Sublime Reunion On Hold

A Los Angeles judge has blocked the use of the Sublime name by bandmembers Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh. The estate of original vocalist Bradley Nowell filed a trademaerk infringement suit on October 21, in advance of the band's performance at the Cypress Hill Smokeout Festival.

Nowell, who died of a drug overdose in 1996, had registered the 'Sublime' trademark under his own name prior to his death, according to the Nowell family. Wilson and Gaugh continued to perform after Nowell's death under the name Long Beach Dub All Stars, but had recently revived the Sublime moniker after newcomer Rome Ramirez joined the group as lead vocalist.

It's unclear what sort of bearing this ruling will have on the band's future (though a name change at the very least may be in order), but Gaugh hinted at recording and touring in a recent interview (read story on UG), as well as opening free recovery centers for underprivileged teens in Nowell's honor.

Several videos of the band performing at Smokeout Festival can be seen here.

Thanks for the report to Punknews.org.

Comments

[Unknown Fear]

Good. They should use a different name.

[loudog93]

yeah nowell was sublime. it would be like if they tried to continue nirvana without kurt. it just doesn't make sense.

[La_Deux_Machina]

Yeah...or like alice in chains without layne staley....oh wait....

[Alex101]

There will never be Sublime without Brad; there will never be Nirvana without Kurt Cobain and there will never be Death without Chuck Schuldiner. No band will ever be the same without a singer who's dead.

[rockontilludie]

La_Deux_Machina wrote:

Yeah...or like alice in chains without layne staley....oh wait....

hahahaha

[panther62]

AC/DC did it, who cares

[98Timberwolf]

La_Deux_Machina wrote:

Yeah...or like alice in chains without layne staley....oh wait....

Exactly what I was going to say.

[Pool_Shark]

Everyone knows Sublime is Brad, Eric, and Bud. I don't think it's that big of a deal if they continue to use the name without Brad. They just want to bring Sublime back to life ya know? I mean that Rome guys not bad at all, and Eric and Bud just want to play as Sublime again because it was their best band they had. Everyone knows its not going to be the same Sublime without Brad, so why bother arguing about the name? It's just a name in my opinion.

[RockUAway]

Just let them use the name.

[element4433]

Checked.

[Scourge441]

Alex101 wrote:

There will never be Sublime without Brad; there will never be Nirvana without Kurt Cobain and there will never be Death without Chuck Schuldiner. No band will ever be the same without a singer who's dead.

Oh, please. Kurt and Chuck were the primary songwriters in their respective bands; that's why those bands couldn't continue without them (not sure how big a part Brad played in Sublime). It had nothing to do with the fact that they were the vocalists.

Checked.

[Scourge441]

element4433 wrote:

Checked.

Damn you.

[dudebud]

Yes. Justice has been served.

[MrSir4]

Usually I am all for continuing with different members, I happen to like Alice in Chains new album (Like it or not Jerry wrote the music for AIC...RIP Layne), but Brad was what made sublime what it was, it would be one thing if the rest of the members got together as a different name, but it isn't sublime without brad and in a way this would be like pissing on his grave, not to blow it out of proportion but that is what I think. It will change what was Brad's into something completely different....it may still be good, but it isn't brad therefore it isn't Sublime

[BucketheadRules]

Scourge- Brad was the primary songwriter for Sublime too. it's the same situation.

[ghoztofcasper]

panther62 wrote:

AC/DC did it, who cares

This

[j_link13]

Glad to see i'm not the only who thinks they can't reform without Brad

[BriGuy7727]

La_Deux_Machina wrote:

Yeah...or like alice in chains without layne staley....oh wait....

Difference here is that Jerry Cantrell (still alive) wrote most of AIC's tunes. Brad wrote most of Sublime's songs, so it's a different situation.

[David_Bowie=GOD]

La_Deux_Machina wrote:

Yeah...or like alice in chains without layne staley....oh wait....

I get so tired of hearing this. Layne was a big part of AiC, but he wasn't AiC. Jerry is and always has been AiC, Layne's voice and lyrics(which he wrote about half of) were a big part of the sound, but he didn't write hardly any music.

Brad on the other hand, was Sublime. He wrote almost everything that they ever performed. I have nothing against them reforming in his memory for charity, but they should still change the name.

[JAHellraiser]

If they really want to make Sublime-esque music then I doubt the name will stop them. I would hope it wouldn't

[badfish2829]

Let them play. REAL Sublime fans will realize that the band wasn't about a name, making money, etc. It was about spreading the love through infectious melodies and f*ckin amazing riffs. Sublime was an idea, an idea shared by 3 people, Brad, Bud, and Eric. They were all a part of it, so let them use the name. It wasn't the name that made them famous, it was the music. That's what it's all about.

