Living the Dream….Sublime Style

For last and sweetest blog post of the year, I will be talking about the musical styling of ska-punk band Sublime.

The members of Sublime come from Long Beach in southern California.  They are Eric Wilson, Bud Gaugh and Brad Nowell.  Their first gig wasin a small club on the fourth of July in 1988.  According to folk lore, the band started a riot that night, which led to seven arrests.

In 1992 they debuted their first album, 40 Oz. to Freedom.  The album had such hits as Smoke Two Joints and 40 Oz. to Freedom.

As the trio gained popularity in the So-Cal region, they were asked to play in the inaugural touring of Van’s Warped Tour.  It became obvious that Sublime was the most popular act on stage.  However, there were complications as the tour wore on.  The constant substance abuse of the band members was always an issue.  There were very few sober nights on that tour.  Additionally, the drummer (Bud Gaugh) was arrested on several occasions for possession of marijuana.  During performances, aside from the constant drug abuse, the band also liked to bring their dogs on stage.  This led to several instances of audience members being bitten.  Essentially, this popular act was the biggest liability that Vans could’ve asked for.  However, the public couldn’t get enough of them.

The band released their second album, Robbin’ the Hood in 1994 and then their final album in 1996.  The final album, called Sublime, was originally named Killin’ it.  However, shortly before the album’s release, Brad Nowell died of a heroin overdose and the album’s name was changed out of respect.

This album included the hits, Santeria, Wrong Way, Caress Me Down and What I Got.

Sublime’s music is mellow and inspirational.  The message in most of their songs is one of patience and relaxing.  Even if life sucks, your attitude is the only thing that determines how you feel.  Just love the music and live the life you love.

Advertisement