Live In Concert - MxPx, Stavesacre, Puller, Digger

Live In Concert - MxPx, Stavesacre, Puller, Digger Live In Concert!
"MxPx, STAVESACRE, PULLER, DIGGER"

by Donn Jehs

It was a hot and humid day in St. Petersburg, FL on May 24, 1997, and usually the evening brings a cool breeze, but this night it brought a firestorm - at least to Jannus Landing! "MxPx" took the stage and generated enough heat to set the venue ablaze.

Headlining the ticket of four punk bands, they took command of the crowd, which had been waiting for them all night. From their opening number "Middle Name" off their latest album, "Life In General," until the finale, the energy level was fever pitch. The moshe pit became a canyon as the fans bounced around like atoms in a nuclear reactor. The band fed off it as they moved through many of the cuts on their new album: "Do Your Feet Hurt," "Doing Time," "Sorry So Sorry" and "Sometimes You Have To Ask Yourself." Tom and Mike were delivering the vocals and guitar licks faster than this writer could jot them down while fending off the expanding moshe pit. And Yuri was on fire! Those drums were being worked over like the bad guy in a Rocky film, leaving the fans punchdrunk but still taking the band's best shots.
MxPx

And that was only the first half of the set! After a short pause to chat, plug their fellow bands and toss the fans a few goodies, they took the temperature up a few more degrees with their rendition of "The Wonder Years," "Donna," "Move To Bremerton," and their video single "Chick Magnet."

I was impressed by the clarity of sound and musical quality of even the fastest songs. These boys have got the talent and it's no wonder they're rising up the charts and hitting the radio station playlists. This was bare bones, hit 'em hard music. No fancy light show or special effects, just the music and the crowd. And believe me it was enough. At $10 a ticket the fans got much more than their money's worth and I don't think any of the 900 plus fans went home unhappy; maybe soaked to the skin, dogged, and in some cases bruised, but I'm sure they'll show those like battle scars.

As if "MxPx" wasn't enough, the other bands on the bill, "Digger," "Puller" and "Stavesacre" were giving it their all on the stage. They certainly weren't about to be outdone in the effort department.

The opening band, "Digger" was the only band I had not heard any music from, so pardon me if I can't give you correct song names. But a few of their numbers stood out, including "I Want My Hat Back," "A Day In The Life Of Joe" (the MTV character with his roach pals) and their closing number, "Geek Love," which struck a chord with the crowd, who up to this point had not revved up to the speed the band was at. The bass player had a Jerry Lewis look and his antics at times had that frantic look about them. I was reminded of the movie "Revenge of the Nerds" more than once by this group's songs and manner. The lead vocals were a little overdone and forced, and that is often the case with newer bands who haven't learned a little less is more effective, but they certainly put out the music. The crowd was obviously unfamiliar with them and it took a while to establish a good enough feeling to get the moshe pit rolling.

"Puller" was up next, and from Mike Lewis' opening declaration "We Eat Red Meat" you knew it was going to get bloody. Of all four bands this was the toughest - they gave no quarter and took no prisoners. Starting with "Shut Off," the opening cut off their album "Sugarless," they showed the Southwest doesn't take a backseat to anyone when it comes to punk. The crowd finally started to get into it and a few rounds of "pass the fan" took place; kind of the urban version of Mike's teasing reference to "cowtipping" which went over the head of most of the crowd. They played several more cuts off the album: "Back & Forth," "Far Removed" and "Super Size It," but I think the best song they performed was "Windshield of Love." Mike's voice seemed a little strained - probably no surprise since they were near the end of their tour.
Puller

The crowd really woke up when "Stavesacre" took the stage and this band almost stole the show from "MxPx." Certainly they had their share of fans in the audience. "Tooth and Nail Records" has a real triple threat with "MxPx," "Stavesacre" and "Puller." Unlike "MxPx's" teen angst songs, "Stavesacre" could be called a Christian punk band, and while God may work in mysterious ways, there was no mystery about what was going on onstage. Opening with "Raise Your Fist," "Shiv" and "Colt 45," the latter off the "Absolutes" album, the message was clear - faith is the answer. The music emphasized it repeatedly, although I think some of the fans lost the message in the music. Other songs that stood out were "Inclusive" and their closing number "Eclipsing." This band was the only one of the four in which the lead vocalist did not play an instrument, and, in my opinion, the music was better and the lyrics sharper because of it.
Stavesacre

So, for three and a half hours, this small courtyard/backalley in St. Petersburg was the punk capital of the South! I'm looking forward to MxPx's return in three weeks to the same venue with Face to Face.

