Brad Nowell’s family: “Don’t use the name Sublime.”
A “reunited” Sublime is looking to take the stage this weekend at Cypress Hill’s Smokeout Festival. Original members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh will team up with new member Rome Ramirez on guitar and vocals and play as the band Sublime. Unless Brad Nowell’s family has anything to say about it.
Brad Nowell, the original voice of Sublime, died of a drug overdose in 1996 and never heard the album Sublime which gave his band national recognition. Since then his surviving family members have not allowed any bands to perform under the name Sublime. So this reunion that’s happening this weekend isn’t being looked at too fondly by the Nowell family. So much so that they’re even threatening to sue Sublime 2.0. They released a full statement which you can read below.
“It was recently announced that Sublime bassist Eric Wilson and Sublime drummer Floyd ‘Bud’ Gaugh are ‘reuniting’ and teaming with singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez in a band they intend to call ‘Sublime.’ Prior to his untimely passing, both Bud and Eric acknowledged that Brad Nowell was the sole owner of the name Sublime. It was Brad’s expressed intention that no one use the name Sublime in any group that did not include him, and Brad even registered the trademark ‘Sublime’ under his own name.
As Brad’s heirs, and with the support of his entire family, we only want to respect his wishes and therefore have not consented to Bud and Eric calling their new project ‘Sublime.’ We have always supported Bud and Eric’s musical endeavors and their desire to continue to play Sublime’s music. We wholeheartedly supported Bud, Eric and the many talented members of the Sublime posse that formed the Long Beach Dub All-Stars, soon after Brad’s death, to honor him through their original recordings, live performances and Sublime music until they disbanded in 2001. But, out of respect for Brad’s wishes, we have always refused to endorse any group performing as ‘Sublime,’ and now with great reluctance feel compelled to take the appropriate legal action to protect Brad’s legacy.
Our hope is that Brad’s ex-bandmates will respect his wishes and find a new name to perform under, so as to enhance the ‘Sublime’ legacy without the confusion and disappointment that many fans have expressed upon seeing the announcement.
Peace and Love to all,
Troy, Jakob & Jim ‘Papa’ Nowell.”
I don’t know about this. I understand that Sublime will never sound the same again now that Brad’s gone but it isn’t like Eric, Bud and Rome are touring under the name Sublime. They’re playing one show and that’s all. Plus this isn’t some random group performing as Sublime. It’s two of the three original members.
What do you think? Should the Nowell family sue? Should they let them play the show as Sublime? Should the band change their name and if so to what?
Tags: Sublime
October 27th, 2009 at 11:35 am
[...] Sublime getting sued? Them Crooked Vultures new single Liam Gallagher starting new band IndiMusic TV YouTube channel [...]
July 31st, 2010 at 10:43 am
I’ll bet if the reconstructed band offered the family a cut of their earnings, the family would more than generously approve the use of the name Sublime. Legacy, yada, yada, yada. No disrespect to the late Brad Nowell, but he is deceased. Let the living 2/3 of the original band use their name, after all, they contributed 2/3 of how the band became popular and earned money. Coveting the name Sublime ‘out of respect’ (please) will not resurrect Brad Nowell and I’m sure it has more memories for those two remaining boys than it does for his parents (just wondering, to how many Sublime songs do they know the words) and widow.