The 31+ year pop punk titans MxPx recently released their thirteenth official full length, Find A Way Home, proving the group has, if nothing else, longevity. Thank goodness they also bring so much more. Drummer and co-founder Yuri Ruley sat down with Mike to discuss the new release, the band's epic history, and a bunch of obscure drumming stuff because I'm a friggin' dork-wad.. We rolled a SEVEN.
Yuri! Thank you so much for your time today. It looks like our “headitor” Jeff rolled seven, so here we go! “Find A Way Home” is such a breath of fresh air, great work. At a time in history with so many aging punk drummers, you have never lost your cleanliness, hit-consistency, and (biggest ones) speed and energy. How much work does it take to warp back to classic Yuri double-time shape, and do you have any good routines or regimens that have kept you on top of it for so long while others wash away in drum trigger overkill?
The thing that has helped me the most over the years to maintain the ability to play clean and fast is to focus on being completely relaxed. That's not always easy because our music is really anything but relaxed. So, mentally I have to be really focused and sharp, but physically I have to keep my body completely free of tension. That's the place I'm always trying to be any time I'm playing. It doesn't always happen, but when it does it's amazing.
2) As a long-time fan, it has been very pleasing to see Chris Adkins get the front-of-stage love he deserves for filling in the second guitar parts. I noticed this pattern was uniform with all 90's/00's three-piece heavy hitters, (Blink/Alkaline Trio/Green Day, etc, etc.) Do you have any thoughts as to what we were all so worried about in acknowledging that sonic gap, enough so that it became fundamental to the multi-tracked albums but may have thinned out a live performance?
That's an interesting question that I've never contemplated beyond our own band, but you're right, a lot of three-piece bands have eventually added the second guitar that was always there for their recordings. I wonder how much of it has to do with chemistry between members, and the balance of egos? We've had a number of people cycle through that second guitarist position over the years, and it's always felt like it's still the three of us and this other dude just to fill out the sound. Until Chris. Chris has been a perfect fit since day one. I know that didn't really answer your question, but that's all I've got to say about that.
3) Okay so now I get to contradict my entire last question. I'm counting thirteen official studio releases here (Renaissance EP isn't on here, fourteen! More like wikiLameia, gah I love that release.) I would assume 31+ years of writing in the scope of three pieces present occasional repeat riffs, tempos, and melodies. Does the band have any “Simpsons did it on Life In General already” protocol when pumping out new material?
I don't know if we've ever spent too much time thinking about that really. I think it would be almost debilitating to try to never repeat anything we've done in the past. I think you need to accept that it's going to happen from time to time, as long as it's not too obvious! haha.
4) The band's YouTube live performances were literal shots of energy that we needed while locked under quarantine. Can you describe those long-shot live performances to us? Did you rehearse for any of them, or just go live and fucking go? I know of a lot of bands that require teleprompters anymore when they plow through their mighty discographies, I have a lot of questions as to how you pulled off something so gigantic.
Yeah, that was an intense year. We did roughly one a month for almost a year with very few repeated songs in the sets. We did a lot of rehearsing for those performances. All I did in my free-time was re-learn old songs that I hadn't thought about in decades, in some cases. We're a band that always puts in all the work we can prior to any performance, so that when the time comes we're as ready as we'll ever be. Believe it or not, after 31+ years it still takes a lot of work to get it sounding just right!
5) I played a show at a venue, (I think it was called the Manette?) in Bremerton that you guys had some stock or involvement in. (We didn't have enough money to throw the van and trailer on the ferry, so we had to take the hilariously unexpected long drive from Seattle, great memory.) Is this place still around and can you please talk about it? There is just something about venues that are aided by veteran bands that leave such a pleasant taste in touring act's mouths.
We don't have any stock in The Manette. It's just a local place that's been around forever that we have continued to frequent throughout the years. We've been friends with owners and tenders for the last 25 years, so maybe there's some emotional stock, but nothing financial other than a bar tab. haha. Tom even worked there for a year as a bartender! Cool place.
6) The “Franco Un-American” and “San Dimas” covers that popped up while we were all ripping our hair out at home with our families were incredible treats, from the updated lyrics, Five Iron horn parts, and beyond. Did you ever hear any feedback from Fat Mike or Kris Roe about the recordings? I think you guys really discovered a side-hustle from the “On The Cover” series.
Yeah, those were fun to do. I didn't personally hear anything from Mike or Kris, but I'm sure that Mike and Tom did. We've been friends with both of those guys for many years at this point.
7) I had very recently become a father when “Let's Ride” singled-out, and man, it kicked my ass. This was one of the most personal and retrospective tunes of your arsenal in quite some time, does it have a deep meaning to any of you and/or your story? I have to add that hearing it shuffled into the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack on the 1+2 Reboot was as satisfying as it was seamless. Very, VERY, great songwriting from you guys. Thank you.
That's one of my favorites too, and I'm glad that it resonated with so many listeners. There are a few songs on self-titled that hit harder for me more personally, and for the same reason that you stated, being a parent and the struggles therein. What can I say, Mike knows how to write a great song!
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Host of “Who's Zoomin' Who?,” punk rock dad, OILER from the future, oh and my biggest fears are cold poo on my face when I'm sleeping, and spiders that walk on water. Jacket enthusiast, astrological sign.