MxPx
Tom, Mike, Yuri

Interview with MxPx
Mike Herrara, Tom Wisniewski and Yuri Ruley
May 24, 1997

AMZ: Are you guys just about done for this tour?

MxPx: Pretty much.We have one date on our way back to California.

AMZ: How has the East Coast been treating you?

MxPx: Good. It's been fun. Been hanging out on the beach in Melbourne (FL)

AMZ: Who does most of the writing

MxPx: Mike does. Basic ideas and the music.

AMZ:.Are you going into the studio after you get back?

MxPx: No. Pretty much we're going to be touring on this new record "Life in General" for at least half a year to a year and then probably in the studio.

AMZ: Have you been writing anything while you've been out on tour?

MxPx: We've written some new stuff. We play it at sound checks - that's about it. We haven't toured much yet for the new record so the folks haven't heard those yet.

AMZ: Any videos from the new album.

MxPx: Three . There's one playing right now: "Chick Magnet."

AMZ: You've been touring with Puller and Stavesacre. Does it get competitive at all?

MxPx: No. We're all pretty different with our stage performances.

AMZ: Do you find crowds are fans of one group more than another?

MxPx: Yeah. A lot on the East Coast. Puller was most well received in the Midwest. But we're all really good friends.

AMZ: After you've been on the road a while what do you do to keep the juices flowing?

MxPx: We do things to make people laugh, like our friends.

AMZ: What do you do when you're not on stage?

MxPx: We don't have a lot of free time but we had a day off in Florida and got to hang out and have fun. We had some friends to stay with. It was really cool swimming in the ocean. We got roughed up by the waves.

AMZ: How would you categorize your music?

MxPx: A Lot of our stuff is different from each other. We have harder, faster stuff. Some of it is more poppy. Some of it might be compared to the Descendants.

AMZ: Do you know the Descendants?

MxPx: They know of us and we know of them . We've never played together but hopefully we will.

AMZ: What was it like playing with the Sex Pistols?

MxPx: It was just a show. Nothing weird. The weirdest thing was playing in a football stadium.

AMZ: What's been the largest crowd you've played?

MxPx: Probably ten thousand. We weren't headliners. We were opening up for whoever.

AMZ: Does the lineup ever vary?

MxPx: No its a star tour. Puller and Stavesacre are our friends and we brought them along. They're newer bands than us. Both of them. They're not as well known. Not that we're well known.

AMZ: Have you ever thought about expanding the band?

MxPx: More than three pieces? We've thought about it. We don't know anyone who would really work out well right now. It hasn't really presented itself in a feasible way. We don't want to force it. Right now it seems to be working pretty good.

AMZ: What do you do while you wait to go on?

MxPx: It depends. It's different very night - or the same. Sometimes we watch, sometimes we go talk to people. It's been pretty mellow this tour.

AMZ: How many years do you think this'll last?

MxPx: I don't know. I wouldn't have thought it would last five years already.

AMZ: Have you found your music's changed over the last five years?

MxPx: Yes. Absolutely!

AMZ: When you guys aren't playing what do you like to listen to?

MxPx: All different kinds of music. A .lot of punk music. Some eighties stuff.

AMZ: Have you been getting good play on the radio?

Mxpx: We don't know a lot about what's going on. But we've heard from fans that the big radio stations are playing us.

AMZ: Where do the fans hear about you?

Mxpx: From record stores, or a lot of times the local, or regional, music scene magazine.

AMZ: What's next?

MxPx: We'll be back out on tour around the South and up the East Coast. We'll be back here (St. Petersburg) in three weeks opening for Face To Face.

AMZ: Thank You

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