Richard Terfry
(born March 4, 1972), better known as Buck 65
, is a Canadian hip hop artist, MC and turntablist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, rock, folk and avant garde influences into a style commonly compared to Tom Waits and Beck.
Terfry is also a radio host, having hosted a weekday program on CBC Radio 3's web radio station. [1] In addition, he is the host of the weekday Radio 2 Drive
show on CBC Radio 2 since September 2, 2008. [2]
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BUCK 65 TICKETS
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Biography
Early career and influences
Terfry was born in 1972 and raised in
Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia, a rural community outside of
Halifax. He was first exposed to rap music in the mid-1980s while listening to
CBC Stereo's late night show
Brave New Waves
, and then by listening to Halifax campus community radio station
CKDU. CKDU then broadcast at only 33 watts, and he had to climb a tree in his yard to hear the station's hip hop show on his cheap transistor radio. Fascinated by hip hop, the young Terfry taught himself how to rap, DJ, and, later, to produce records. His musical influences include
MC Shan,
David Lynch, Gitche Manitou and
Kool Keith.
Using the moniker
DJ Critical
, he later hosted a hip-hop show on CKDU called
The Bassment
(later renamed
The Treatment Program
when he assumed the stage name
Jesus Murphy
), which aired for several years. This period overlapped with many of his non-major-label releases.
Stage names
Buck 65 has also used a number of other stage names including
Johnny Rockwell
,
DJ Critical
,
Stinkin' Rich
,
Haslam
, and
Uncle Climax
. These pseudonyms typically represent different characters in his raps (as in Uncle Climax, Johnny Rockwell and Stinkin' Rich) or different aspects of Buck's creativity (as noted above, DJ Critical was his DJ name on CKDU.)
I was born with the name Ricardo Terfry. Where I come from, it's common when a boy is named after his father, for the father to refer to the son as 'Buck'. I don't know where that comes from or when it started. It might be a 'out-in-the-country' thing. Growing up I knew lots of sons who were referred to as 'Buck'. Sometimes even if they weren't juniors. So the joke became, I was one of 65 (a number picked randomly) 'Bucks' in my town..
[3]
Recently Buck 65 has recorded an EP under the name of Dirk Thornton alongside Irishman DJ Flip, it was scheduled for release early 2007 but the date was not set.
The first release under Dirk Thornton will be a 7" single with the tracks "Yesterday's News" and "Catwalk".
He is also involved in an online collaboration with
Greetings From Tuskan producer Joëlle Phuong Minh Lê, as
Bike for Three!. Their album,
More Heart Than Brains
, is to be released on
Anticon Records May 26, 2009.
[4]
Early releases
In 1993, he released his first cassette of rap tunes while performing under the alias
Stinkin' Rich
on the Halifax label
No Records. The five song cassette was titled
Chin Music
, which was a reference to his past interest in baseball. The release brought Stinkin' Rich to the attention of members of Halifax alternative rock band
Sloan. Sloan signed him to their independent record label
Murderecords and released a 7" single and a full length cassette called
Game Tight
, again featuring a reference to baseball.
After a brief break, Terfry returned reconstituted as
Buck 65
, releasing
Language Arts
on cassette and the 12" single
Wildlife Trilogy
, followed by
Vertex
, which included his popular song "The Centaur." He recorded
Sebutonedef
(released in 1996 by
Funtrip Records) as a collaboration with fellow Halifax artist
Sixtoo. Other releases by the duo, known as
Sebutones, are
Psoriasis
and
50/50 Where It Counts
. While still far from mainstream success, he received several odd jobs in Canada's entertainment industry, including making soundtrack music and providing narration for a TV commercial for
NBA apparel, and song lyrics for the popular children's program
Sesame Street. During a live performance Buck 65 told a story in which he attributed why he was chosen for Sesame Street to three things; his upstanding lifestyle of not drinking, smoking, or doing drugs, his intelligence that wasn't too intelligent for the kids, and Sesame Street's assumption that he was a virgin.
Man Overboard
, originally released on the
anticon. label, was a significant turning point in his career. The record, and the entire anticon. collective (of which Sixtoo was also a part), were considered hallmarks of a new avant-garde movement in underground hip hop. It was at this time that Buck met Cincinnati DJ
Mr. Dibbs who inducted him into the
1200 Hobos, a loosely-knit hip-hop collective named for their proficiency in manipulating the Technics 1200 turntable.
[5]
Critical acclaim
Many of his early projects attracted attention after they were re-released, first on the independent Metaforensics label and subsequently by Warner Music Canada.
[6] While Buck 65 has gained critical acclaim
[7] and worldwide exposure through his major label deal, commercial success has escaped him.
