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About Sublime

Sublime was a band formed in Long Beach, California in 1988. They became very popular in the mid-90s (Rosenthal, 2022). Their music style was reggae, punk, ska, and rock all combined together. One of their most popular songs is “What I Got”. Another popular song is “Santeria”, which happens to be my favorite. I also enjoy “Garden Grove” and “Get Ready”. During their time in the nineties, they released three studio albums, the self-titled one being the most popular. The first two were popular in the United States, during that time, but the “Sublime” album became the most popular over time. In their lyrics they reference Long Beach and Bradley’s dog, Lou dog, going back to their roots and what was going on at the time. The band consisted of Bradley Nowell, Eric Wilson, and Bud Gaugh. Nowell was the lead singer, Wilson was the bassist, and Gaugh was on the drums. The band never got to see all the success and appreciation they had. The band released the self-titled album in 1997, a year after the band had broken up. In 1996, the lead singer Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose (Irwin, 2021). The band would later split up because of that. After all of this, Sublime still proves to be popular. 

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Special Connection

This band is special to me because my mom introduced me to them. During my 90’s music craze, my mom wanted to show me some “good” music during that time. I was obsessed with collecting CDs, so when we would go shopping for them, she found the Sublime Cd. On our drive home she played it for me and I wanted to keep listening to it. I also think she wanted me to hear the original version of “Doin Time” after Lana Del Rey sang a cover of it in her album. I appreciate that she played it for me so I could see the different sides of nineties music. I had been listening to a lot of Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys, so it was nice to hear a different type and style of music. Therefore, whenever we would go for a drive together I made her put this Cd in and sang with her. She used to keep the Cd case in the center console of her car, so when she gave it to me I was hoping for the Cd with it. However, she took it out and now I don’t have it. I meant to take it, but it got lost somewhere during the process of my family moving. I can listen to it on my phone, but having a physical Cd seems special to me.

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Why does this matter?

I started to question what other bands do after an important member dies. This began when I saw that Coachella had Sublime on their lineup. They said that Nowell’s son, Jakob Nowell, would be singing in place of his father. I was shocked when I first saw this. Then I started to think about similar bands, like Nirvana, who have lost their lead singer. The band went their separate ways and probably won’t get back together. This led me to some questions: What do bands do when someone dies? Do they get back together without them? Do they split up and never get back together? Or like Sublime’s case, have someone close to them continue their career? What will happen to their legacy? Are drugs the leading cause of members dying? I think this matters because lots of people are dying because of fame and drugs. Not to mention, how it affects the media and fans.

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What is the leading cause of their deaths?

According to the National Library of Medicine, the leading cause of deaths are violent and liver disease (Kenny & Asher, 2016). These were the causes of death for musicians compared to other deaths in their age category. It also says that musicians have a shortened life expectancy due to this. The “violent deaths” they list are: suicide, homicide, accidental deaths, vehicular deaths, and drug overdoses. The last noteworthy piece of information found is that the highest deaths are under the age of twenty-five. The Dying to be famous: retrospective cohort study of rock and pop star mortality and its association with adverse childhood experiences says that regular use of drugs, recreational drugs, prescription drugs, and “other risk-taking behaviors” are extremely present in these music industries (Bellis et al., 2012). This article also compares and finds out if people’s childhood upbringing has an impact on substance use. Along with, new changes, such as constant media exposure and coverage and the influence of older bands reuniting.

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Example of The Grateful Dead

One example of another band that lost a member is the Grateful Dead. The lead guitarist Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995, which led to the band being disbanded (Ramshaw, 2019). While the band may not be together any more, they host many events to honor Garcia. Along with, lots of Grateful Dead- related tourism and merchandise. Many of their songs contain lyrics and themes about the drug, party, and fame culture. Their impact on tourism, such as playing their music around the world, and concert events had an impact that still has a lasting effect. Another important member who passed away in the Grateful Dead was Brent Mydland (Rosenthal, 2022). He was the keyboard player for them. He passed away from a drug overdose, heroin and morphine, in 1990. He was the third person in the band to pass away, shortly before Garcia. 

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The Cranberries and Nirvana examples

Another example of death within a band is The Cranberries. The band started in 1989 and disbanded in 2018, after the lead singer Dolores O’Riordan passed away (estudios.irlandeses, 2023). Their lyrics and albums reflect their feelings and situations surrounding the era, which are complex. The last example is Nirvana. The lead singer, Kurt Cobain, sadly committed suicide in 1996 (Augustyn, 2024). He had struggled with drugs his whole life and had a rough childhood. His fellow bandmates disbanded and have no intention of starting again. Their songs sparked a whole new era of music and their influences can still be found today. 

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What happened to Sublime?

After the death of Bradley Nowell, the group disbanded. However, in 2009 they had Rome Ramirez become the new lead singer (Breihan, 2023). They changed the name to Sublime with Rome, after lawsuit claims and ownership issues. However, after almost 15 years, Ramirez left the band. They replaced Ramirez with Bradley’s son Jakob. Sublime is performing with Jakob this year at Coachella. In the Rolling Stone article, he said “it seemed like it was time for me to step into that role,” (Hiatt, 2024). He wants to keep Sublime going in his family and he wants to do it for his dad, who was unable to perform his songs onstage. Years after Bradley’s passing, his family turned his house into a recovery facility (The Nowell Family Foundation, n.d.). They provide treatments for other people in the music industry, who are struggling. This facility is also located in California.

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Conclusion

After Bradley Nowell’s death in 1996, the band Sublime split up and mourned the loss of their friend. In 2024 Sublime will be returning to the stage with Jakob Nowell, Bradley’s son, at Coachella. Many bands and people struggle with substance abuse, as their band grows and becomes adjusted to fame. Overdosing and accidental death because of drugs are a leading cause in these circumstances and environment. Sublime was not the only band affected by drugs, Nirvana and the Grateful Dead were also affected in a comparable way. Each band had a similar, yet different ending, and that led to their own legacies and memories. Sublime’s music will always connect me to my mom and allow me to cherish what they produced.