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