Sublime formed in 1988 and
played its first gigs at
backyard beer parties. The
group gained a fanatical cult
following and earned enough
credibility to open for bands
like The Melvins, Butthole
Surfers and Stone Temple
Pilots.
In '92, the band pawned its equipment and used the money to
record its first album on L.A.-based Skunk Records, 40oz. to
Freedom, which is a fantastic blend of reggae, punk and good
old-fashioned stoner music featuring the title song "40oz. to
Freedom,""Smoke 2 Joints" and a cover of a Grateful Dead classic,
"Scarlet Begonias." Most of the distribution of 40oz. was done
from the band members' cars after shows, and the album has sold
more than 150,000 copies.
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Sublime's second album, Robbin the Hood, garnered
less-than-stellar sales but was critically acclaimed.
In '96 the band released sublime on MCA/Gasoline Alley.
Alternative radio stations and MTV quickly embraced the album
for the single "What I Got," an upbeat song about remaining
optimistic no matterwhat life hands out. With lyrics like "I don't
cry when my dog runs away, I don't get angry at the bills I have to
pay. . . Love's what I got," Nowell ironically seems to indicate he
has his life together and that everything works out for the best.
Among the 16 other high-energy tracks, the album also features
the new single "Santeria" and a song about the riots following the
Rodney King verdict called "April 2, 1992."
Following Brad's death, the remaining band members put out
Sublime: Live Recordings 1994-1996, with the proceeds from the album sales benefiting a
scholarship fund for Nowell's son.
Once again, a talented musician has been killed by heroin. Brad
Nowell joins Jerry Garcia, Kurt Cobain and others on the growing
list of musicians cut down by the drug. Hopefully, the music
community will learn from this latest tragedy and start to clean
itself up. But for now, all we have is the music, and Sublime is
just that. . . Sublime. Rock On.
