The first lyrics Mike Herrera sings on his latest album are a call to action: “Let’s drink, let’s drink till we fall down / let’s drink, I’ll see you on the ground / let’s drink, let’s drink till we fall down / there’s nothing else to do here in this town.”
Though it’s certainly not a plug for social activism, this sentiment is not a surprise from Herrera, who is best known as the lead singer and bassist of the pulsating punk group MxPx. Herrera now splits his time between MxPx and his new project, the country-punk-tinged Tumbledown.
On Sept. 20, Tumbledown will perform at 8 p.m. at the Picador, 330 E. Washington St. John Nolan of Taking Back Sunday and Straylight Run, as well as Lipstick Homicide, will open. Admission is $8.
“I wanted to have an outlet with [country] that I didn’t have previously with MxPx,” he said. “It gave me a little bit of a wider range to write about.”
Tumbledown’s genesis occurred when he came across a group called the Rocky Point All Stars, a country blues band from Bremerton, Wash. The MxPx member joined forces with the quartet, and Tumbledown was created.
“The musicians I have in my band have ridiculous stage energy; they blow my mind every night,” Herrera said. “I just sit there, and I can’t believe I am playing with these guys.”
The group released its first full-length album, Tumbledown, on May 19 — two years after the band formed. Herrera said the band waited so long before recording a CD because the members wanted to make sure the music on it would appeal to listeners.
“I didn’t want to just put out a record without playing live,” Herrera said. “We played live quite a bit before we even recorded the album.”
A majority of songs on Tumbledown are written based on experiences Herrera has had while playing different concerts.
“We started playing a show when the band went on tour on the West Coast, and it just became sort of the atmosphere of a party,” he said. “So when I was out writing songs for the full-length album, it was after we had been playing live a bit. It inspired me to write more songs about drinking, because that’s what people do at our shows.”
Tumbledown’s audiences play a role in both its songs and in its shows. Herrera said the band enjoys involving the crowd by creating a high-energy atmosphere and connecting with fans.
“A lot of it is about interacting with the crowd in between songs,” he said. “I’m always talking to people and having a good time. You know it’s kind of become a tradition where fans actually buy us drinks and bring us drinks to the stage. There’s drinking always.”
