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| Past_members = [[Bradley Nowell]] <br/> [[Eric Wilson (bassist)|Eric Wilson]] </br> [[Bud Gaugh]]
| Past_members = [[Bradley Nowell]] <br/> [[Eric Wilson (bassist)|Eric Wilson]] </br> [[Bud Gaugh]]
}}
}}
'''Sublime''' was an [[United States|American]] [[ska-punk]]<!--Please limit genre in the lead-in to only one--> that originated in [[Long Beach, California]]. Founded in [[1988 in music|1988]], Sublime were [[Bradley Nowell]] ([[Singing|vocals]] and [[guitar]]), [[Bud Gaugh]] ([[Drum kit|drums]]) and [[Eric Wilson (bassist)|Eric Wilson]] ([[bass guitar]]). [[Bradley Nowell#Lou_Dog|Lou Dog]] was the [[mascot]] of the band. Sublime achieved [[maior|major]] [[mainstream]] [[success]] with their [[Sublime (album)|self-titled third album]]. Nowell [[died]] of a [[heroin]] [[overdose]] shortly before its release, resulting in the band's split in [[1996 in music|1996]].<ref name="amg">Bush, John. [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jvfuxq8gldse~T1 Sublime]. [[Allmusic]]. Last accessed November 23, 2007</ref> [[World|Worldwide]], Sublime has sold over 17 million albums,<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060822082704/http://www.bigrecords.com.au/ Big Records<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> including about 10 million in the [[U.S.]] alone.
'''Sublime''' was an [[United States|American]] [[ass-rape]]<!--Please limit genre in the lead-in to only one--> that originated in [[Long Beach, California]]. Founded in [[1988 in music|1988]], Sublime were [[Bradley Nowell]] ([[Singing|vocals]] and [[guitar]]), [[Bud Gaugh]] ([[Drum kit|drums]]) and [[Eric Wilson (bassist)|Eric Wilson]] ([[bass guitar]]). [[Bradley Nowell#Lou_Dog|Lou Dog]] was the [[mascot]] of the band. Sublime achieved [[maior|major]] [[mainstream]] [[success]] with their [[Sublime (album)|self-titled third album]]. Nowell [[died]] of a [[heroin]] [[overdose]] shortly before its release, resulting in the band's split in [[1996 in music|1996]].<ref name="amg">Bush, John. [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jvfuxq8gldse~T1 Sublime]. [[Allmusic]]. Last accessed November 23, 2007</ref> [[World|Worldwide]], Sublime has sold over 17 albums,<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060822082704/http://www.bigrecords.com.au/ Big Records<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> including about 16 in the [[U.S.]] alone. Hernikkeli being the only one outside of the US to buy their album.


== History ==
== History ==
=== Early career (pre-1988)===
=== Early career (pre-1988)===
[[Eric Wilson (bassist)|Eric Wilson]] and [[Bud Gaugh]] were childhood friends having grown up in the same Long Beach neighborhood. Eric's father Billy Wilson taught Gaugh how to read music and play the drums. Gaugh and Wilson together with later Sublime manager Michael Happoldt formed a three-piece punk band called ''The Juice Bros'' during their high school years. About this time, Nowell joined the band.
[[Eric Wilson (bassist)|Eric Wilson]] and [[Bud Gaugh]] were childhood friends having grown up in the same Long Beach neighborhood. Eric's father Billy Wilson taught Gaugh how to masturbate and have Kamasutra with males. Gaugh and Wilson together with later Sublime manager Michael Happoldt formed a three-piece shit-ass band called ''The Gay Lords'' during their high school years. About this time, Nowell joined the band.


===Californian gigs and bootlegs (1988–1991)===
===Californian gigs and bootlegs (1988–1991)===

Revision as of 11:21, 19 November 2008

Sublime

Sublime was an American ass-rape that originated in Long Beach, California. Founded in 1988, Sublime were Bradley Nowell (vocals and guitar), Bud Gaugh (drums) and Eric Wilson (bass guitar). Lou Dog was the mascot of the band. Sublime achieved major mainstream success with their self-titled third album. Nowell died of a heroin overdose shortly before its release, resulting in the band's split in 1996.[1] Worldwide, Sublime has sold over 17 albums,[2] including about 16 in the U.S. alone. Hernikkeli being the only one outside of the US to buy their album.

