MxPx (Part 2)

Posted May 8, 2007, by Big Hoss.


Interview with Josh Snider, Big Hoss and Guitarist Tom Wisniewski of MxPx

Josh: Originally how did you guys all meet?

Tom: Originally it started out as friends in high school thing you know like Oh that guy plays drums and that guy plays bass you know?

Big Hoss: How has this tour been going so far?

Tom: Its been going good, this is like the 6th show or something like that. We started in Seattle and we are just working our way down the coast and then head east from here hitting Arizona, New Mexico so its going good.

Josh: What do you think about all the bands that your touring with on this tour?

Tom: Ahhh there crap hahah just kidding, umm there great im actually trying to get inside to watch Sullivan they go on in 10 minutes so but umm I haven’t actually seen them but I have seen the classic crime, hawk nelson and the fold all play their all pretty good.

Big Hoss: What have you guys been doing when your not touring or recording?

Tom: Uhhhh I have no answer for that because we are never not touring, but in the little bit of time I have I hang out with the wife or maybe cruise the car around you know make a nice dinner you know the normal stuff nothing crazy, I don’t go bungee jumping or sky diving or any thing or hang gliding.

Josh: I know this its your 10th album and I know you guy just went in to record and just did it where on your 3rd album “life in general” your producer kind of make you work extra hard on the album, now working with Aaron S. on “Secret Weapon” how has he helped you guys?

Tom: Umm Aaron was great I mean he actually did our first album “Pokinatcha” and now he’s doing our latest record “Secret Weapon” witch comes out July 17th on Tooth and Nail Records, he’s great and awesome to work with and he just got really in to the songs and he’s a song writer to and we have known him for years, we kind of come from the same background and we like a lot of the same bands so he really gets us and we get him and he understands what we have to do to the band and helps with songs he will say “o maybe you should tweak it a little here” you know? Like on one song he completely tore it a part it was great and he would show us different parts and we would choose what we liked better it was cool.

Big Hoss: You Recorded your fist song on the new album with Bad Religions Brian Baker how was that?

Tom: It was cool, we actually didn’t record with him we are just friends with him and when that song came up mike was like we should get brian to solo on this and I was like YESSSS! Because im a fan of his guitar playing, hes a guitar god to me, so we just sent him the files and bad religion was recording down in LA and we were doing ours up in Seattle so we just mailed him the files they threw it in the computer did the thing and called it good.

Josh: Has Bad Religion influenced you guys at all?

Tom: Of Course how can they not influence any modern punk band especially the bands that play fast like us and have melody and all that.

Big Hoss: You guys went back to Tooth and Nail Records After being with Sideone Dummy Records why is that?

Tom: We left Sideone Dummy for nooo other reason then tooth and nail having a really good deal for us and we felt like it was a great place for us to go and have a re-launching of MxPx it wasn’t like Sideone Dummy was screwing us or dropping the ball or any thing it was quite the opposite they actually did a really great job if we wouldent of signed back on we would be with Sideone Dummy again.

Josh: What are the differences between tooth and nail and SideOne Dummy?

Tom: The only difference between tooth and nail and sideone dummy is tooth and nail is a little bit bigger of operation, there’s more people dealing with the stuff and like sideone dummy is like 5 people and it was like real hands on and it still is real hands on with tooth and nail but there more people with there hands on it.

Big Hoss: You guys have been around for 15 years witch makes you legends how does that idea make you feel to be considered legends?

Tom: I don’t know I mean its cool we get respect for a lot of newer bands and uh I don’t think about it as so much being a legend I think about it as more like we have been around the block a couple of times.

Josh: What is your musical inspiration as to when you first started playing?

Tom: I hasn’t really changed that much we always love writing new songs and playing them for people so there hasn’t been much change in the motivation department really, we like doing it and we are lucky enough to do it this long.