[8] Although Warner's worldwide affiliates distribute his records, Warner USA does not. After a deal was signed with V2 USA,
This Right Here Is Buck 65
was released in the States, a sort of "Best of" that was marketed as an introduction to his work.
[9] However after V2 chose not to release his next effort,
Secret House Against the World
, the deal was amicably dissolved. Since then Buck 65 was signed onto
Sage Francis'
Strange Famous Records, from which he has most recently released
Situation.
Buck's most recent albums have gradually moved away from his original 'pure' hip-hop sound into territory influenced by folk, blues and electronica, with some even comparing elements of his sound to
Tom Waits.
[10] Some of Buck 65's music is used on the Canadian show
Trailer Park Boys
, frequently in the character Julian's car. He gained additional recognition in 2006 when he appeared at the national
Juno Awards with
Pamela Anderson.
[11]
Kerrang!
controversy
In August 2004, he sparked controversy in the underground hip-hop world over comments he made to an interviewer in
Kerrang!
magazine. Buck was quoted as saying:
In response, former
anticon. label-mate
Sage Francis (in a post on his website) stated that "Buck has had his head up his arse for many years now."
[12] Buck later wrote in a letter to
Exclaim!
:
Dirty Work
Buck 65 released a 5 song
digital EP called "Dirty Work". It was released over a month long campaign, adding one song per week for free download via his
MySpace page. All five tracks are still available for download on his official website. The EP comes with artwork drawn by Buck himself, and the tracks are all b-sides from the full length record 'Situation'.
Situation
to present
Buck 65 released the album
Situation
on October 30, 2007, on
Strange Famous Records in the US
[14] and
Warner Music worldwide. The album is a
concept album based around the year 1957, and is a return to a more 'pure'
hip-hop sound than the previous
blues,
country and
avant-garde influences in
Secret House Against the World
. It was produced by fellow
Halifax DJ Skratch Bastid, aimed at making a "classic hip-hop record that pulses with joy and clarity of purpose".
[15]
He has been a host of
CBC Radio 3's
web radio for the past year, and recently accepted daily hosting duties on
CBC Radio 2's national radio beginning fall 2008.
[16]
In late August 2008, Buck 65 released a one-track, 66-minute album for free download.
Dirtbike 1/3
, part one of three in the forthcoming "Dirtbike" series, featured guest production and verses by, among others, Buddy Peace, Emily Wells, Tom Inhaler, D-Styles, Skratch Bastid, Andrew Glencross,
Serafina Steer, Jorun,
Moka Only, and
Doseone. It signifies a return to Buck 65's pre-
Talkin' Honky Blues
hip-hop roots that was expected in
Situation
; in Buck's own words "it's a lot like the original versions of [1997's]
Vertex
and [1999's]
Man Overboard
".
Buck 65 formed
Bike for Three! with Belgian producer Joëlle Phuong Minh Lê (of
Greetings from Tuskan), releasing their debut album,
More Heart Than Brains
, on May 26, 2009.
[17] The album features "sharp lyrical details and storytelling" by Buck 65, combined with Phuong Minh Lê's production creating a "exquisite, shimmering landscape that rarely plays by the rules."
[18]
Partial discography
Albums
- Game Tight
(1995), Murderecords
- * Track listing: 1. Three Up Three Down (3:27); 2. Easy to Be Hard (3:35); 3. Kick Up a Stink (3:55); 4. Caught Lookin' (1:35); 5. You're Pissin' Me Off (3:29); 6. Jackie Robinson (0:36); 7. Work to Do (3:13); 8. Maintenance (2:04); 9. Pennies From 87 (0:48); 10. Fully Equipped (3:09); 11. I Just Laugh (0:57); 12. Get Lost (2:53); 13. Ten Miles (3:36); 14. Thought So (3:40); 15. Killy Nem See (3:58)
- Year Zero
(1996)
