Sublime
Sublime was an American Reggae Punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1986.[1] The 
band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell (vocals and guitar), Eric Wilson (bass guitar) and Bud Gaugh (drums and percussion). Michael 'Miguel' Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash". Lou Dog, Nowell's dalmatian, was the mascot of the band. Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996, but it wasn't until 1998 when Sublime had stopped writing music. In 1997, posthumous songs such as "Santeria", "The Wrong Way", "Doin' Time", and "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" were released to U.S. radio.[2]
Sublime released three studio albums, one live album, five compilation albums (one of which also contains never-before released material), three EPs and one box set. Although their first two albums—40 Oz. to Freedom (1992) and Robbin' the Hood (1994)—were quite popular in the United States, Sublime did not experience major commercial success until 1996 with their self-titled third album, released two months after Nowell's death, which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, and spawned the single "What I Got", which remains the band's only number one hit single (on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart) in their musical career. As of 2009, the band has sold over 17 million albums worldwide,[3] including about 10 million in the U.S. alone.
In 2009, the surviving members decided to reform the band with Rome Ramirez, a young guitarist and self-admitted Sublime fan from California with a similar vocal sound.[4] However, not long after performing at Cypress Hill's Smokeout Festival, a Los Angeles judge banned the new lineup from using the Sublime name.[5] This was because Nowell had owned rights to the Sublime name, and as a result, they were not allowed to use it without approval and permission from his estate. In January 2010, the lawsuit was settled and the new lineup now performs together as Sublime with Rome, who released their debut album Yours Truly on July 12, 2011. Five months after its release, Gaugh announced his departure from the band.
Early career (1986–1991)
Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh were childhood friends, having grown up in the same Garden Grove neighborhood. Eric's father Billy Wilson taught Gaugh how to read music and play the drums. Gaugh and Wilson together with future Sublime manager Michael Happoldt formed a three-piece punk band called The Juice Bros during their high school years. About this time, Bradley Nowell, who had recently dropped out of University of California, Santa Cruz, joined the band. Nowell helped introduce Gaugh and Wilson to reggae and ska, who at the time listened exclusively to punk rock.[6]
Sublime played its first gig on the Fourth of July, 1986 in a small club, reportedly starting the "Peninsula Riot" in Harbor Peninsula which led to seven arrests. Music venues were skeptical of the band's eclectic musical fusion and many refused to book the band. In response, the band created their own music label, Skunk Records, and told venues that they were "Skunk Records recording artists", which helped the band seem more accomplished and subsequently book more shows.[6] For the next several years, the group focused primarily on playing at parties and small clubs with local ska bands Smokestacks, No Doubt and Skeletones to name a few throughout Southern California. The trio recorded a few songs and put forth a number of short demos.
In February 1990, Nowell adopted an abused dalmatian puppy from a shelter and named him "Louie" after his grandfather.[7] Louie Nowell, King Louie, or "Lou Dog" as he was called, became something of a mascot for the band. Gaugh recalled that "Lou Dog just loved Brad because it was the first time he had ever actually been shown love."[7] Lou Dog was often allowed to wander around the stage during the band's concert performances. One of Sublime's early club venues in 1990 was at a downtown club in Long Beach called Toe Jams. This Club was owned and operated by David Rice, James Walker, Jason Burch and Jeff King. A private Party was held in February 1991 at Toe Jams for one of the owners. Special thanks can be found for Toe Jams and the owners on the back of the later produced album 40oz to Freedom. In late 1990, music student Michael "Miguel" Happoldt approached the 
band, offering to let the band record in the studio at the school where Happoldt was studying. The band enthusiastically agreed and trespassed into the school at night, where they recorded from midnight to seven in the morning.[7] The recording session resulted in the popular cassette tape called Jah Won't Pay the Bills, which was released in 1991 and featured songs that would later appear on the band's future albums. The tape helped the band gain a grassroots following throughout Southern California.[7]
40 Oz. to Freedom and Robbin' the Hood (1992–1995)
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 ska, reggae, punk, surf rock, and hip hop, and helped to further strengthen the group's growing California 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 1992/1993, Sublime was briefly signed to Danny Holloway's True Sound imprint.[2] However, the band stayed on Skunk Records and then in June 1994, they were signed to the label Gasoline Alley of MCA Records by Jon Phillips who subsequently became Sublime's manager. Sublime released their second album Robbin' the Hood in 1994, an experimental effort with its diffuse mixture of rock, rap, spoken-word nonsense and folk-leaning acoustic home recordings. Robbin' the Hood was a commercial failure and did not produce any singles. The band toured extensively throughout 1994-1995, their popularity increasing gradually beyond the West Coast as "Date Rape" began earning radio play. In 1995, the band co-headlined the inaugural nationwide Vans Warped Tour. The band's drug use led to tensions with the tour management as Gaugh was arrested several times for possessing marijuana. The band was eventually asked to leave the tour for a week due to unruly behavior after an incident in which Nowell's dalmatian Lou Dog bit members of the audience. Gaugh reflected on the experience: "Basically, our daily regimen was wake up, drink, drink more, play, and then drink a lot more. We'd call people names. Nobody got our sense of humor. Then we brought the dog out and he bit a few skaters, and that was the last straw."[6] After the Warped Tour and the subsequent Three Ring Circus Tour, the band was pressured to begin producing new studio material as a follow-up to Robbin' the Hood.
