Top 40 Before 40 Rock Artists - #38 - MxPx
Hopefully by now, some of the intrigue is starting to set in about this more unique-style Top 40 list, and confusion has subsided. For those of you who are just joining this list at this point, let me give a quick summary below:
- In my almost 40 years on this planet, I have had the great pleasure of listening to a lot of music that doesn't make it to the airwaves, and a lot of these bands are some of my absolute favorites.
- You WILL see some Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame bands on the list too, but for the most part, you are likely going to disagree with this list almost entirely.
- I am sharing this ranking so that you get some insight into some great bands you may have never heard before AND for a little bit of a personal challenge to myself to rank these bands.
With that said, let's get to #38 on my Top 40 List Before 40:
By markheybo from UK - mxpx at Greenbelt2008, CC BY 2.0
#38 - MxPx
These guys formed back in the early 90's in Bremerton, Washington (they even have a song about their hometown - "Move To Bremerton").
Originally, they started out as a Christian pop-punk band while still in HIGH SCHOOL, but once they signed with Tooth & Nail Records and grew a bit more into their lives as touring musicians, the Christian music was replaced by less religious references, and the lead singer no longer associates himself with Christianity.
That said, you wouldn't really be put off in any way by the music they created early on if you like any of their later music (and vice versa really).
Originally a power trio turned mostly into a quartet now, this band has never stopped bringing power riffs with speed and punch combined with incredibly catchy hooks and lyrics that will get stuck in your head for years.
In fact, I just heard one of their songs the other day, and it turns out I still knew 90% of the words even though I hadn't heard that particular song in probably 18 years or so.
The two albums almost every fan of MxPx will agree as being the pinnacle of their popularity would be 1995's Teenage Politics and 1996's Life In General which are incredibly fun albums from front to back.
This band is endlessly prolific though, and they have put out 12 full-length albums and various greatest hit and b-side compilations over the years. I would estimate that they have recorded and released no less than 2 million songs...alright, probably not that many, but they have tons of material.
I would say that MxPx might be a bit of a "guilty pleasure" in the sense that the music tends to lean itself towards a younger person, but I just never seemed to grow out of their demographic. I still rock out to their tunes every single day (literally "South Bend" from their album Let It Happen is playing on my music library right now).
These guys have dealt with major issues and fallout with a record label, moving back and forth from fame to more obscurity and met every challenge head on to keep rocking for almost 30 years now. Not too many bands can say that.
Also, Mike Herrera (bassist and lead singer) has his own podcast that you can check out as well.
For each band or artist in my list, I also want to give some additional bands and artists that didn't make the cut that I would still absolutely recommend, because I still think they are insanely awesome, but I had to make my list only 40 acts long.
Similar Artists That I Recommend That Didn't Make The Top 40:
Millencolin, The Mr. T Experience, Bracket
<-- Check out #39 on this list or Check out #37 on this list --> (Available December 8th, 2020)
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