Back in 1993, three kids who went by the name of Magnified Plaid struck the scene of Bremerton, Wash. Playing at their church youth group and other shows around the Seattle area, the band impressed indie label Tooth and Nail at the tender age of 17.

Six years later, with five full-lengths, a live album and several seven-inch EPs behind them, MxPx has become a common association in the punk rock world.

They’ve also notoriously been tagged as a Christian punk band.

Unfortunately, MxPx sits on a thin line with fans who perceive them as either being too Christian or not Christian enough.

Their religious affiliation has sparked a lot of controversy among both Christians and non-Christians.

During one show at which they opened up for the Queers, the band had burned-up Bibles thrown at them on stage.

At the same time, the band has taken criticism about “not being Christian enough.”

“They think that we’re doing something wrong because they have this misconceived notion of who we are and what we’re all about,” 23-year-old guitarist Tom Wisniewski explains. “They sit there and go, ‘Oh, you’re not preaching as much as I think you should be.’ Who are you to say? The Bible says you shouldn’t judge, God is the judge.”

Wisniewski has also been faced with fans misinterpreting their message.

“These 15-year-old kids who come up to me and claim to be a Bible expert will sit there and be totally judgmental, which is completely opposite of what they’re trying to say,” he says. “How can you take them seriously when they can’t even get it right?

“Basically they want to tell you what to do, and they want to feel important,” Wisniewski continues.

Although the band has had some trouble being misunderstood, Wisniewski says the band has not lost its Christian roots.

As always, they’re focusing on the music.

When MxPx plays Super Toad tonight, Wisniewski will celebrate his 23rd birthday, one of many he has celebrated on the road.

“I’ve spent two birthdays of my life in the past three years in Omaha, Neb.,” Wisniewski says with a laugh. “But it’s always fun because I have my friends with me. It’s just kind of funny to say, ‘Yeah, check it out. I’ve spent my birthday in all these different places.'”

Wisniewski joined MxPx after its first release, “Pokinatcha,” which the band recorded during the summer before its senior year of high school. When the band decided to record “Teenage Politics” and tour full-time, Wisniewski fit the bill perfectly.

After a nationwide tour, the band came back to record another album, “Life in General,” featuring the MTV-hit “Chick Magnet.” The band also played some dates on the 1997 Vans Warped Tour. This eventually brought the band to major label attention, and they signed to A & M Records to record “Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo.”

They followed their first major label debut by playing Warped Tour again and going on tour with Blink-182, which resulted in a great friendship between the two bands. However, MxPx has no hard feelings for Blink’s rise to superstardom.

“I think it’s rad,” Wisniewski said. “It’s great to see your friends doing what they love and being really successful at it. I wish them the best of luck.”

In November of 1998, long gone from former label Tooth and Nail, the label decided to put out an album against the band’s will. “Let It Happen” contained unreleased tracks and demos. After trying to boycott the album, the band came to a realization.

“They’re always going to take advantage of us,” Wisniewski explains. “They got us when we were young, they’re just going to keep doing it.”

The band again ran into trouble with the label when they wanted to put out its live album, “At the Show.” Since Tooth and Nail owned most of the songs, they would not let the band release the live album unless it was under Tooth and Nail. The two sides eventually came to an agreement as the album came out as a Tooth and Nail/Rock City Recording.

“We wanted to do a live album,” Wisniewski says. “We talked about it, and we decided we had to include a bunch of songs off of all the records. We put out a couple newer ones and a couple that are hard to find.”

“At the Show” contains 23 songs that capture not only the band’s live show but also a broad range of their music style.

Rock City Recording is the band’s working record label. The band has put out the live album and a side project band called Arthur which contains all the members of MxPx, plus their drum tech, on its label.

The label’s next release will be from band called Too Bad Eugene, which MxPx recently brought on tour with them.

In the works for the band now is their latest release which is slated for an early 2000 release. Tentatively titled “The Ever Passing Moment,” the new album contains 14 brand new songs and will be released on Interscope/A & M. One of the songs, “The Next Big Thing,” will be on an upcoming Motocross game by Electronic Arts.

MxPx has seen just about every side of the music business and have more touring experience than most bands today, and they haven’t even seen their mid-20s.

“Playing shows, making records and doing what we love to do, if it gets bigger it gets bigger.” Wisniewski said.

Certainly the band members appear to have a bright future ahead of them.