Bradley Nowell

Five Songs That Prove Why Sublime Still Matters

The story of Long Beach's most successful band rarely emphasizes its multicultural roots, its ability to seamlessly blend disparate genres or its importance in creating a globally appealing pop sound out of a mass of local musical influences. Instead, most considerations of ska-punk outfit Sublime f ... More >>

Top 25 Greatest Orange County Bands of All Time: 14-6

14. Reel Big FishZany, wacky, ska-rooted (though they rock harder now) Reel Big Fish elevate self-deprecation to an art form, thanks to a malcontent lead singer in Aaron Barrett, who beats you to the punch with peppy lyrics like "I'll never be anything, anything at all." He lays down these anti-What ... More >>

Sublime with Rome

Verizone Wireless Amphitheatre

Jack Martinez and His Black Flys Are Back!

The '90s may be long gone, but not OC's infamous, lunatic eyewear brand

40oz. to Freedom Is 20 Years Old: We Reminisce and Speak With Sublime's New Incarnation

Twenty years ago this month, Sublime released their first album: 40oz. to Freedom. At that point drummer Floyd "Bud" Gaugh, bassist Eric Wilson and singer-songwriter Bradley Nowell were just three guys from Long Beach. No record deal, no tour, no nothing. They sold records at shows and out of the ba ... More >>

Top 10 Things About Covering Music for OC Weekly

Nine years ago, I was in this wannabe new-wave band based in Santa Ana. Back then, our big goal in life was to get featured in OC Weekly. The band imploded, as bands are wont to do, way before we even got a concert listing in the Calendar section (not even a Locals Only, sob!). The funny thing was, ... More >>

Tupac is Back: Six Dead Artists We Should Resurrect Via Hologram

As many of you know by now, Tupac performed at this year's edition of Coachella via hologram. When he appeared, the much-intoxicated crowd did not know what to do. It was as if Tupac had died and rose again (to many conspiracy theorists, that was a literal take). Now that we know how Dr. Dre and AV ... More >>

Sublime Commemorates the 20th Anniversary of the LA Riots With a T-Shirt

​ "April 26, 1992. There was a riot in the streets tell me where were you?" Does it matter that "April 29, 1992," Bradley Nowell's take on the LA riots had the wrong date in the lyrics? Nope--it's still one of the most memorable historical documents of the riots, which took place over six days, wh ... More >>

Why 27 is the Most Dangerous Age in Music; Amy Winehouse Tributes from M.I.A., Rome Ramirez and More

​27 is rock and roll's most hazardous number.On Saturday, Amy Winehouse joined an exclusive club after the five-time Grammy winner was found dead in her London home at the age of 27. It is the age at which a number of pop stars have died from overdoses, suicides, murders, or in some cases, just ... More >>

Justin Timberlake to Hold Office in Irvine?

[Mental Notes] Pop star buys a piece of the old-school Internet. Plus, Paul Leary on Rome Ramirez

Butthole Surfers' Paul Leary on Sublime With Rome: '[Rome]'s Going to Make it With or Without Sublime'

​A few months ago I talked to Paul Leary for our story on  Bradley Nowell's death anniversary. Leary produced Sublime's eponymous major label debut. Since Leary also produced Yours Truly, Sublime with Rome's forthcoming album (out July 12), the conversation obviously gravitated toward the n ... More >>

100 Reasons to Be Ecstatic About Summer In OC!

Summer here is bliss, better than anyplace else in the States

Sublime with Rome Debuts Song with Wiz Khalifa

​ Called "Can You Feel It," the song is not bad; it namedrops Far East Movement's "Like a G6," there's some dubstep, there's an interesting rap and it's not a ripoff of old Sublime songs, so it's better than their last single, "Panic." It's interesting, though, to distinguish between Sublime and ... More >>

Biebs at La Cave (It's Not a Joke)

[Mental Notes] Plus: Ikey Owens remembers Sublime's heyday.

