Exclaim!

R.I.P. Shallow North Dakota's Tony Jacome

He was 45
R.I.P. Shallow North Dakota's Tony Jacome
By Allie Gregory
Published Oct 04, 2021
Tony Jacome, singer-drummer of the Hamilton-based sludge metal trio Shallow North Dakota, has sadly passed away. He was 45.

Jacome's wife Cheryl confirmed the musician died on Saturday night (October 2) at 9 p.m. following his battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She shared the news with the Caring For Cancer Community Facebook group.

"My kids and I will have a difficult road ahead, our hearts are so totally broken," she wrote. "Never thought at 42 I would be a widow. My husband was my soul mate and best friend, I have no idea how I will do this without him."

Shallow North Dakota have yet to speak publicly on Jacome's passing, however, bandmate Dan Dunham shared that he is "absolute shattered" by the news.

The band's former label Sonic Unyon Records remembered Jacome in a post on its website:

Tony Jacome was known to many music fans as the thunderous engine behind local heavies Shallow North Dakota, crushing the kit and giving voice to volcanic fury. Wherever you were in the room, he left a lasting impression. The same was doubly true after the show. Those who were lucky enough to spend any time in his company knew him as a fiercely loyal, kind and loving human being, a teddy bear with an impish sense of humour that could hardly have been more of a contrast with his onstage persona. Tony was a massive part of the Sonic Unyon family and an essential part of the label's evolution. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten. Our heartfelt condolences to his wife and family, the countless musical collaborators he inspired over the decades, and to all those he loved and who loved him.

Likewise, Sonic Unyon co-founder and longtime friend Sandy McIntosh remembered Jacome as someone who "would steal your camera and take pictures of himself making funny faces for a great surprise when you developed the film weeks later," writing that Jacome was the "most fierce drummer and vocalist I have ever met or seen play live anywhere."

Jacome and Shallow North Dakota released their 1994 album Auto Body Crusher through Sonic Unyon and were on the cover of Exclaim! in the '90s. They haven't released an album since 2004's Mob Wheel, but released a couple of archival live albums on Bandcamp in 2020.

Back in January, Jacome's family launched a GoFundMe to help deal with expenses related to his diagnosis. At the time, the Jacome family had recently moved into a new home and were experiencing difficulty getting work because of the pandemic. The fundraiser is still active, and has raised $44,304 of its $75,000 goal as of press time.

See tributes to the late artist below, and visit the Jacome family's GoFundMe page here.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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