MxPx has been a band for ten years now. Damn, it seems just the other day that I’d heard “Chick Magnet” for the first time. Anyhow, these pop-punkers have been on Tooth & Nail, A&M, and now make their SideOne Dummy debut with this DVD and acoustic EP combo.
The EP features four new songs and a really lovely reworking of “Invitation to Understanding” off 1998’s Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo. The reworked track actually fair better than the new songs, simply because of its familiarity. The new tunes are good, but lack energy, most likely because they were arranged to be played acoustically.
Now, then… the DVD. B-Movie is the sort of DVD I usually avoid purchasing. There’s just something about combining live footage with interview type stuff that’s never really been able to draw me in, no matter how well it’s done or how much I like the band. And while I’ve liked MxPx for years now, I’ve never really been a huge fan.
The movie isn’t bad, it’s just that it doesn’t really feature enough of any one thing to get me going. There’s no full live show, there’s no music videos, and it’s all pretty much slice-of-life stuff about the band interspersed with live footage. The audio quality of the live footage is fantastic, and the footage would be great if they’d cut back on the jumpy quick edits.
For fans of the band, I’m sure this all borders on crack, as B-Movie is loaded with pictures, interviews, and stuff. I guess what bothers me most about the disc is that it seems to be all extras. There’s nothing that really makes me want to buy it. Personally, I’m happiest when bands put out a live show, or a collection of music videos. All the stuff that’s on MxPx’s DVD is material I consider to be “bonus content” on a regular release.