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

KROQ's Sublime Interview: A Blast From the Past

​Today KROQ reposted a 1995 interview they did with Sublime; it's hilarious. Bradley Nowell, Bud Gaugh, Eric Wilson and Lou-Dog were all chilling backstage at KROQ's Weenie Roast. Ron Jeremy is in it too! Watch it after the jump.

Sublime's Former Drummer and DJ Marshall Goodman, Remembers Bradley Nowell

Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, who died 15 years ago today, left behind a legacy that is intrinsically tied to Long Beach and the rest of Orange County. This week's cover story pays tribute to the man who put Garden Grove on the map, who sang about the perils of date rape and invented the surf p ... More >>

Five Classic Stories About Sublime's Mascot, Lou Dog

​Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, who died 15 years ago today, leaving behind a legacy that is intrinsically tied to Long Beach and Orange County. This week's cover story pays tribute to the man who put Garden Grove on the map, who sang about the perils of date rape and invented the surf punk r ... More >>

PHOTO: Friends, Family, Fans Visit Bradley Nowell's Grave on the Anniversary of His Death

Christopher Victorio/OC WeeklyBradley Nowell, February 22, 1968 - May 25, 1996.​Fifteen years ago today, Sublime front man Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose. And every year on this day, friends and family visit his grave in Westminster Memorial Park to drink, smoke, leave memorabilia and re ... More >>

Ska Parade's Tazy Phyllipz Remembers Bradley Nowell

Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, who died 15 years ago this month, left behind a legacy that is intrinsically tied to Long Beach and the rest of Orange County. This week's cover story pays tribute to the man who put Garden Grove on the map, who sang about the perils of date rape and invented the s ... More >>

Reel Big Fish's Aaron Barrett on Bradley Nowell: 'Our Song Beer Was Our Attempt at Writing a Sublime Song'

Aaron Barrett (center) with his band, Reel Big Fish​Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, who died 15 years ago this month, left behind a legacy that is intrinsically tied to Long Beach and the rest of Orange County. This week's cover story pays tribute to the man who put Garden Grove on the map, who ... More >>

Free Moral Agents' Ikey Owens on Bradley Nowell: 'He Told Me I Played Too Much'

Sublime front man Bradley Nowell, who died 15 years ago this month, left behind a legacy that is intrinsically tied to Long Beach and the rest of Orange County. This week's cover story  pays tribute to the man who put Garden Grove on the map, who sang about the perils of date rape and invented ... More >>

Peer Reviews

Other musicians have a few Brad Nowell stories to tell

Bradley Nowell: Feb. 22, 1968-May 25, 1996

Dad Jim Nowell and widow Troy Holmes reflect on the late Sublime front man

WEB EXTRAS: A Tribute to Sublime's Bradley Nowell

courtesy Jim NowellFor more photos of Bradley Nowell, check out our slideshow here​Check out our Bradley Nowell slideshow here!Sublime front man Bradley Nowell, who died 15 years ago this month, left behind a legacy that is intrinsically tied to Long Beach and the rest of Orange County. This week' ... More >>

Tony Kanal Talks About No Doubt's New Album and Wanting His Baby Girl Coco to (Maybe) be a Scientist

Andrew Youssef/OC Weekly​Early this week we caught up with Tony Kanal to talk about Sublime's Bradley Nowell (watch out for OC Weekly's 15th death anniversary tribute to the late, great frontman tomorrow). Kanal had all sorts of stories to tell, but these days, he's all about his four-month-old ba ... More >>

Five Heroin Overdoses Worse Than Casey Royer's

​Yesterday, Casey Royer (D.I., Social Distortion, Adolescents) got busted for overdosing on heroin. In front of his 12-year-old. He's now been charged with two counts of child abuse and endangerment, as well as use and being under the influence of a controlled substance. He could get up to tw ... More >>

TGIF: Three Reasons to be Happy it's the Weekend (Including BrokeNCYDE!)

