For more than a decade, pop-punk band MxPx was hesitant to call itself a "Christian rock" band. Not anymore.

Founded in the early '90s, MxPx (pronounced Em-ex Pe-ex, short for Magnified Plaid) is comprised of vocalist-bassist Mike Herrera, guitarist Tom Wisniewski and drummer Yuri Ruley. The Bremerton, Washington, natives play "positive" melodic punk – think Green Day, Good Charlotte and NOFX minus the angst. Although the trio signed to Christian indie Tooth & Nail Records in 1993, they distanced themselves from "preaching … and writing songs that say stuff about 'glorifying God and Jesus.'"

In 1995, with the pop charts dominated by grunge rock, MxPx scored a minor radio hit with Chick Magnet, a syrupy complaint featuring an infectious walking bassline and Hererra's croaky vocals. After moving to A&M Records, the band continued to churn out happy pop-punk like I'm Ok, You're Ok and Responsibility before releasing the more emo Everything Sucks (When You're Gone) in 2003.

In 2007, MxPx returned to their roots and the Tooth & Nail label to release Secret Weapon, an album packed full of tightly woven and fast-paced songs reminiscent of their early recordings. The trio have also embraced their status as religious rockers, not, they argue, because their stance on "preaching" is any different, but because the scene itself has evolved: "It's become accepted to be a Christian in a band and not necessarily be tagged as a 'Christian band.' The Christian scene has changed to accept that. That's how it should have always been."

Bilingual punk rockers Guajiro (pronounced wah-hero) don't consider themselves a Latin Rock band, but a Miami band – much like Hermosa Beach, California's Pennywise and Boston, Massachusetts' Dropkick Murphys, who both rep their respective cities with pride. The Hialeah, Florida quartet is comprised of bassist Jorge Gonzales, vocalist-guitarist Willy Lopez, drummer Douglas MacKinnon and vocalist-guitarist David Santos. Regional pride aside, Guajiro's punk rock does have some Latin flair: they're mostly Cuban-American.

Guajiro's debut album, Material Subversivo, takes a cue from old school English and recent American punk, injecting melodic choruses with populist politics. While "Espanglish" bands aren't quite mainstream yet, Guajiro is making some important strides: they've played with Rancid and Flogging Molly, charted on CMJ, and played on the ubiquitous Warped Tour.

see: myspace.com/guajiro

In 2002, Jessy Bulbo mysteriously dropped out of the Mexican all-girl punk band Las Ultrasónicas – just as they were about to make it big. Three years later, Bulbo resurfaced as a solo artist, but not before overcoming some personal turmoil: “I stayed a whole year locked inside my house under psychiatric treatment." After forming a duo with drummer – and boyfriend – Galaxis, Bulbo returned to the stage, gaining notoriety for her intense, freaky jams.

Bulbo's solo debut, Saga Mama, was released in México on Titán’s Nuevos Ricos label. The album is a schizophrenic lo-fi affair filled with fuzz-rock, psychobilly and garage punk. Fans and haters alike might enjoy the funny lyrics in Maldito (Damned) and Mala Respuesta (Bad Answer), Bulbo's aggressive shrieking and sexual innuendo as well as the production skills of Martin Thulin.

See: myspace.com/jessybulbo

Indie label Happy-Fi, based in Monterrey, Mexico is one of the new Mexican indie labels benefitting from a boom in online music culture among middle class kids in Mexico. Distinguished by its lo-fi sound aesthetic, Happy-Fi’s artists deconstruct and reinterpret Britpop, 80’s electro-pop, and American college rock with a silly, child-like sense of humor. Gustavo Mauricio, a.k.a. “Catsup,” along with members of Plastilina Mosh and other Monterrey bands started the label in 1997 in order to put out their own music and have fun in the process. Since then, the Happy-Fi collective has gradually built its fan base by releasing dozens of limited edition CD-Rs sold mostly at live shows and through mail-order.

It was this underground, DIY approach that sparked the interest of EMI Mexico, which signed Happy-Fi to its Labels Mexico conglomerate. The partnership led to the release of a three-CD box set of Happy-Fi’s long out-of-print CD-Rs as well as new full-lengths from Quiero Club, Dendron, Arizona, Mario, Niña and La Live Band. Quiero Club’s recent offering, Wof, captures much of Happy-Fi’s sound – a bilingual concoction of experimental pop-rock with an absurdist, bratty attitude.

Comprised of vocalist-guitarist Priscila González, vocalist-keyboardist Marcela Viejo, guitarist-vocalist Gustavo Mauricio, bassist Luis Fara Al Farahel and drummer Bosco Benavente, Quiero Club gained notoriety when their upbeat No Coke music video made the rounds on Mexican music blogs with unprecedented speed. Other tracks, such as the shape-shifting “Sexy Muppet,” or the bass-driven “Backstage Drama,” mix equal parts dance-punk with Stereo Total’s knack for anti-pop experimentation. It's this type of hip eclecticism that makes the Happy-Fi universe so appealing and entertaining to its growing cadre of fans, online and off.

División Minúscula is one of many rock bands south of the border mining the melodic punk veins. Alongside Allison, Panda, Motel, Delux and too many others to mention, División Minúscula are riding a mighty wave of emo en Español that is increasingly popular in Mexico and gradually making an impact on the U.S. Latin alternative scene.

The four members of División Minúscula, Javier Blake (singer-guitarist), Ricci Perez (guitarist), Kiko Blake (drummer) and Alex Luque (bassist), started the band in late 90’s, in the sleepy border-ish town of Matamoros, just south of Brownsville, Texas and better known for its drug lords than its rock bands. The band disbanded briefly when its members went off to college in Monterrey, a Mexican city known for its industry, wealth and prestigious university. Soon thereafter, the four-piece reunited to join that city’s burgeoning rock scene, eventually hooking up with Toy Hernandez, the man behind Control Machete, who signed them to his Sones del Mexside label.

The group's 2001 debut, Extrañando Casa (Missing Home), was well received, earning them the distinction of being "the first" Mexican band to play punk’s latter day, slap happy incarnation with Spanish language lyrics. Remarkably, a five-year hiatus ensued, as the members of División Minúscula went back to school to finish their degrees and, in cases, to help with family businesses. This year, the band reunited and released a new record to the instant delight of at least 50,000 fans – the number of non-pirated copies sold to date in a market paralyzed by piracy and file-sharing.

The celebrated new recording, Defecto Perfecto (Perfect Defect) is blessed with crystal clear production on par with anything Dashboard Confessional has ever done. Loud, punchy guitars stay crisp and sharp on well-rounded compositions like "Soundtrack" and Sismo which is currently making the rounds on Mexican "modern rock" radio stations. Notably, it's the well conveyed sincerity of the acoustic "Cada Martes" (Every Tuesday) and the slower "Me Tomé Una Pastilla" (I Took a Pill) which make the strongest impression upon repeated listening.

División Minúscula recently played an industry-friendly gig in Los Angeles and will return to the U.S. for a round of dates sometime in 2007.