MxPx
On The Cover (Tooth & Nail)
An interview with singer/guitarist Mike Herrera
by Scott Hefflon
I’m a sucker for fast as shit punk pop, a snarl more sarcasm that boy-I’m-tough, and punk rock that remembers how to have fun. Sure, Joan Jett, Skid Row, and GNR have put out cover albums-now MxPx has one too. In their own words, “We’re a punk rawk band playing some not so very punk songs. It was really fun.” And gosh, but ain’t they just cute as the dickens? And coy, too. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and hell, they cover “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams and “Take on Me” by A•HA. You know the song and you know you do. Wildly sloppy guitarwork, pretty in pink vocals, and that catchy melody you hope nobody hears you humming out of context.
From a Pay Phone at Disneyland
What was the time between Teenage Politics and On The Cover?
We recorded Teenage… in April and it came out in July. We recorded the …Cover EP in August, and it came out in December.
Did you go into the studio and record the songs fresh, or were some of them recorded prior to the session in August?
A lot of them were decided while in the studio; we figured them out and arranged them, then recorded them. We did probably half of it like that, and the other half we had the idea when we went into the studio.
Were these covers songs you’d been jamming at practice and playing live?
Like, one or two. We’re not a cover band or anything. We just thought it’d be a cool thing to do. Not many people do full cover albums.
Except if you’re Skid Row, Guns N Roses, or, well, most of Joan Jett’s records are cover albums, I think… Why did you choose to cover the songs that you did?
A lot of the songs go way back to when we were buying a lot of records.
Like “No Brain”? I don’t recognize that.
I wrote that. It’s the only song on this album that I wrote. The Cootees is my other band.
Oh, duh, why don’t I read the credits?
I play guitar and sing the songs that I write. The bassist sings the songs that he writes. It’s basically a punk rawk band, a little slower than MxPx.
Who picked the songs you decided to cover?
It was pretty much a band decision.
What are your favorite songs?
I like the songs that are really different, “Oh Boy” and “Marie, Marie.” The styles of those songs worked really well for us.
I loved “Take On Me” by A•HA. The style really translated well to punkpop.
The songs from the ’80s were really good, but it’s how they were done… We wanted to take these songs and update them, play them in our style.
It was cool that you covered “Drum Machine Joy.” Is Joy Electric a big influence, or is it just ’cause they’re on the same label?
They’re like a dance/house band; they play raves and stuff. I know Ronnie from the label. The way he gets his songs across, and the way we get our songs across, is totally different. But when you take a really good song and play the chords, the changes, and the melodies in a new style, it makes it a totally different song.
Have you gotten any response from the original artists?
Yeah, Buddy Holly was just telling me… Well, no, not really. Ronnie really liked his song, and Mike Stand (The Alter Boys) liked “You Found Me,” but that’s about all I know.
No response from Bryan Adams for covering “Summer of 69”?
He hasn’t gotten a hold of me on that one, but I’m a hard guy to get a hold of, that’s probably why…
