Sublime

Sublime is a Long Beach, United States group associated with ska punk, reggae, punk rock, alternative rock, dub, rapcore and rock. The band forms in 1986 and is built around Bradley Nowell, Bud Gaugh, Eric Wilson and Jakob Nowell.

Origins and early line-up

Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh are childhood friends who grow up in the same Long Beach neighbourhood. Wilson’s father teaches Gaugh music theory and drumming. Together with future manager Michael Happoldt, they form a punk band called The Juice Bros while still at school. Bradley Nowell later joins the group after leaving the University of California, Santa Cruz, and brings reggae and ska influences into the band’s sound.

The band’s first live performance takes place on 4 July 1988 in Belmont Shore, Long Beach. Because venues are initially reluctant to book their mixed style, the band sets up Skunk Records to issue its own recordings and promote its music.

Early recordings and style

Sublime plays widely in Southern California alongside bands such as Smokestacks, No Doubt and Skeletones, and records early demo material. Around 1990, Nowell adopts a Dalmatian puppy named Louie, later known as Lou Dog, who often appears on stage and becomes the band’s mascot.

With access to a studio offered by Michael Happoldt, the band records overnight sessions that become the cassette Jah Won’t Pay the Bills in 1991, helping to build its early following. Its sound combines ska, punk, reggae, surf rock and hip hop.

Albums and wider recognition

In 1992, Sublime releases 40oz. to Freedom, first sold at live shows and later given wider attention after radio station KROQ plays “Date Rape”. By 1996, the album sells more than 200,000 copies. The band briefly signs to True Sound but remains mainly linked with Skunk Records.

Robbin’ the Hood follows in 1994 through MCA’s Gasoline Alley imprint. It features experimental and lo-fi recordings and is not a commercial success, although the band continues to tour and gain popularity through radio play of earlier songs. Sublime also appears on the 1995 Vans Warped Tour, but is asked to leave after disruptive behaviour and incidents involving Lou Dog.

Self-titled album and Bradley Nowell’s death

In early 1996, the band records its major-label debut, the self-titled third album. Bradley Nowell dies of a heroin overdose in San Francisco on 25 May 1996, shortly after the band’s final performance in Petaluma. The album is released two months later and becomes the band’s commercial breakthrough, reaching number 13 on the Billboard 200 and going multi-platinum in the United States. “What I Got” reaches number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, while “Santeria”, “Doin’ Time”, “Wrong Way” and “April 29, 1992 (Miami)” also become notable singles.

After Nowell’s death, management states that the band does not continue under the Sublime name. The group has sold more than 17 million albums worldwide, including about ten million in the United States.

Posthumous releases and later activity

After the breakup, posthumous releases include Second-Hand Smoke, Stand by Your Van and Sublime Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends in 1997 and 1998, followed by a greatest hits compilation in 1999 and the box set Everything Under the Sun in 2006. 3 Ring Circus – Live at The Palace appears in 2013, drawn from a 1995 performance, and $5 at the Door: Live at Tressel Tavern, 1994 is released in 2023.

Wilson and Gaugh later form Long Beach Dub Allstars with other associated musicians. Gaugh also plays in Eyes Adrift with Krist Novoselic and Curt Kirkwood, releasing a self-titled album in 2002. In 2009, the surviving members attempt to reform with guitarist Rome Ramirez as Sublime with Rome, but the name cannot be used without permission from Nowell’s estate. The project continues under that name and releases three albums, with Gaugh leaving shortly after Yours Truly. Wilson and Gaugh perform under that name at the D-Tox Rockfest in Quebec in 2012 before Sublime with Rome later disbands at the end of 2024.

Reformation with Jakob Nowell

In 2023, Gaugh rejoins Wilson and Bradley Nowell’s son Jakob Nowell to reform Sublime. The three perform together in Los Angeles in late 2023, and in 2024 the band is announced for the Coachella Festival with Jakob Nowell as a full-time member. That year, Sublime releases “Feel Like That” featuring Stick Figure. In 2025, the band begins work on a new studio album with Travis Barker and John Feldmann, and releases “Ensenada” as an early preview. The album Until the Sun Explodes is then announced for release in 2026, and the band is also confirmed for the Louder Than Life festival line-up.

Line-up and credits

Key members and associated musicians linked to Sublime include Bradley Nowell, Bud Gaugh, Eric Wilson, Jakob Nowell, Michael Happoldt and Marshall Goodman, who contribute to multiple recordings.