Local Musician and DJ Thom Gabaldon (a.k.a darksouldealer) Passes Away
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| tshirthell.com |
| Gabaldon and one of his biggest claims to fame. |
Gabaldon was also a poet and writer (you can check out some of his prose via Blogspot) who also penned a pair of freelance articles for Phoenix New Times back in 1999 about bygone Valley grindcore band Unruh and one concerning a few local radio programs that were broadcasting underground music during that era.
He also had an ongoing ambient music project called dreamcell, which Aeternum describes as "great, drone-y lushness." Per the project's SoundCloud, Gabaldon continued creating tracks for dreamcell up until last month on his laptop from his hospital bed while undergoing cancer treatments since last year. Some of the tracks, which are drenched in moody and dark sounds, were dubbed with titles like "They inject me with fire (rough)" and "A month of frustration v1," which may reveal his state of mind at the time.
Gabaldon also had a pretty wicked sense of humor, which Aeternum referenced during out Facebook chat earlier today, citing the dude's infamous claims to fame where he modeled a rather shirt sold via the website TShirtHell.com that declared, "I'm the teenage girl you jerked off in the chat room with." (You can still see the pic on the front page of the site.)
We once spoke to Gabaldon about his brief bit of Internet fame and it was something he honestly enjoyed having, as he told me that people would recognize him from the pic.
We've had a few other conversations with Gabaldon over the years that weren't just limited to his infamy. We once spent several hours having a deep conversation with the well-spoken dude while hanging out in the parking lot of the Trunk Space one night after a show in 2011. Much was discussed about music (natch) but we also talked a lot about failed relationships, broken hearts, and the loneliness and ultimate regret that comes with such things.
He seemed to be in a dark place in his life around that time but our talk seemed to cheer him up a bit. It's also a conversation that we won't soon forget.
Gabaldon had that effect on others, as evidenced by the outpouring of tributes and memories that have been posted to his Facebook, including mentions of many memorable conversations he had with people, like one referenced by a friend named Billy Sorenson.
"We talked music, David Lynch films, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 at one of my first Sadiscos," Sorenson wrote. "You were an eclectic snob when it came to tunes, and you were loved by many. If there's a heaven, and you're there Thom, tell them to replace their harps with electric guitars."
A memorial concert in Gabaldon's honor is currently being planned. Friends can check out his Facebook account for more info as it's available.
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