- * Track listing: 1. Here Is (1:08); 2. Style 386 (2:17); 3. In a Bad Way (Remix) (3:03); 4. Urine Trouble (2:22); 5. Hit the Breaks (2:00); 6. Porno Groove (0:58); 7. Keep Your Hand Off My Girl (3:39); 8. The Bassment Show (3:44); 9. Year Zero (1:58); 10. You Know the Science (3:39); 11. Who You Frontin' For (Remix) (4:02); 12. Speak of the Devil (0:36); 13. Chiliwack (3:19); 14. Cat Piss (2:53); 15. A Mic in a Fist (2:14); 16. State of the Art (1:28)
- Weirdo Magnet
(1996), independent/Metaforensics
- Language Arts
(1996), (Language Arts Part 1), independent/Metaforensics
- Psoriasis
(1996), Metaforensics (with the Sebutones)
- * Track listing: 1. Preview/Sebutonedeaf/Flux Cpacity (9:05); 2. Interview/Peach RMX/Goin' Splits (8:34); 3. Review (1:15); 4. Osteriophysio/Multiple Organisims (9:46); 5. Security Screws/Transmission (7:14)
- Vertex
(1997), (Language Arts Part 2), independent/Four Ways to Rock/Metaforensics
- Boy/Girl Fight
(1998), unreleased - elements became part of Man Overboard
- Man Overboard
(1999), (Language Arts Part 3), anticon./Metaforensics
- 50/50 Where It Counts
(2000), Metaforensics (with the Sebutones)
- * Track listing: 1.Intro (1:00); 2. We Three Kings (3:54); 3. Trust No One (5:14); 4. Interlude (:27); 5. The Masked Man (3:07); 6. 05 Professionals (5:17); 7. Dead Men Don't Walk (4:02); 8. Newport (4:04); 9. Apocalypse Party (3:00); 10. 01/29/2020 (3:27); 11. Intellegent Freaks (1:11); 12. Dazed and Confused (3:27); 13. Whiteys on the Moon (1:08); 14. Go Back (4:15); 15. Nibiru (3:07); 16. Ballistics Testing (:43); 17. Outlawed Truths (4:29); 18. Tranquilized Tones (3:01); 19. Viral Pneumonia (2:52); 20. Simba Ain't Shit (1:21); 21. Chalk (3:15); 22. Punk Song (3:11)
- Synesthesia
(2001), (Language Arts Part 5), Endemik
- Square
(2002), (Language Arts Part 4), Warner - recorded first but released after Lang Arts 5
- Talkin' Honky Blues
(2003), Warner
- This Right Here Is Buck 65
(2004), Warner
- Secret House Against the World
(2005), Warner
- Pole-axed
(2006), self-released rarities compilation
- * Track listing: 1. Choke Hold (2:51); 2. Games (4:05); 3. $5 Jesus (5:03); 4. Rough House Blues (Musculine Fantasy Remix) (3:23); 5. The Centaur (Gordski remix) (2:43); 6. Making Love to Your Disk Drive (3:58); 7. Follow Me (4:20); 8. Styles of Smiles (1:46); 9. Drawing Curtains (Crude version) (3:56); 10. To Mock a Killingbird (4:29); 11. Wild Life B-Side (2:55); 12. Big Chief (2:48); 13. The Suffering Machine (Raw Demo Instrumental Version) 6:43; 14. Be Careful (4:12)
- Strong Arm
(2006), (Language Arts Part 7), self-released digital "mixtape"
- * Track listing: 1. Intro (samples "Horizontal Hold" by This Heat) (1:19); 2. Dang! (samples "Let There Be Drums" by The Incredible Bongo Band) (2:40); 3. Hole in the Road (samples "Dub Specialist (Rastaman version)" by Coxone Dodd) (3:30); 4. "What Grace Means" (samples "Sunflower River Blues" by John Fahey) (3:22); 5. Don't Belong (samples "Firepoker" by Trans Am) (3:27); 6. Suspect (samples "Trilogie Femme" by Sabastien Tellier) fet. Clarie Barest (4:29); 7. Brace Yourself (samples Sister Mary Nelson's "Judgement") (1:03); 8. F.O.S. (samples "Snapshots of Nairobi" by The Homosexuals) (2:43) note: F.O.S. stands of "Fuck off, Satan!"
; 9. Old-Time Stuff (samples classical music) (2:35); 10. B&W and Read All-Over (samples "Passage of the Red Sea" by David Wescott) (3:59); 11. Full Blown (samples "Pulling a Train" by Six Finger Satellite) (3:03); 12. Cutthroat (samples "Microtronics 02" by Broadcast) (1:33); 13. The Olde 1-2 (samples "Activity 3" by Flowers/Morgan) (1:31)
- Situation
(2007), Warner/Strange Famous Records
- Dirtbike
series (2008), self-released free digital downloads - home recordings
- *Dirtbike 1/3
(August 2008)
- *Dirtbike 2/3
(Oct 2008)
- *Dirtbike 3/3
(Oct 2008)
- More Heart Than Brains
(2009), with Bike For Three!, anticon.
Note:
All "
Language Arts" records prior to his major label signing were remastered and re-released with new artwork in 2002 by Warner Music.
