sublime
Almost three decades after the release of their final album, a newly-active Sublime have revealed they’re currently in the studio working on a new record.
The group, which disbanded in 1996 following the passing of frontman Bradley Nowell, found themselves active once again in late 2023 when it was reported Nowell’s son Jakob was fronting the group. Following live performances at the likes of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2024, the group have now told Rolling Stone the reformation is set to feature a new record.
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The 29-year-old explained that he had recently spent a week working with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and producer John Feldmann penning tracks for the new album. Founding members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh will reportedly join for recording sessions soon.
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“Travis is an old-school fan and scholar of the Sublime catalog,” Nowell said. “They feel like family members now too, man. There was that feeling from everyone that what we’re doing here is something generational and special on an emotional, spiritual, familial level.”
In a statement, Barker noted that the project was “going to be really special,” with the spirit of the group’s late frontman still present within the band. “Bradley comes through his son Jakob,” he added. “Chills every day in the studio when he sings and plays guitar.”
Cynical fans who might be expecting the album to be a poor imitation of what was once was have also had their fears assuaged somewhat, with Nowell specifically noting that the plan isn’t to create a modern, updated version of the band. “No, just more of a solid respect and homage to the works of Sublime,” he says.
Wilson and Gaugh co-founded Sublime with the late Bradley Nowell in 1988, with the group’s first two albums – 1992’s 40oz. to Freedom and 1994’s Robbin’ the Hood – released on the independent Skunk Records label, which Nowell co-founded.
Nowell died of a heroin overdose in May 1996 at the age of 28, just two months before the release of their self-titled major label debut. The record would peak at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, while lead single “What I Got” would top the Alternative Airplay chart in August 1996. Their sole Hot 100 entry came by way of “Doin’ Time” in December 1997, when it hit No. 87.
In 2009, Wilson and Gaugh reunited under the Sublime name with vocalist Rome Ramirez. Use of the band’s name was denied by the Nowell estate, leading to the creation of Sublime With Rome, which would continue with varying lineups until their official dissolution in 2024.
In May 2024, the reformed Sublime issued the track “Feels Like That,” which features Stick Figure alongside vocals from both Bradley and Jakob Nowell. According to Jakob’s latest comments, this archival discovery process has been integral to his new role up the front of thee acclaimed band.
“We’re combing through and trying to distill down what makes a Sublime song a Sublime song,” he explained. “It’s been this fun learning process to get close to and get to know my lost family member in a spiritual sense. I think we leave so much of ourselves, like this blueprint of our DNA, in the work that we create and put out there. So really it’s been also a fact-finding mission.”
Summer is just a few months away, which means Slightly Stoopid, the veteran San Diego band celebrated for helping create the Cali reggae sound and lifestyle, is preparing to hit the road again.
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The “Collie Men” of Slightly Stoopid have linked up Sublime with Rome for the Summertime 2023 tour, produced by Live Nation and slated to kick off in July. Joining the two bands are special guests Atmosphere and The Movement.
For Slightly Stoopid, the pairing with Sublime with Rome represents a return to the band’s early roots, when frontmen Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald were teenagers living in San Diego’s Ocean Beach neighborhood. As the legend goes, Bradley Nowell (Sublime’s original frontman) was staying at Doughty’s house trying to quit drugs when he heard some noise coming from the garage. Nowell stuck his head in, saw Doughty and McDonald rehearsing and famously asked, “You guys got a band?
Nowell signed Slightly Stoopid to his indie label imprint Skunk Records while the band members were still in high school and produced and released their debut studio album Slightly $toopid in 1996. Nowell appeared on the hidden track “Prophet,” now a staple in the Slightly Stoopid live repertoire more than 25 years after it was released.
Nowell passed away later that year from a reported drug overdose, devastating his young protégés and music fans around the world, many of whom would not discover Sublime until after his passing. In 2010, Sublime with Rome was formed by Rome Ramirez and Eric Wilson in an effort to carry on the musical tradition of Nowell.
“We couldn’t be more excited for the Summertime 2023 tour,” said Doughty in a statement. “We haven’t toured with Sublime since the early years of Stoopid and we are really excited to be back with our brothers on what we like to call the ultimate summer band camp. We’re stoked to debut some new songs and play new venues and cities we haven’t hit for a while. And most importantly we can’t wait to be playing music for all of you this summer…between the on-stage collabs and the backstage hangs it’s gonna be insane! The Stoopidheads are what fuels Slightly Stoopid. Should be an epic summer of madness!!!”
Fans can gain first access to the artist presale starting today at SlightlyStoopid.com/tour. Local presales begin Thursday (Mar. 9) at 10 a.m. local time and the general on-sale will take place Friday (Mar. 10) at 10 a.m. local time.
The Summertime 2023 tour kicks off at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Wash. on July 6, followed by stops at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif.; Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Austin; Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago; Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, N.C.; Merriweather Post Pavilion in Colombia, Md.; and iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Fla., where the tour wraps Sept. 3.
Backed by legions of supporters known as Stoopidheads, Slightly Stoopid has built a mini-empire with their Stoopid Records indie label, annual Closer to the Sun destination music festival in Mexico, Stoopid Strains cannabis line and Tangie Summer Haze lager, a new beer collaboration with Buzz Rock Breweries in Southern California.
Slightly Stoopid and Sublime with Rome Summer Traditions 2023 tour dates:
Jul 06 – Auburn, WA – White River AmphitheatreJul 07 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes AmphitheaterJul 08 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho CenterJul 09 – West Valley City, UT – USANA AmphitheatreJul 14 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline AmphitheatreJul 15 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre #Jul 16 – San Diego, CA – Petco ParkJul 21 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell PavilionJul 22 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance AmphitheaterJul 23 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music FactoryJul 27 – Somerset, WI – Somerset AmphitheaterJul 28 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly IslandJul 29 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom HillJul 30 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State ParkAug 03 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston ColiseumAug 04 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans AmphitheaterAug 05 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut CreekAug 06 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank PavilionAug 17 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts CenterAug 18 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post PavilionAug 19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Forbes Avenue *Aug 20 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage PavilionAug 24 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire PavilionAug 25 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity CenterAug 26 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach TheaterSep 01 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s PlaceSep 03 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
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