It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the release of “Pokinatcha”, the album that put this little Bremerton Washington pop-punk band on the map. I still remember walking into a “Christian Bookstore” (remember those?) a year after it released and discovering this band everyone was beginning to talk about and going “Whoa!”. It was under produced and RAW but had that punk rock spirit and real heart. If it weren’t for bands like MxPx, Plankeye, The Blamed, The Crucified, Stavesacre, Focused, Strongarm, Unashamed, Bloodshed, Blenderhead, and all the other amazing faith based artists of the time especially Tooth & Nail Records. I probably wouldn’t have given thought about rekindling/recommitting my life to Christ which would have caused a chain reaction disrupting the space time continuum to where I’m at today 😉 Seriously, I am so grateful for these bands and especially the music of Mxpx. So thank you Mike Herrera for sticking with it all these years and fighting the good fight against all odds. Read a little retrospective by the band as posted on facebook today and a video from Mike, below. -Brandon Jones / Freedom Like a Song

[Re-posted from the band’s Facebook page]

Twenty years ago today we released our very first studio album, Pokinatcha! Twenty years! Its hard to even grasp that! We were kids, still in high school, signed to a brand new label, no real idea what was ahead for us. We certainly had no idea that we would be around 20 years and eight studio albums later, still making music and doing what we love: touring the world and making memories with our fans and friends! Pokinatcha put us on the map and while our sound has grown and matured much since then, we can still hear the raw pop-punk MxPx sound on those 21 rough tracks.

One of the greatest enduring legacies from Pokinatcha is our beloved iconic Pokinatcha Punk logo. The Punk, designed by John Nissen has stood with us throughout all of the past 20 years, through various adaptations and reinterpretations. John designed all of the early Punk images — running, jumping, stomping, and skating. He was kind enough to come back and design this very special 20 Years of Pokinatcha logo just for the anniversary. Thank you John for 20 years of the Pokinatcha Punk!
We want to thank also Andy Husted, our original guitarist who recorded this album with us, Aaron Sprinkle for producing it, and Brandon Ebel at Tooth & Nail Records for releasing it. Of course most of all, we want to thank you, the fans for 20 years of music!

Some thoughts from a few of the people involved with Pokinatcha:

From Mike Herrera:

“Much like how we got our band name, Pokinatcha was an inside joke based on a Snickers commercial. Weird, I know. ‘Long about noon when your appetite’s “pokinatcha.’”

From Yuri Ruley:

“Pokinatcha was the record that started it all for us. We had spent the years before writing and tweaking the songs that would become that record. It was a raw and real reflection of the music we were making at the time. Though far from flawless, it captured the frenetic energy that was a signature of the MxPx sound. It’s truly hard to believe it was 20 years ago that Mike, Andy, and I holed ourselves up in a little studio in Seattle for two weeks during the summer between 11th and 12th grade to make the first of many records in a career that has spanned decades. A huge thank you to the fans that were there waiting for the day Pokinatcha would hit the record store shelves. We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for your support.”

From Brandon Ebel:

“One of my all-time favorite records, Tooth & Nail or otherwise.
Pokinatcha immediately put MxPx on the map — 21 songs recorded in just 10
days! The first record that producer Aaron Sprinkle recorded for Tooth &
Nail. I still love listening to classic MxPx songs from this album
including “Want Ad,” “Think Twice,” “Bad Hair Day,” “Realize,” “PxPx,” “High Standards,”
“Twisted Words,” and “Walking Bye.” So many good songs!”