​1. Today, Insane Clown Posse heirs brokeNCYDE will be performing their critically reviled music at Chain Reaction in Anaheim. Show compassion this season and, er, listen without prejudice.

Pepper

The Grove of Anaheim

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Sublime with Rome Over the Weekend at Pacific Amphitheater

John Gilhooley​Check out a slideshow of the Sublime with Rome concert here!Sublime with RomeJuly 30, 2010Orange County Fair - Pacific AmphitheaterThe Show: Orange County and the rest of the world was robbed when Sublime singer Bradley Nowell overdosed in 1996 just two months shy of the b ... More >>

Sublime's Soundscape

Follow the Long Beach band's song way

Don't Start a Riot

Fourteen years after Bradley Nowell's tragic death, Sublime (With Rome) are back and headed for a town near you

Sublime's Soundscape: Follow the Long Beach Band's Song Way

CLICK THE MAP TO ENLARGE!In this week's cover story, you can read about how Sublime evolved into Sublime with Rome, 14 years after Bradley Nowell died. How Sublime--deeply rooted in Long Beach's iconography--made their mark on the city is part of that story. Sublime loved Long Beach--you c ... More >>

Wanted: Local Music

[Mental Notes] We're reviewing local releases. In other news, you can buy the Sublime tour van, watch the Growlers at HOB or go to Fearless Records' tour

Buy The Sublime Van On eBay

​How much of a Sublime fan are you? Get an original relic from the original lineup--all you need is $19,000, and you could buy the original Sublime tour van on eBay. The seller's page says it was used throughout their career, shown on album covers and mentioned in songs such as "All You Need" and ... More >>

An Interview With a Rare Breed: OC Blogger Indie Peddler

[Mental Notes] Plus Weenie Roast highs and lows

Over The Weekend: The Weenie Roast

Andrew YoussefScott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots​Check out our slideshows here and here!Last week, I put together a Weenie Roast guide for Saturday's event, where I talked about incredible buzz bands you shouldn't miss, along with the bands to skip so you could go to the bathroom. Well, after sp ... More >>

Weeding Out the Weenie Roast

Our handy-dandy guide to sorting the wieners from the dogs

The Like: Don't Hate

[Mental Notes] Also, Sublime With Rome to Roam, Thom Yorke Makes Peace

BREAKING: Sublime Lawsuit Settled; Showdates Planned

So the last we heard from the Long Beach-based Sublime, their future as a band was in jeopardy. As you know, after original lead singer Bradley Nowell had died of a heroin overdose in 1996 and the remaining members of Sublime decided to reform in 2009 with a new lead singer, 21-year-old Rome Ramirez ... More >>

Over the Weekend: KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas with Muse, AFI at the Gibson Amphitheater

Andrew YoussefMuse at the Gibson Amphitheater​Click for a comprehensive slideshow of night one. Click here for photos from night two.The Hype: Seventeen bands in two nights at the cozy Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City served as the annual Almost Acoustic Christmas party for the staffers at me ... More >>

Judge to Sublime: Stop.

​Judge A. Howard Matz of the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California ruled Tuesday that original Sublime members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh cannot perform under the moniker that made them famous. This ruling, according to the Los Angeles Times, "will be upheld until the breach-of- ... More >>

A Statement from the Estate of Bradley Nowell

​Just one day before a newly reunited Sublime is scheduled to play its first announced reunion gig at the Cypress Hill Smoke Out Festival, the estate of late singer Bradley Nowell has issued a statement explaining their position on the matter.Basically, they ain't happy. Nowell's wife Troy, son Ja ... More >>

Snoop Dogg

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Wrong Way

Badfish

Something for the Kids

Slightly Stoopid and G. Love & Special Sauce

You Ought to be Ashamed of Yourselves!

Readers react to Greatest OC Bands Ever with a poll of their own

Hey, Mom, Im a Rock Star

On tour with a wildly famous Orange County band