Theoracy

Theoracy. What the hell does that mean? Is it a place where time intersects with light to cause a rip in your reality? Is it a writing that, by its own admission, is a flawed doctrine designed to help establish a ruling party based solely on their twisted theology? Isn’t it that place on the corner of Main and 3rd that sells house paint and wallpaper?
Theoracy is a band out of Buffalo, NY that was formed by four minds that have very similar drives, very similar motivations, and very similar goals that guide their existence. The sequence of events that led to the birth of Theoracy are sometimes difficult to recreate as many of them have been lost in various temple fires and catastrophic floods down through the ages but we believe it went something like this:
Mike “Odie” Deapo found himself needing a change of scenery near the turn of the 21st century. A successful veteran of the Syracuse, NY music scene, Mike decided that whatever the future held for him it was being held in Buffalo, NY. So he packed up his small rattlesnake skin suitcase and, with entourage in tow, he made his way to the Queen City of Lake Erie. Upon arriving in Buffalo, Mike tried teaming up with a few bands but nothing seemed to satisfy that voice in his head that was driving him ever forward. During his time with The Chris Halen Band Mike tried out for a Buffalo cover that had a guitarist named George Root.
George Root is a Buffalo, NY native that languished in the pits of cover band hell for too many years to recall. After many unsuccessful projects he managed to find himself part of a group that eventually became a semi-successful local cover band. This Buffalo cover band, however, would prove to be vital in the creation of Theoracy. The cover band decided to let the bass player go and a call was put out to local bassists to come and fill the spot. One of the few musicians that responded to the ad was Mike Deapo. He came down, tried out, tripped over the covers the band was trying to play, and then quietly went home. End of story…right?
George tried to convince the other members of the band to bring Mike back for another try but the others, wanting to go in a different direction, decided that he was not the bass player for them. After many discussions back and forth George decided to leave that band and seek out Mike. It didn’t take long for the two to get together.
Theoracy was born in October of 2002 when George and Mike got together in Mike’s basement in Buffalo, NY and wrote what later become “Cyclic Design” together. The two saw the collaboration and knew it to be good. They decided that, not only would it continue, but it would flourish and grow into a full-fledged band.
A call for drummers was put out but the two only listened to one audition before Mike decided to call on Adam Merhige to try and gather his skills for the group. Adam really never auditioned. He came in, set up, played, and was part of the group. With three-fourths of the band complete the three went out to find their voice hoping that the search for a front man would be as easy as the search for the back beat that drives the band. It wasn’t and it was many months before the search would end.
Brennan Longley has a long and successful career in the Buffalo, NY music scene. He has recorded many albums in the past and is a veteran of the live performance. Brennan came in contact with the three through an ad they had placed on a local music scene computer bulletin board. Brennan wound up being part of a process that took almost 5 months as the three went through over a dozen vocalists before deciding that the one they had come in contact with almost at day one of the search, Brennan, was the man for the job. Brennan was asked to join, he accepted, and Theoracy was born.
In July of 2003 Theoracy finished their demo CD titled Face Down. The group is very proud of the effort and hopes that it finds favor with music fans all over the country. There are some great songs on Face Down but the band has not stopped writing. There are definitely plans for recording their first full length album in the very near future.
But for now Theoracy is going to get out and play for the people and get Face Down out to as many sets of ears as they can. No one knows what the future holds but the band is hopeful that the music they make inspires and touches many people. As Mike Deapo is apt to say “It is what it is” and that is what Theoracy is.