SilentTalkie

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How do you properly pay tribute to a band that was responsible for a major shift in listening habits? Back as a young teen, I was listening to a lot of CCM and pretty cheezy Christian rock. Then one Christmas, I got a copy of Teenage Politics and everything changed. I fell in love with punk rock. Being a sheltered kid in a rural area, I had never really heard punk music before, so hearing these short, three-chord ditties in the mid-90s was new to me. Through the years, I continued to buy everything this band put out, tracking down rare 7″ records, fan-club only singles and other rarities that were never officially released. I managed to see them 6 times from 1997 to 2008. They were the one band that could still tempt me into joining a most pit.

A couple weeks ago, they pretty much played their final show. They played their third album, Life In General, from start to finish as a send off to their original drummer. Now that he had started a family, he moved to a stage in his life that couldn’t support the endless touring that they did to make a living. It was still impressive that a band of teenagers, with one lineup change coming a year in, stayed together, continually touring and recording until their mid-30s. Now they haven’t officially retired the moniker and will probably still play random shows with new lineups surrounding their bass player/singer, but it won’t be the same. I’ll still look forward to the occasional release, but they’ll just be another of those bands that don’t die but will never come close to the peak.

I’m not sure what it was, but it always felt like they were on the cusp of greatness. They were veterans at a time when pop-punk was breaking through in the mainstream. They had a great live show and always went the extra mile for fans. I don’t know what it was, but they just couldn’t get that break that they needed. Anyways, MxPx will be missed, at least by me. Thanks to Rob and Mark for helping me get this episode together. It’s a little long, but it’s full of awesomeness. I didn’t even include everything that I wanted. These 31 tracks were chosen from more than 400 that sit on my iPod. Here’s what you get:

17 (I Saw Her Standing There) from “17″ 7″

Too Much Thinking from “Pokinatcha”
PxPx from “Pokinatcha”
Ears To Hear from “Pokinatcha”
The Opposite of Intellect from “Teenage Politics”
Dolores from “Teenage Politics”
Chick Magnet (Live on KNDD) from “Move To Bremerton” EP
Today Is In My Way from “Life In General”
Southbound from “Life In General”

Summer of ’69 from “On The Cover”
Drum Machine Joy from “On The Cover”
No Action from “Before You Were Punk 2″
Janie Jones from “Burning London – A Tribute To The Clash” (Australian Import)
The KKK Took My Baby Away from “Live At The Show”
Blue Moon from “Oldies But Goodies”

Christmas Day

Tomorrow’s Another Day from “Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo”
I’m OK, You’re OK from “Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo”
Two Whole Years from “The Ever-Passing Moment”
Yuri Wakes Up Screaming from “The Renaissance”
Play It Loud from “Before Everything And After”
Invitation To Understanding from “Acoustic” EP
Heard That Sound from “Panic”
Sweet Sweet Thing from “Let’s Rock”
Here’s To The Life from “Secret Weapon”
One Step Further from “Left Coast Punk” EP

Scooby Doo, Where Are You? from “Scooby Doo Official Soundtrack”
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
Shout from “Animal House – Double Secret Probation Edition” DVD
Punk Rock Girl from “On The Cover II”

Punk Rawk Show from “Live At The Show”

Thanks for listening and I’ll be back to a normal show next week.

Jared