Paul ‘Pablo’ Thomas : Sound Explorer, Songwriter, Rebel

Paul “Pablo” Thomas has devoted his life to music. From his first piano lessons at age six and guitar at twelve, he grew into a respected songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer in the Los Angeles music scene.

As a teenager, he co-founded the proto-goth band Life After Death, a group that came close to signing with a major label. In the 1990s, he joined forces once again with Life After Death vocalist Bobby Moon to form Spellbound, a Latin-flavored funk and dance fusion band that has gone on to release over a dozen acclaimed albums on their own label, Selfish Recordings.

In 2003, Pablo stepped out as a solo artist with his self-titled debut — a one-man psychedelic project meant as a side venture while Spellbound regrouped. What began as an experiment quickly drew critical praise, with Trip Magazine hailing it as “an amazing debut of psychedelic world music.”

Fans wouldn’t let Pablo fade away. Requests for more led to Take Two (2008), where Pablo expanded his sound and added vocals alongside Moon and Danielle DeCosmo. Within a year, Skunk Magazine called it a “stoner classic.”

His next release, Fully Baked (2011), included his first covers — notably a reimagining of Got My Mojo Working that LeicesterBangs praised as sounding “unlike any other cover that has gone before.” The album hit #1 on CD Baby’s Psy/Trance chart and introduced Pablo’s music to Spellbound’s live audiences.

After a period of personal and spiritual upheaval, Pablo returned with Extermination of the Hierarchy (2016), a darker, politically charged record where he played over a dozen instruments himself. “I had a spiritual awakening of sorts,” he reflects. “It wasn’t pleasant. I had to reevaluate my belief system. Soon I was seeing mainstream media, government, and the entertainment business in a totally different light.” KAMP Arizona called him “the only reliable narrator.”

Embracing his full independence, Pablo continued releasing uncompromising music, including Illusion of Choice (2021), which featured The Purple Haired Hawaiian, a top-ten track on Honolulu’s KTUH FM. In 2023, he released his first-ever music video, Heart on My Sleeve, from his latest album Neutron City.

Now with decades of experience, a loyal following, and an ever-evolving voice, Paul “Pablo” Thomas remains both a fearless sonic explorer and a truth-teller through music — blending the psychedelic, the political, and the deeply personal into a singular vision.