Renaissance Men

A confidence in reason and a belief in progress characterized the Age of Enlightenment. That's what kind of thought pervaded Western Europe and the Americas during most of the 1700s. When talking about the so-called Age of Enlightenment concerning the pop-punk band MxPx, one must refer to their latest EP appropriately titled The Renaissance. "It was 'bout more of a personal rebirth" explains Yuri Ruley, the guy behind the drum set for the Bremerton, Washington trio. "Mike [Herrera], our singer, made some changes in his own life for the better and just kind of helped get us back to where we started." It's this positive outlook that now seeps into all of what MxPx has been up to this past break while they were off tour.
"We stayed off of Warped this year to take a break. I got married and went on my honeymoon. We played a couple shows in Japan. Now we're just doing some new songs for our next record we will hopefully record this winter." Yuri is definitely looking forward to recording again. This latest EP was just mainly an outlet to try to do something a little different and to release something just for their fans. A helpful situation presented itself, one they couldn't pass up: "Originally, we were going to release it on our own label, Rock City Recordings, but then Fat Mike whom we'd gotten to be friends with on last year's Warped said he really wanted to do something with us and so he released it on Fat Wreck Chords, which was really cool for everybody involved." Now with this new tour dawning before them they look forward to getting on the road and traveling, one of the things they enjoy most about being in the band. "I have no complaints about what we do," remarks Yuri. "I honestly couldn't think of one thing that would make it any better. I love what we do." Getting out and seeing familiar faces on the road really appeals to MxPx. Their amicable, heartfelt nature makes touring an adventure and not a chore, something that other bands might complain about. "The more I spend time with the kids that come to see us, the more it just makes it all worth it." It's something remarkable to hear, especially coming from such road dogs like this band. "There's times when you just want to be reclusive," says Yuri. "But I think the more you allow yourself to be open, [to the fans] the more life is worth it."
With a positive outlook, there is something that Yuri admits he does worry about. "Well, I just got married, you know," he says. "It's been about a month now and I sort of worry about that. Well, not my marriage," he laughs. "Just being able to spend time with my wife. Touring and all, I can't be home all the time, but the good thing is, when I'm home, I'm home. It's not like I have to work eight hours a day five days a week. So that's good."
So for the near and distant future it looks like this enlightened MxPx has it all made. As a closer, I asked the thoughtful Yuri for a little philosophy for life and this is what he explained, good advice you can be sure:
"I think one thing I've learned from being married to two other guys for the past ten years is that [there] is something no one should take for granted in any relationship and that's communication, talking things out. Just be aware of what's going on with other people and not be selfish. Be aware of other people's lives and be concerned with that. It's really important."
That sounds like the Age of Enlightenment to me.

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