EPs and other recordings
- Chin Music
(1992), 12" EP, No Records, performing as Stinkin' Rich
- * Track listing: 1. Intro (1:12); 2. All About Me (4:03); 3. You Can't See Me (4:47); 4. Daisy (1:24); 5. Killy Nem See (4:03)
- CBC Live Studio Session
(2002-03-11), radio broadcast on CBC Radio 3
- * Track listing: 1. The Anthem (3:39); 2. Trees (02:52); 3. Shoes (3:02); 4. The Light (3:41); 5. Dad (3:03)
- Dirty Work
(2006), self-released digital EP [19]
Singles
- "Stolen Bass" (1994), 7" single, Murderecords, performing as Stinkin' Rich
- "Sebutone Def" (1996) 12" single, Four Ways to Rock
- "The Wildlife" (1998) 12" single from Weirdo Magnet
, Hand'Solo Records
- "The Centaur" (1999) 12" single from Vertex
, anticon.
- "Wicked & Weird" (2003-10-06), CD/12" single from Talkin' Honky Blues
, Warner
- "463" (2004-04-05), CD/10" single from Talkin' Honky Blues
, Warner
- "Sore" (2004-10-04), 7" single from Talkin' Honky Blues
, Warner
- "Devil's Eyes" (Autumn 2005), 10" single from Secret House Against the World
, Warner
- "Way Back When" (Fall 2007), 7" single from Situation
, Warner
- "Dang" (Spring 2008), 7" single from Situation
, Warner
Videos
- "To Mock a Killingbird" (1998), from Sebutone Def
12"
- "Pants on Fire" (2001), from Man Overboard
- "Phil" (2003), from Square
- "Wicked & Weird" (2003-10-06), from Talkin' Honky Blues
- "463" (2004-04-05), from Talkin' Honky Blues
- "One Evening" (2004), from Leslie Feist's album Let it Die
- "Kennedy Killed The Hat" (Summer 2005), from Secret House Against the World
- "Devil's Eyes" (Autumn 2005), from Secret House Against the World
- "Dang" (Spring 2008), from Situation
- "Shutter Buggin'" (Autumn 2008), from Situation
Awards
2006
- Devil's Eyes
, Winner
of the Juno Award for Video of the Year.
2005
- Nomination
for the Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year.
2004
- Talkin' Honky Blues
, Winner
of the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year.
2003
- Square
, Nomination
for the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year.
Collaboration
- In 2005, he contributed to the UNICEF benefit song, "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" along with Feist.
- Appeared in the music video for Feist's "One Evening".
- Raps in the song "The Unthinkable" by Boom Bip, on the album Seed to Sun
.
- Raps in the song "When the Angels Make Contact", by Matt Mays, on the album When the Angels Make Contact
.
- Appeared in the music video and produced "Got Up This Morning" by Sage Francis.
- Buck also appears on the album Atlantis: Hymns for Disco
by Canadian artist k-os, rapping on the track "Ballad for Noah".
- A sample of the track "Jaws of Life" appeared in a 2007 NBA Commercial featuring Seattle Supersonics player Kevin Durant. [20]
- In 2008, he appeared on the tracks "Gentle" and "Want", by Tanya Tagaq, on the album Auk~Blood
.
- DJs on Al Tuck's record The New High Road of Song
.
- On April 18, 2008, he played with Symphony Nova Scotia in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. [21]
- Raps in the song "Loonie" by Classified, on the album ''Self Explanatory
- Contributed to the 2009 Red Hot Organization compilation Dark Was the Night with a song called "Blood Pt. 2", which remixed Sufjan Stevens' take on the song "You Are the Blood", originally by Castanets. [22]
Notes
- CBC Radio 3 Launches Brand New Web Radio Station
- CBC Program Guide: Radio 2 Drive
- [1]
- Bike For Three! - More Heart Than Brains, store.anticon.com. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
- Sixtoo And Change
- [1]
- [1]
- This Right Here Is Buck 65- Review
- This Right Here Is Buck 65: V2 Records. Retrieved on 18 December, 2008.
- Ramblin' Man- Haligonian Buck 65 hasn't been bored in years
- Final acts named for Juno Awards
- [1]
- Buck 65:This Right Here is Buck 65
- Buck 65 Explains New 1957-Themed Album, Situation from Pitchfork Media
- Love and a Buck 65
- Buck 65: Love Letters
- Buck 65 Announces Bike For Three Album Details, CBC Radio 3, 2009-05-05. Retrieved on 2009-05-28.
- Pitchfork: Bike For Three!: More Heart Than Brains, Pitchfork Media, 2009-04-28. Retrieved on 2009-05-28.
- [1]
- [1]
- Concerts On Demand: Buck 65 with Symphony Nova Scotia
- New Buck 65 - "Blood Pt. 2"