Los Saicos, Francisco “Pancho” Guevara, third from left.
On Monday night after a uphill battle with cancer, the drummer and founder of Los Saicos, Francisco “Pancho” Guevara passed in a hospital in Lima. He was 69. Aside from being a talented musician and the founder of the mythical proto-punk band, Pancho was a wonderful and likable human being, who’s leaving behind a memorable legacy for future generations.
Guevara founded Los Saicos, along with his friends, singer Erwin Flores, bassist Cesar “Papi” Castrillón, and guitarist Rolando “Chino” Carpio, back in 1964 in the middle-class neighborhood of Lince, in Lima. The band played for almost two years, created 12 memorable tracks and then separated for reasons unknown. Among the songs they made, perhaps the most outstanding one is “Demolición” (“Demolition”), a song calling for the wrecking of an unknown train station. After over four decades, the band enjoyed a new-found glory after the proliferation of their music in the US, Spain, and South America, and the release of a compilation with their songs.
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One of punk’s best kept secrets, Los Saicos played a kind of music that has been described as a something in between early punk and garage with some acid guitars thrown in the mix. The self proclaimed “Wild Teenage Punk From Peru” they were playing, came about a decade before The Ramones or The Clash had hit the stages. But, aside from the debate of whether or not the band invented punk, they made ground-breaking music for their time, and created memorable songs with an attitude that was non-existent in the 60s in South America. It’s fair to say that, even though Los Saicos rocked for just over a year, they left a long lasting influence on the sound of new generations.
With the death of Guevara, the band is left with only two of their original members, Flores and Castrillón. Rolando “Chino” Carpio passed a few years ago. The last time the three remaining Saicos played a show together was in 2013 at Lima Vive Rock Music Festival.
After the festival, at the end of 2013, the band gathered for one last time at a recording studio, joined by a raft of talented local musicians in support, and recorded a few new tracks. Sadly these tracks remain in an unfinished form. We spoke with Gonzalo Alcalde, guitar player at Los Protones and a friend of Los Saicos, who recorded with them at the time, who had this to say: “It was a great experience to play and record with Pancho and the band, and have their support. I thought the tracks we recorded were very good and those songs were going to be great. I don’t really know exactly what happened later or why those songs never saw the light. We just never knew, but it would be a great posthumous tribute if we can finally listen to those new Saicos songs.”
Aside from being a very creative musician, Pancho Guevara was, above all, a great human being. He was one of those people you immediately connect with and who shared a profound optimism for life, never leaving aside his sassy and ironic sense of humor. Two years ago, during the production of the Noisey documentary, Was Punk Rock Born in Peru? – Los Saicos, I had the privilege of spending time with him and we ended up becoming friends. He was unlike other musicians I’ve ever met. Hanging out with him was particularly fun because of his endless stock of anecdotes. I remember one in particular when he found himself about to play a show and had no drumsticks, so he ended up playing the drums with the only replacement he could find… a hammer.
At the end of our documentary he said, almost joking, what his epitaph should say: “He wasn’t the best drummer in the world and didn’t even try to be, but he played with three fucking good musicians.” That’s how we will remember him, someone who had fun making music with his friends in a world where that’s less the norm, and more the exception.
Rest in peace Pancho, your rock ‘n’ roll will never be turned down.
You can watch the full documentary below.