[ThatWouldBeJon]

ghoztofcasper wrote:

panther62 wrote:

AC/DC did it, who cares

This

THIS +1

[kurtshapedbox]

respect

David_Bowie=GOD wrote:

La_Deux_Machina wrote:

Yeah...or like alice in chains without layne staley....oh wait....

I get so tired of hearing this. Layne was a big part of AiC, but he wasn't AiC. Jerry is and always has been AiC, Layne's voice and lyrics(which he wrote about half of) were a big part of the sound, but he didn't write hardly any music.

Brad on the other hand, was Sublime. He wrote almost everything that they ever performed. I have nothing against them reforming in his memory for charity, but they should still change the name.

+100000

This would pretty much be just like Krist and Dave trying to reform Nirvana...it's just not right for reasons so obvious it's almost painful.

[courtkid1012]

panther62 wrote:

AC/DC did it, who cares

AC/DC is complleeetely different. The guitars made the band. Sublime's (i guess you would sat) instruments are big, but without Nowell it's not the same. I never really thought about it, but AC/DC got better after the vocalist change. I never really paid attention to which CD I was listening to though.

[goskayourself]

Wilson's bass lines and Bud's drum beats were just as important to Sublime as Bradleys vocals and guitar. The basslines make reggae and ska, so they might even be more important. The THREE of them were Sublime.

[soundjam]

I'm not the biggest sublime fan out there but I am familiar with their stuff. While its true that Brad was very important to sublime, his family telling his bandmates that they can't use the name without them is like telling them that they meant nothing to the sound. It may or may not be disrespectful to Brad to continue but its also disrepectful to Eric and Bud to say that they weren't important enough to continue without Brad.

[taylorhindman]

David_Bowie=GOD wrote:

La_Deux_Machina wrote:

Yeah...or like alice in chains without layne staley....oh wait....

I get so tired of hearing this. Layne was a big part of AiC, but he wasn't AiC. Jerry is and always has been AiC, Layne's voice and lyrics(which he wrote about half of) were a big part of the sound, but he didn't write hardly any music.

Brad on the other hand, was Sublime. He wrote almost everything that they ever performed. I have nothing against them reforming in his memory for charity, but they should still change the name.

But when you have people with such distinctive voices as Brad or Layne, it takes away as the music when they get replaced. Most people don't pay attention to who writes the songs, just who sings it.

And yes, if they reform they should change their name. Only then will I not mind.

[Bluesrocker5150]

panther62 wrote:

AC/DC did it, who cares

Bon Scott hardly had any part to play in songwriting, that was the Young brother's bag. They continued without Bon because he was just a guy that stood on stage and sang. He didn't do much writing and didn't do a great deal to contribute to band as a whole. I'm not nocking Bon, he was great, but this is the truth. If Angus Young had died, it would be totally ludicrous to continue AC/DC. As it is totally ludicrous to continue Nirvana without Kurt or Sublime without Brad.

[arcticradiohead]

i don't care if they use the name "sublime" when they play live, but there should never be another song written by a band named "sublime" again. if they want to make new music, get a new name, if they want to play sublime songs live, i don't really have a problem with them being called sublime.

[dannydesktop]

Yeah i don't see the alice in chains arguement, their new singer aint too bad, but bradly played guitar and wrote the songs AND sang lol at least Aliceinchains has jerry. But yeah this is stupid reminds me of the dead kennedys without jello biafra

[ahiddenmexican]

taylorhindman wrote:

David_Bowie=GOD wrote:

La_Deux_Machina wrote:

Yeah...or like alice in chains without layne staley....oh wait....

I get so tired of hearing this. Layne was a big part of AiC, but he wasn't AiC. Jerry is and always has been AiC, Layne's voice and lyrics(which he wrote about half of) were a big part of the sound, but he didn't write hardly any music.

Brad on the other hand, was Sublime. He wrote almost everything that they ever performed. I have nothing against them reforming in his memory for charity, but they should still change the name.

But when you have people with such distinctive voices as Brad or Layne, it takes away as the music when they get replaced. Most people don't pay attention to who writes the songs, just who sings it.

And yes, if they reform they should change their name. Only then will I not mind.

actually both sublime and AIC's new singers sound almost exactly like brad and layne.
the songwriters make the band, not the singers...even though a good singer does make or break a band

[jcool2003]

badfish2829 wrote:

Let them play. REAL Sublime fans will realize that the band wasn't about a name, making money, etc. It was about spreading the love through infectious melodies and f*ckin amazing riffs. Sublime was an idea, an idea shared by 3 people, Brad, Bud, and Eric. They were all a part of it, so let them use the name. It wasn't the name that made them famous, it was the music. That's what it's all about.

