MxPx drummer Yuri Ruley has announced that he will be retiring and a farewell to Ruley show will go down in Las Vegas on July 18th where the band will perform their third LP Life In General in its entirety.

After 18 years and nearly 2.5 million records, having helped pave the way for pop-punk music, Ruley will be departing the band in order to focus more on his family life. “With MxPx being a touring band and constantly on the road 9 months out of the year, I knew at some point it would have to come to an end, but the reality of it is a lot harder than I thought it would be. MxPx has been my second family for nearly two decades, but I need to step away to focus on raising my family.”

With Ruley’s departure, MxPx will be scaling back a bit to focus on the completion of their new live DVD/photo book and new EP. Vocalist and bassist Mike Herrera will lean his focus to Tumbledown’s sophomore release and guitarist Tom Wisniewski will continue with MxPx in conjunction with his new full-time job.

“The current economy crisis has affected everyone in some way. For us as a mid-tier band that relies on consistent touring as a steady source of income, we’ve been affected drastically. Touring costs have sky-rocketed and companies have limited their marketing dollars, resulting in most bands being barely able to cover current road costs,” says Wisniewski. “I had no choice but to limit my availability on the road to get a full time job to support my family, but will continue to perform select MxPx dates and continue making music.”

Not to be confused as the band’s final show, the bittersweet performance and farewell to Ruley will be the band’s first appearance into Sin City since September 2008 and will celebrate the near 14-year anniversary of their most notable album release to date, Life In General, with a live full album performance at the Hard Rock Hotel for their faithful fans.

“This will be a night to celebrate both the band and our fans who have supported us and will continue to support us now and in the future,” says Herrera.

The music of MxPx has been known for its ability to unite formerly distinguished fan bases such as the skate/surf community and the punk underground, MxPx used this wide variety of fans as a catalyst for the release of Life In General in 1996, which is notably the bands first mainstream success to date with tracks “Chick Magnet” and “Move To Bremerton,” having launched them to the top of the alternative charts in 1996.

MxPx will continue to perform in festivals and one-off dates with Chris Wilson (The Summer Obsession) sitting in on drums. MxPx All-Stars will embark on a new International tour to Australia in early 2011, which will feature the same line-up from their first tour to Japan and Malaysia – Mike Herrera, Kris Roe of The Ataris and Chris Wilson. Also, stay tuned as long awaited full-length album of MxPx’s side-project, Arthur, featuring all three members and their former tech assistant Neil Hundt will be released later this year.