With new singer, the sound is Sublime

By JOHN BENSON

entertainment@vindy.com

Here’s a quiz: name an early ’90s band that changed music and ended too early. If you answered Nirvana, you’re correct. And if you answered Sublime, you’re also correct.

The comparison between the two acts is apt: both trios are considered bellwethers of their respective scenes, while both feature frontmen (Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Sublime’s Bradley Nowell) who were main songwriters that died young. Whereas Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl found new life with his Foo Fighters, the remaining Sublime members – Bud Gaugh (drums) and Eric Wilson (bass) – have struggled for an identity. For a while they played as the Long Beach Dub Allstars, but that never truly amounted to much. That is until now.

Last year, Wilson and Gaugh joined singer-guitarist Rome Ramirez to form Sublime With Rome, which makes its Northeast Ohio debut Friday at the Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City.

“It just kind of happened,” said Wilson, calling from somewhere outside of New York City. “I ran into Rome in a studio. I saw what he had, and so I called Bud, who I hadn’t talked to in a few years. He lives up in Nevada. So Bud said he was down to try it out. It was basically the same thing when I called Bud to tell him about Brad. I told him Rome is extremely talented. Bud drove up to Lake Tahoe where we were and it just flowed like it used to with Brad. It went over really well, so we decided to keep doing it.”

While the current act originally formed in 2009 under the name Sublime, Nowell’s family threatened a lawsuit. Eventually all parties decided on the moniker of Sublime With Rome. The timing couldn’t have been better for the trio, with Ramirez currently gaining national exposure by appearing on The Dirty Heads’ hit single “Lay Me Down.” In fact, The Dirty Heads are the opening act for the current Sublime With Rome tour.

As far as new material, Wilson said the band is currently playing the tune “Panic,” with hopes of writing and recording a new album later this year. In the meantime, Wilson said he and Gaugh are finally getting a chance to tour the material from Sublime’s breakthrough 1996 self-titled album, which came out two months after Nowell died of a heroin overdose.

There is something special about the multi-platinum album that still defines the rock-reggae dynamic of today. Prior to the release of “Sublime,” the ubiquitous reggae influence was naturally Bob Marley. Now when a new band mentions being inspired by a Jamaican sound, odds are Sublime is who they’re talking about.

“I really don’t know why that is,” Wilson said. “I just know that we were one of the first but our idols were like The Clash and Bad Brains. They were just never heard like we were as far as in the mainstream. So it’s an honor to have that status but I can’t really tell you why. We just played our favorite music – mixed reggae and punk rock – and went against the grain. During that time in the ’90s it was pretty much like grunge music, which is cool but we just played what we wanted to play. That’s just what we did.”

Looking ahead, Wilson is optimistic the new incarnation will work. Then again, considering his dwindling prospects, that’s kind of what you would expect him to say.

Furthermore, the bassist has come to peace with the idea Nowell would be OK with Sublime With Rome.

“Yeah, I think Brad would have done the same thing,” Wilson said. “I’m sure of that. Because that’s what we do the best, we play our music. And he can’t be here and that’s very unfortunate. He was one of my best friends, but life has to go on and for me, Sublime is my life.”