​ More >>

​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.
More >>

Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly

Bradley Nowell, February 22, 1968 - May 25, 1996.

​

• UPDATE: See more photos here.

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 reminisce. We'll be sticking around here for a little while longer, but if you'd like to pay your respects, check after the jump for location info. 
More >>

​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 rock/reggae/ska hybrid that Southern California is now so famous for.

One of the most vivid images of Sublime's iconography is Bradley Nowell's famous Dalmatian, Lou Dog. Named after Nowell's grandfather, Louie Nowell, the mythology of Lou Dog was epic. He has allegedly bitten everyone from Gwen Stefani to the head of KROQ; was allowed to wander onstage during shows; and got featured prominently on album covers and injected into lyrics of many Sublime songs ("We took this trip to Garden Grove/It smelled like Lou Dog inside the van" from "Garden Grove";  "Livin' with Louie Dog's the only way to stay sane." from "What I Got"; "Me and Louie, run to the party" from "Doin' Time.").

After the jump, five of the best stories that our subjects told us about Lou Dog.
More >>

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 punk rock/reggae/ska hybrid that Southern California is now so famous for.

​Marshall Goodman, Sublime's first drummer (he played on 40 Oz. to Freedom and co-wrote a few songs on the album), talks about working with Bradley Nowell when Sublime was just starting out.

Brad and I were going to Cal State Long Beach when I was in the band. I was in my second year of school and he was in his fourth or fifth. He was a finance major and we'd go to the same classes sometimes. [Our friendship had a whole other dimension], there was that whole element of being outside of music--our relationship was grounded in music, but we had  discussions on history. I remember how excited we were that they created the History Channel when it first came out, in 1991.

I was the drummer of Sublime, I recorded 40 Oz. of Freedom, I also produced/co wrote "Doin' Time" and "What I Got." I brought my musical background to the band. I was really into jazz fusion and reggae and punk rock. I was a scratch DJ before I did drums, when I was 15. I recorded with Sublime when I was 19.

Then I decided to leave the band because I was in school and I was really functioning as a musician, I loved the art. But Brad started moving away from music as an art and got very involved in pharmaceuticals, and the music really started to suffer as far as our live performances went.

More >>

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 surf punk rock/reggae/ska hybrid that Southern California is now so famous for.

Ska Parade founder and radio personality Tazy Phyllipz talks about his memories of Nowell.

​Sublime only played once on Live on Ska Parade, and it was the greatest live show the band ever did. Two songs made it on the Ska Parade compilation and that's what I gave to KROQ.
 
His death was really a tragedy in the sense that it's a real bummer when a friend goes so young. He was at the happiest time of his life, and there really wasn't any reason things happen that way.

The positive side of things was when the band was actively touring they would do everything to burn their bridges--they were on the first Warped tour and it was my understanding that everyone went to (tour founder) Kevin Lyman and said, we're quitting this tour unless you kick these guys off.
More >>

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 sang about the perils of date rape and invented the surf punk rock/reggae/ska hybrid that Southern California is now so famous for.

Aaron Barrett, Reel Big Fish front man, talks about what it was like to start out as a ska band in the 1990s Orange County with Sublime as a predecessor.

On learning from Sublime: We weren't good friends or anything but we were big fans of them when we were first starting the band. We looked up to Sublime. Our song "Beer" was our attempt at writing a Sublime song. It helped play music in Reel Big Fish to try to play their songs.

On how he met Bradley Nowell: First time we met them Bradley said, "You guys are great! We gotta play with you! We alway play with all these really terrible bands. That was very flattering, for a young band starting up.

More >>

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 surf punk rock/reggae/ska hybrid that Southern California is now so famous for.

​Long Beach resident Ikey Owens, former Long Beach Dub Allstars member, Free Moral Agents frontman and Mars Volta keyboardist, gives us his memories of Nowell and Sublime back in the day.

More >>

courtesy Jim Nowell

For 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'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 rock/reggae/ska hybrid that Southern California is now so famous for. Stories from his family, No Doubt's Tony Kanal, Slightly Stoopid's Miles Doughty, Butthole Surfer's Paul Leary, the Vandals' Joe Escalante and Dexter Holland of the Offspring give us a glimpse of how Nowell lived and loved.
  
After the jump, watch the OC Weekly interview with Jim Nowell, Brad's father. Throughout this week until May 25, we'll be posting other stories from Aaron Barrett of Reel Big Fish, Marshall Goodman, Ikey Owens of Free Moral Agents, and more--people who knew Nowell, played with him and were inspired by him.
More >>