The Juice Bros
Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson grew up in the same neighborhood. In high school they formed a band with their future manager, Michael Happoldt, called The Juice Bros. The band was a purely punk rock band. Then, Brad Nowell dropped out of the University of California and joined the band. Nowell introduced ska and reggae to the band to form the band's punk, ska, and reggae blend.
Sublime was formed in 1988 in Long Beach, California during the California punk explosion along with bands like Green Day and the Offspring. They were a garage punk band that mainly played in parties and small clubs throughout California. The band played a blend of ska, reggae, punk, surf rock, and hip hop. The band adopted a stray dalmatian named Lou Dog which became the band's mascot. The band consisted of vocalist Brad Nowell, bassist Eric Wilson, and drummer Bud Gaugh. For the first four years Sublime focused on live tours and did not release any albums. They gathered a large following in the surf and skate crowds, and finally released their first album, 40 Oz. to Freedom, in 1992. The band formed its own label, Skunk Records, to make itself sound more legitimate. The band briefly signed to True Sound Imprint in 1992, but quickly switched back to Skunk Records. They began to gain popularity when their song "Date Rape" was played on local radio station KROQ in 1994.
In 1994 Sublime signed to MCA Records after their increase in popularity, and Jon Phillips became the band's new manager. They released the album Robbin' the Hood in 1994, which was only successful with college audiences. The album was an experimental mixture of rock, rap, and folk. It was a commercial failure and initially did not produce any singles. Sublime toured extensively and co-headlined the Vans Warped Tour, but tensions increased when Gaugh was arrested several times for marijuana possession. The band began writing its third album, which would become their most popular album. However, on May 6, 1996 lead singer Brad
Sublime was formed in 1988 in Long Beach, California during the California punk explosion along with bands like Green Day and the Offspring. They were a garage punk band that mainly played in parties and small clubs throughout California. The band played a blend of ska, reggae, punk, surf rock, and hip hop. The band adopted a stray dalmatian named Lou Dog which became the band's mascot. The band consisted of vocalist Brad Nowell, bassist Eric Wilson, and drummer Bud Gaugh. For the first four years Sublime focused on live tours and did not release any albums. They gathered a large following in the surf and skate crowds, and finally released their first album, 40 Oz. to Freedom, in 1992. The band formed its own label, Skunk Records, to make itself sound more legitimate. The band briefly signed to True Sound Imprint in 1992, but quickly switched back to Skunk Records. They began to gain popularity when their song "Date Rape" was played on local radio station KROQ in 1994.
In 1994 Sublime signed to MCA Records after their increase in popularity, and Jon Phillips became the band's new manager. They released the album Robbin' the Hood in 1994, which was only successful with college audiences. The album was an experimental mixture of rock, rap, and folk. It was a commercial failure and initially did not produce any singles. Sublime toured extensively and co-headlined the Vans Warped Tour, but tensions increased when Gaugh was arrested several times for marijuana possession. The band began writing its third album, which would become their most popular album. However, on May 6, 1996 lead singer Brad