Local musician Mike “Gabby” Gaborno died Wednesday after a battle with liver cancer. Gaborno was the frontman and founding member of Orange County punk rock band Cadillac Tramps, as well as punk parody supergroup Manic Hispanic and more recently, his more bluesy project dubbed Santos Y Sinners.
Fans flooded Gaborno’s official Facebook page with condolence messages and photos Wednesday afternoon.
“From the first show that we ever played, Gabby just floored us,” Brian Coakley, guitarist from Cadillac Tramps, said of his longtime friend and band mate.
“Every one of us had an inner talent that was waiting to come out, but Gabby’s was enormous. It wasn’t even fair to other bands because at the time when Cadillac Tramps were packing all the clubs in Orange County and blowing other bands off the stage, we really had a secret weapon and it was Gabby … because of his personality, his charisma and his extreme comedic talent. It was incredible to watch.”
Bandmate remembers Mike “Gabby” Gabrono
Gaborno’s health has deteriorated over the past decade as he has battled hepatitis C, diabetes, liver and renal failure. He also suffered a stroke, heart attack and in 2015 he was diagnosed with liver cancer, which had spread to his stomach by late last year.
Though ailing with all of these conditions, Gaborno would still perform with his bands from time to time, as well as continue to work his day job in construction to pay the bills. The Southern California punk rock community also came together on numerous occasions to raise money to help ease the financial burden of healthcare for Gaborno, who also has a 7-year-old son, Presley. The latest GoFundMe effort, set up in November, has raised more than $18,000.
A number of local bands, including Cadillac Tramps, came together in October to celebrate his 51st birthday with a show at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach, a show he told fans would likely be his last.
Cadillac Tramps formed in the late ’80s as its members found each other while in rehab for drug and alcohol addictions. The band, which also included guitarists Coakley and Jonny “Two Bags” Wickersham, bassist Warren Renfro and drummer Jamie Reidling, released a quartet of albums before disbanding in 1994, just as fellow O.C. artists such as No Doubt, the Offspring and Sugar Ray were making it big.
The Tramps’ blend of fast and furious punk rock, swampy blues and unapologetic rock ’n’ roll, all fronted by Gaborno’s stage presence, made the group one of the most influential and at the same time one of the most underrated bands on the Southern California music scene. The members eventually reunited in 1999 and continued to play club and festival gigs. The band’s career will be chronicled in a yet-to-be released documentary titled “The Cadillac Tramps – Life On the Edge,” which was directed by Coakley’s wife, Jamie.
In 1992, Gaborno and Agent Orange and the Adolescents guitarist Steve Soto also founded Manic Hispanic, a band that was known for its hilarious gigs and parodies of punk rock and hardcore songs in which the group would change lyrics to reflect their Chicano/Mexican backgrounds and culture.
