About Me
May 13, 1994 marked the beginning of a career based on deceit, thievery, violence, blackmail, extortion and music for a Detroit outfit known for a brief period as The Laidback Seatposts, then The Claude Zachary Happening, and finally, Buck Paco (after their frontman, Buck Oswald Paco). It is no accident that the same year would mark the demise of Honeyking Records - a small, blossoming, independent label run by Michael Canich of Astroboy, Spyshow, 57 Waltz and Fire Engine Red. Canich made the mistake of promising the band (then comprised of Buck Paco, Eric McDade and Scott Michalski) to put out a 7" of their music, titled "Rock And Roll Music For The Kids." To this day, most of those records do little more than take up space in the homes of the band members as well as the home of Mr. Canich (it is reported that the latter has taken to using them as beer coasters and shims). Though many told him to abandon the group, that they would eventually end up ruining more than just his label, a known emotional masochist, Canich chose to remain faithful to Paco and his band, claiming, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
The Buck Paco Band continued to play shows, record material, and make enemies in and around Detroit until fall of 1996, when they moved to Philadelphia. There, they continued on as if no change had happened. They instantly began burning bridges within a whole new community. Appalled by the neo-mod scene rampant in Philadelphia, the band was quick to record 1996's "Mod, Take Off That Scarf" as a cassette-only release advertised exclusively through word of mouth and payable only by credit card.
Eager to keep busy while simultaneously avoiding the job market, the band quickly set to work on another recording endeavor. However, with no funds and little or no recording equipment between them (much of it had been sold in preparation for the move east) the group was hard pressed for resources. Fortunately for them, they found a rather pleasant recording studio to use for free - not that they were ever offered the use of the studio. Rather, the owners were out of town, on tour. Until the writing of these notes, not Buck Paco, nor any of his band had told a soul that they recorded "Stolen Music" on the sly in Bardo Pond's home studio, known as The Lemur House. Nor are they particularly concerned about potential legal actions taken by Bardo Pond. They claim to have their reasons, and offer little more explanation than that.
By 1998, Buck and company had gained a modest but faithful audience in the Philadelphia area and had successfully cut off nearly all ties to Detroit and what Buck now refers to as "...a music scene based mostly on backstabbing and riding on the shoulders of the dead." That statement won them no friends in Detroit, but second frontman Eric McDade footnotes, "...the ones we love in Detroit know who they are. We love them for their friendship and their talents and we encourage their musical endeavors unconditionally. And anyone who dares oppose us will stand knee-deep in the blood of their children."
Present day finds The Buck Paco Band anywhere from four to ten members strong. Their desire to create music is matched only by their collective disdain for their contemporaries. Quipped McDade in a 2005 interview, "Sure, there's some good music out there, but I really don't have the time or desire to pick through all the rest of the shit to find it. I think I speak for the whole band when I say that we make music so we have something good to listen to."