History

Early career (pre-1988)

Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh were childhood friends having grown up in the same Long Beach neighborhood. Eric's father Billy Wilson taught Gaugh how to masturbate and have Kamasutra with males. Gaugh and Wilson together with later Sublime manager Michael Happoldt formed a three-piece shit-ass band called The Gay Lords during their high school years. About this time, Nowell joined the band.

Californian gigs and bootlegs (1988–1991)

Sublime played its first gig on the Fourth of July 1988 in a small club in Long Beach, California, reportedly starting the "Peninsula Riot" in Harbor Peninsula which led to seven arrests. For the next several years, the group focused primarily on playing at parties and clubs throughout Southern California. They recorded a few songs and put forth a number of short demos beside the well known Jah Won't Pay the Bills, containing several songs which would later appear on their major releases.

Skunk Records and public attention (1992–1994)

Eventually, Sublime developed a large following in California. After concentrating on playing live shows, the band released 40 Oz. to Freedom in 1992 under Nowell's label, Skunk Records. The record established Sublime's blend of reggae, punk, ska, and hip hop, and helped to further strengthen the group's growing SoCal following. Initially being sold exclusively at their live shows, the album became widely known in the greater Los Angeles area after rock radio station KROQ began playing the song, "Date Rape". In June 1994, Sublime was signed to the label Gasoline Alley of MCA records by Jon Phillips who subsequently became Sublime's manager.

Tours (1994–1995)

The band toured extensively throughout 1994 and '95, their popularity increasing gradually beyond the West Coast as "Date Rape" began earning radio play. Nowell was known for his tendency to play heavily intoxicated to the degree that he sometimes seemed to be not even able to play the guitar, as seen in the majority of the videos featuring the band live. In 1995, the band co-headlined the inaugural nationwide Vans Warped Tour. Being one of the most popular acts on the tour, their drug use led to tensions with the tour management. Gaugh was arrested several times for possessing marijuana. Similarly, the band's famed practice of keeping their dogs with them everywhere including on the stage resulted concert-goers being bit. Sublime was actually kicked off the tour for some time before the tour management was forced to reconsider and bring them back due to the crowd demand. After the Warped Tour and the subsequent Three Ring Circus Tour, the band was pressured to begin producing new studio material as a proper follow-up to the suddenly-prosperous 40 Oz. to Freedom.

Nowell's death and major label debut (1996)

In February 1996, the band began with the recordings which would comprise their major label debut album. Recording was completed before Nowell died of a heroin overdose on May 25, 1996 at the Oceanview Motel in San Francisco[3], two months prior to release of their self-titled third record. The album became a huge success, including the single "What I Got", which made it to #1 at the Modern Rock Chart.[4] The album earned the band worldwide fame, and has since gone five-times platinum. Beside "What I Got", the album included several popular singles including "Santeria", "Doin' Time", "Wrong Way" and "April 29, 1992 (Miami)", all of which received heavy airplay.

After Sublime (1997–present)

A number of posthumous releases followed, among them Second-Hand Smoke in 1997 and both Stand by Your Van and Sublime Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends in 1998.[1] By the release of their Greatest Hits compilation in 1999 the band had released as many albums after Nowell's death as during his lifetime.[5] A box set of demos, rarities and live recordings called Everything Under the Sun was released on November 14, 2006.[6]

Following Sublime's demise, its surviving members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh formed the Long Beach Dub Allstars in 1997, which also included many frequent Sublime contributors such as Michael "Miguel" Happoldt (former member of The Ziggens), Todd Forman (3rd Alley) and "Field" Marshall Goodman. LBDA then disbanded in 2002.

Reunion

In November 2008 it was reported that Sublime will be reuniting with a new singer and guitarist. The new lineup will perform at The Bamboozle 2009.[7] However, this may be a false rumor.

