The Re-Volt Hideout

With a heavy heart I must share the news that Dave-o-rama is no longer with us. He had been struggling with a kidney disease over the past decade, and he was putting in a lot of effort to find a living donor for a transplant, but he unfortunately passed away before he could find one.

I myself remember playing some of his tracks a lot when I was a kid, such as Raw Sewage, Toys in The Madhouse and Backyard Bash. He's also the one who originally coined the term Bliggity Blurgh, which some of you might recognise; a silly name that turned into an in-joke that me and a few others still throw around here and then. I'm really going to miss sharing our jokes with him.



Beyond Re-Volt, he was known for his work as Hallucinogenic Bulb, his band. I know he was really into metal music, and he got me into it too—he introduced so many bands to me when I was only dipping my toes into the genre, and I still listen to many of them today.

Dave was a great friend to me and many others in the 15 years or so we've known him, and I'm seriously going to miss him. It might not be much, but me and Saffron are thinking of hosting a memorial session for him on the 28th of December, where we will play through every track he released so far, in chronological order, even if it might take us 3-4 hours in the end. I think it's the least we could do to remember him by. I'll be updating this post with more information later, and on Discord too.

In the meantime, please feel free to share with us anything about Dave in this thread. I think everyone who cared for him would like to hear a few stories about him. Thank you.

I knew him since the beginning of my RVL days. There's a lot of good memories that I'll have with him. For example, the carbox pics for his two mushroom cars for his track, the "Broken picture telephone" rounds, the Slug Champonship Winter 2015, his WIP stuff and so on.

I was very happy to see him again at discord, back at the beginning of 2021. We talked a little bit about our times at RVL.

I've always wished him since then a Merry Christmas and I'll do it also this time.

Thx for everything Dave!

..
It was cool and always fun and Re-volt is a holiday and DAVE made sure it didn’t end.. I’m glad and proud that I was a participant in this holiday with him ^^..!


2008

So many of his tracks I've played.
Dave-O-Rama, a big name in Re-Volt!!!

I too want to express my deepest condolences to Dave and his loved ones. I do not think I have ever shared this before, but his tracks heavily inspired me when I was younger. When I joined this community, he was one of the first who helped me understand some of the basics of Re-Volt MIG. He is a kind soul and I will miss him a lot. Rest in peace, Dave-o-rama.

I don't know what to say. I knew he took game design in university, so there were times I used to think about him, wondering what he's doing these days. I had no idea he was going through these health issues. I had no idea he had *both* his kidneys removed. This is the last thing I'd have expected. It stings to know we'll never see him again. :(

It's a shock for me as well to saw this post today. I was in contact with you a few times, and it was always nice to talk with you - sometimes about metal music, sometimes about projects of ours.

Thanks Dave for everything - one of the most fun short tracks of yours will still be played by me regularly, and also thanks for your contribution in the PPP project. Fun fact - Dave was the one who was saving the first PPP number (#17) back then. As a little homage, I want to add this creation of Dave to a very special position at my next track.

All the best for wherever you are now.

kiwi

I saw the sad news on YouTube. Thank you for the post with some information.

Well, that's just awful. I didn't know anything about any of this from the beginning to the very end. Also wasn't aware he was a fellow musician (I'm really bending that word for myself), too. That's what I get for staying out of the loop. I've definitely had experience with quite a few of his tracks and have talked to him multiple times in threads 15 or so years ago. I have positive memories of him. I'm a bit shook.

Thanks to everyone who left their thoughts in here. It's been a year since his passing, and tomorrow would have been his 31st birthday. I will be hosting a second memorial session for whoever is interested. Please contact me through a DM on Discord if you wish to join, as access to the session will not be publicly available.



I would also like to share Hallucinogenic Bulb Forever: A Tribute To Dave Petersen, a compilation put together by his close friends. It will be released tomorrow as well. To quote:

This compilation is a tribute to Dave "Hallucinogenic Bulb" Petersen, the prolific Philadelphia-based noise artist and graphic designer who passed away from complications of polycystic kidney disease at the age of 29 on November 26, 2024.

Dave was truly one of the underground greats and an equally great friend to all who knew him. He left us far too soon, and he lives on forever in our hearts.

All proceeds from this compilation will be donated directly and continually to the PKD Foundation. As stated on their website, they are "the only organization in the U.S. solely dedicated to finding treatments and a cure for polycystic kidney disease and improving the lives of those it affects." Dave's family has a prolonged history of PKD and have lost many of their own to the disease.

As his friends and loved ones, it is our duty to not only honour the legacy of the man who made our lives better simply for being in it, but to raise awareness for PKD and make an effort to ensure that no one else is taken from us because of it.

Hallucinogenic Bulb forever.