It may not be the name that made them famous, but it is more marketable than touring under their current name

[MethLabForCutie]

Bluesrocker5150 wrote:

panther62 wrote:

AC/DC did it, who cares

Bon Scott hardly had any part to play in songwriting, that was the Young brother's bag. They continued without Bon because he was just a guy that stood on stage and sang. He didn't do much writing and didn't do a great deal to contribute to band as a whole. I'm not nocking Bon, he was great, but this is the truth. If Angus Young had died, it would be totally ludicrous to continue AC/DC. As it is totally ludicrous to continue Nirvana without Kurt or Sublime without Brad.

its totally ludicrous to continue now anyway. especially in those schoolboy outfits.

[communitykid]

I dunno. Both arguments have merit. Thinking about it as a band's frontman, I would hate for my band members to reform without me, being that I do the songwriting and everything.. Mainly because I wouldn't want something I put so much of myself into to be shadowed by somebody else, especially because you'd never know if I'd agree with or even like anything they were writing about... Until I put myself in Brad's shoes though, I didn't see it as such a big deal...

[Cainus Anus]

It is an illusion that the estate and the label are doing this for the good of Brad's name. And I'm sick of people defending them like they are the good guys. They are the ones tarnishing Sublime by cashing in releasing posthumous albums and different greatest hits, changing one or two tracks and rereleasing.

Brad, Eric and Bud were Sublime, they share the name. And to think that bud and eric plan to use the money earned to give back to the community in the name of Brad? The lawsuit makes no sense, except to keep the money rolling in one direction.

[smashyourguitar]

i sure hope this dosent turn into another guns n roses deal here...

[deafening]

Lets see, if they already changed names and wern't doing so well and want to bring back the name they used when they were popular.....hmmmmm WAIT
They want to bring the name back for fame and fortune?!?!??!! WHO COULD HAVE IMAGINED :O... :\

Jeeze, get with it guys

[JadedDeath]

this makes sense. what doesn't make sense is why axl rose is able to keep using guns n roses, shitting on that band title with chinese democracy.

[La_Deux_Machina]

I never said I didn't like the new aic...its pretty good...I love jerry cantrell..and love aic...but you cant ever...and i mean ever even come close to the emotion and feeling that layne put into the songs...it just isnt the same. yeah he sounds like him...but he isnt him..

[zAg1619]

courtkid1012 wrote:

panther62 wrote:

AC/DC did it, who cares
AC/DC is complleeetely different. The guitars made the band. Sublime's (i guess you would sat) instruments are big, but without Nowell it's not the same. I never really thought about it, but AC/DC got better after the vocalist change. I never really paid attention to which CD I was listening to though.

Don't kid yourself on that dude. While it was different, Bon Scott did still have a lot to do with AC/DC, and in no way is Johnson better than Bon Scott was. In NO way.

[zAg1619]

Bluesrocker5150 wrote:

panther62 wrote:

AC/DC did it, who cares

Bon Scott hardly had any part to play in songwriting, that was the Young brother's bag. They continued without Bon because he was just a guy that stood on stage and sang. He didn't do much writing and didn't do a great deal to contribute to band as a whole. I'm not nocking Bon, he was great, but this is the truth. If Angus Young had died, it would be totally ludicrous to continue AC/DC. As it is totally ludicrous to continue Nirvana without Kurt or Sublime without Brad.

Actually, they really put serious consideration into quitting after Bon Scott drank himself to death. In the end, they decided that Bon Scott would have wanted them to continue. Read a decent book about the biography of the band, and get your facts straight. They never saw Scott as the guy who, as you put it "stood on stage and sang."

[Bluesrocker5150]

zAg1619 wrote:

Bluesrocker5150 wrote:

panther62 wrote:

AC/DC did it, who cares

Bon Scott hardly had any part to play in songwriting, that was the Young brother's bag. They continued without Bon because he was just a guy that stood on stage and sang. He didn't do much writing and didn't do a great deal to contribute to band as a whole. I'm not nocking Bon, he was great, but this is the truth. If Angus Young had died, it would be totally ludicrous to continue AC/DC. As it is totally ludicrous to continue Nirvana without Kurt or Sublime without Brad.
Actually, they really put serious consideration into quitting after Bon Scott drank himself to death. In the end, they decided that Bon Scott would have wanted them to continue. Read a decent book about the biography of the band, and get your facts straight. They never saw Scott as the guy who, as you put it "stood on stage and sang."

