[11] SouthFM won the 2003 Dallas Observer Music Award for best Rock/Pop act and the band embarked on a nationwide tour with Brando labelmates Blue October.
[12] However, the timing of the band’s signing with MCA proved ill-fated, as that summer the label was phased out amid declining sales and staff layoffs.
They softened the influence from their initial metal roots, and embraced a more eclectic sound while still remaining true to the alternative rock format.
The album was viewed by critics as a leap forward in terms of depth and maturity, however in the Fall of 2006, following months of touring, the band played their final show.
During his time in SouthFM, Paco’s musical interests broadened from his early hard rock and metal influences, and he began taking his songwriting in a more pop and soul oriented direction.
[13] Influenced by artists such as Justin Timberlake, Ryan Adams, Gnarls Barkley, Damien Rice, Dan Dyer, and Ezra Vancil, he started writing songs in a style he dubbed “alternative soul” and by 2009 had formed a new band called Paco Estrada & One Love.
[14][2][15][4] In addition to Estrada’s unique vocals, which were described as CeeLo Green meets Kings of Leon, One Love was notable for featuring electric violin and cajon in lieu of the standard guitars and drums setup of a traditional rock band.
During SouthFM's initial six year run, the band accumulated a plethora of unreleased music from b-sides, demos, alternate mixes, and live performances.
During SXSW in March 2011 Estrada played a concert with Matt Noveskey and Ryan Holley of the Austin-based band (a+)machines, who had been tour mates with SouthFM.
The group, which they named Lambs to Lions, periodically met at Noveskey’s studio in Austin to write and rehearse songs, and soon included Deep Ella drummer Fonz Lovelace.
In 2012 Paco began collaborating with rapper Jeremy Rodriguez on a hip hop project called SPCCMP (Space Camp, with the vowels removed).
As One Love was winding down, Paco began working on a solo acoustic album The Definite and the Indefinite… Integrals of Logarithmic and Exponential Functions, which he released in April 2011.
During this time Paco landed his first movie soundtrack appearance when his song "I Will Never Let You Go" was included in the 2012 film Love or Whatever which starred Joel Rush, Jennifer Elise Cox, Julie Goldman, and Kate Flannery.
On September 29, 2012 Paco Estrada, backed by The Last Romantica, played a concert in Dallas and recorded the show for a live album/concert film entitled Bedtime Stories, which he had planned to release in 2013.
Several friends from throughout the Texas music scene were brought into the sessions, including Justin Furstenfeld and Johnny Goudie on backing vocals, Casey McPherson of Alpha Rev on piano, Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace on harmonies, Dan Cohen of Waking Fable on horns, and Lauren J. Reed on strings.
His family, friends, and fans rallied around him, starting a GoFundMe page, and organizing a benefit concert which was headlined by Bowling For Soup.