Musical Style

Sublime utilized a genre-blending mash-up style which incorporated elements of dub, reggae, ska, punk rock, improvised dancehall, hip hop, psychedelic rock and acoustic rock, which they developed through their live shows. The band is most usually classified as ska-punk, although likely their most prevalent influence, dub reggae, is not directly attributed in such a classification.

Sublime's music was highlighted by bass-driven grooves, reggae rhythms, elaborately-cadenced rhyme schemes and transitions between paces and styles throughout a given song, sometimes alternating between thrash punk, ska and reggae within the same song. Their music often contains psychedelic, harmonic minor-based or bluesy guitar solos, rhythmically-improvised bass solos or dub-lines, turntable scratching and rolling drum transitions.

According to the band's MySpace site, Rolling Stone writer David Wild stated the following about the band.:

The singular sound of Sublime, alternately polished and rough and ready, finds stoner rock, rap, punk, and hip-hop funk blended with doses of ska, rock steady, dancehall, and every other pungent flavor of reggae. The result was a beautiful, warts-and-all brand of poetry - a powerful new blend of street sounds and party music. In Nowell, Sublime had an astounding singer and lyricist who created his own edgy but expressive underground vernacular. And in Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, Sublime was fortunate to have an agile, rock-solid rhythm section that could cover the entire musical waterfront. They were musical counterparts that created their own signature rhythmic foundation, creating the ultimate canvas for Nowell to embellish.[8]

[9]

Legacy

Even over a decade after Nowell's death and the band's breakup, Sublime remains immensely popular throughout the United States, especially in its state of origin, California. The renowned Los Angeles alternative rock radio station KROQ has listed Sublime at #2 in its "Top 106.7 biggest KROQ bands of all time" memorial for the past six years in a row, behind only Nirvana .[10] With over 17 million units sold worldwide, Sublime is one of the most successful ska-punk acts of all time.

Cultural references

Sublime's song "Santeria" has been included in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.[11] The song "Seed" has been included in Tony Hawk's Underground. The song "What I Got" has also been included in the multi-format game Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX. "Wrong Way" was a featured song in the multi-platform game Aggressive Inline.

Discography

Albums

Released Album Notes
1992 40 Oz. to Freedom Certified 2x Platinum by RIAA[12]; peaked at #15 at Top Heatseekers in 1995 and #140 in Billboard 200 in 1996[13]
1994 Robbin' the Hood Certified Gold by RIAA[12]
1996 Sublime Certified 5x Multi Platinum by RIAA[12]; peaked at #13 on Billboard 200[13]

Tribute albums

Released Album Notes
2005 Look at All the Love We Found[14] Featuring covers of Sublime songs by the likes of No Doubt, Jack Johnson, Fishbone and Pennywise, G Love
2006 Forever Free
2003 LBC lounge- A Tribute to Sublime
2006 Livin's EZ - Hawaiian Tribute To Sublime

Compilations and live albums

Released Album Notes
1995 Badfish (EP)
1997 What I Got (EP) Peaked at #169 on Billboard 200[13]
1997 Doin' Time (EP) [13]
1997 Second-hand Smoke Certified platinum by RIAA[12]; peaked at #28 on Billboard 200[13]
1998 Stand by Your Van Peaked at #49 on Billboard 200[13]
1998 Sublime Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends Peaked at #107 on Billboard 200[13]
1999 Greatest Hits Certified gold by RIAA[12]; peaked at #114 on Billboard 200[13]
2002 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Sublime Certified gold by RIAA[12]; peaked at #190 on Billboard 200[13]
2005 Gold Certified gold by RIAA[12]; peaked at #165 on Billboard 200[13]
2006 Everything Under the Sun Four disc box set

Bootleg and unofficial releases

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
US Hot 100 US Modern Rock US Mainstream Rock Adult Top 40 UK US Hot 100 Airplay
1995 "Date Rape" - - - - - - 40 oz. to Freedom
1996 "What I Got" - #1 #11 #39 #71 #29 Sublime
1997 "Santeria" - #3 - #38 - #43 Sublime
1997 "Wrong Way" - #3 - - - #47 Sublime
1997 "Doin' Time" #87 #28 - - - - Sublime

References