I didn't say thats how they saw them. thats just how he was. I know as a vocalist of course he had an impact on their sound, he just didn't do the majority of writing. those ARE the facts. like everyone else on this forum says: Kurt was Nirvana and Brad was Sublime. that was merely my point. People where comparing the issue to AC/DC, which is an apples n' oranges analogy. I know they thought about quiting, I didn't say anything about them not considering calling it quits just because Bon didn't have as much as a significant impact. Use logistic reasoning skills a bit mate.

[Dr Funkenstein]

badfish2829 wrote:

Let them play. REAL Sublime fans will realize that the band wasn't about a name, making money, etc. It was about spreading the love through infectious melodies and f*ckin amazing riffs. Sublime was an idea, an idea shared by 3 people, Brad, Bud, and Eric. They were all a part of it, so let them use the name. It wasn't the name that made them famous, it was the music. That's what it's all about.

yeah cool man

[ehnoway]

People are missing the point. This isn't about whether it's right or wrong for them to continue as Sublime without Brad, it's that he trademarked the band name AS HIS OWN, and he did not leave specific instructions that in spite of that, the band could use the name even if he was no longer in the band. So legally, by default, the judge has to rule in the Nowell estate's favor. Maybe Brad should've have been smarter on the business front, on how to properly do trademark registration and whatnot, or maybe he really did intend for Sublime to only function as Sublime as long as he was in it. Either way, the only thing left for the band to do is to pick another name and carry on. Besides, if they plan to record new music, then doing it under the Sublime name wouldn't really make sense as Brad wrote and composed all of their old material, whereas he clearly won't be able to do that on a new Sublime album.

[SilverHammer :O]

Sublime was very much Brad's band. Without him it's not really Sublime at all. I agree they should definitely fidn another name.

[lastnight]

courtkid1012 wrote:

panther62 wrote:

AC/DC did it, who cares

AC/DC is complleeetely different. The guitars made the band. Sublime's (i guess you would sat) instruments are big, but without Nowell it's not the same. I never really thought about it, but AC/DC got better after the vocalist change. I never really paid attention to which CD I was listening to though.

for all of you who say it was about the guitars and say bon scott played no major role dont no what your talking about. read any ac/dc bio and it will tell you he wrote all the lyrics, why do u think all the lyrics on the older albums are better? CAUSE HE WROTE THEM. I love brian johnson but frankly, his lyrics dont compare to scotts, and niether do any lyrics written by the young brothers

[Cainus Anus]

deafening wrote:

Lets see, if they already changed names and wern't doing so well and want to bring back the name they used when they were popular.....hmmmmm WAIT
They want to bring the name back for fame and fortune?!?!??!! WHO COULD HAVE IMAGINED :O... :\

Jeeze, get with it guys

..so what if that is the only reason? (and it is clearly not the ONLY reason) They earned that right by playing music. The label and the estate did not earn that right.

[ahiddenmexican]

honestly i wish they would just start making music again. get a new name so everyones happy and just get back to the music...
not being under the sublime name isnt gonna hinder their popularity. whatever name they use theyre gonna kick ass!

[Mr Pringle]

FOR FUCKSAKE, LET THEM PLAY SO THEY CAN SHOW THE WORLD THEIR FUCKING AWESOME SONGS. IF SUBLIME DON'T TOUR BECAUSE OF THIS I WILL KILL THAT JUDGE.

[nightraven]

checkedd

[ChiliMyAss]

WHO THE FUCK CARES!!!!!
Seriously!! He's dead. People Die. It's normal. Get on with your lives. His ghost is not gonna haunt them because of them name.. dude..

The funny thing is that it happens EVERY TIME someone dies.. it automatically makes them a god.. even though no one gave a **** about Brad before he died..

And this is coming from a guy that loves Brad.

[kill it]

good. i hope they continue under a different name.

[thirteenburn]

I don't get this at all. Grant it, I haven't followed the aftermath of Nowell's death too closely, but I assumed from the various programs and documentaries I've seen, there was no bad blood between surviving band members and Nowell's family, his widow and child included. Evidently this isn't the case.

I would see the necessity of this ruling had someone else other than the two original surviving band members tried to use this name, but I highly doubt that Brad Nowell had this scenario in mind when he wrote his will. I would like to think that Nowell has zero problems with his two best friends carrying on the Sublime name and in the vein that Bud & Eric are, namely the opening of recorvery clinics. That's way too cool and I'm surprised that no one else has thought of that, Nikki Sixx coming the closest with his donations to the Children of The Night charities.

This is a very sad post-script on a very sad story - a story that could have a much happier ending without all the legal wrangling.