Feature Photo courtesy of Sublime
Eric Wilson—who played bass alongside vocalist/guitarist Bradley Nowell and drummer Bud Gaugh during Sublime’s initial run to glory—is a man of few words. Maybe it’s because Nowell was cut down in his prime just prior to the record Sublime (1996), which would catapult them to mega-stardom on the backside of hits like “What I Got” and “Santeria.”
Or maybe it’s that he’s simply focused on the task at hand: laying down feisty basslines amalgamating reggae, rock, punk, funk, soul, and the lot. Still, it had to be a tough pill to swallow to lose Nowell to his drug-related demos, which is why Bradley’s son, 29-year-old Jakob Nowell, taking up the mantle as Sublime’s de facto voice box, guitarist, and leader, means a whole hell of a lot.
Sure, Wilson—and sometimes, but not for the most part, Gaugh—soldiered on without Bradley Nowel, forming the Long Beach Dub Allstars and, later, Sublime with Rome—but it was never the same. The music was solid, but the fans never bought in wholesale—and to be fair, when the news of Jakob joining Wilson and Gaugh dropped down from the ether like a metaphorical coconut shaking loose from a date palm, the world wasn’t really ready to listen.
But after rattling off several monster shows during 2024’s festival season, the vibe changed, perceptions shifted, and suddenly, the Sublime faithful—who had been waiting for something, anything, since ’96—were ready to embrace the Nowel part two as Sublime’s new man out front.
How this all shakes out remains to be seen. Nowell has pinballed between being into making new music and rebuffing the idea altogether. As for Wilson, as you’ll read below, while not baking on it, he’s at least open to Sublime’s first proper album since 1996.
No matter how this turns out (or flames out), the world will be watching. And if new music becomes a thing, according to Wilson, ol’ Brad will be smiling down on his son, who, with the help of his old bandmates and friends, is carrying on the magnificent tradition of one of the ’90s finest bands, Sublime.
During a break from the road, Sublime bassist and keyboardist Eric Wilson beamed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to share a few words on the past, present, and future.
You’re back on the road as Sublime and with Brad’s son Jakob out front. What has he meant to the band?
Jakob is a sober version of his dad. I never saw it coming in a million years. God bless the universe! He was the best swimmer in Brad’s ball sack.
You’ve been with Sublime since the beginning and knew Bradley well. I assume he would be on board with Jakob joining?
Yep. Brad is everywhere.
Looking back, what are your greatest memories of Bradley as a guitarist and songwriter?
My greatest memory of Brad on guitar is him throwing his guitar on the ground and becoming the dancehall king, leaving Bud and me to carry out the dancehall craze like Sly and Robbie Stone, who were our mentors.
How has your bass rig evolved since the early days?
My old amps were Ampegs and Fender Jass, and I used Fender P-Basses. I also used a custom Dan McDonald Gibson Grabber-style bass. The old keys were Roland SH 101 Bass keys.
For the past 15 years, I’ve been using Aguilar amps and Dave Smith Keyboards for the key bass sounds. Recently, I switched to Jad Freer amps, which are custom-made in Italy. I’m running two Volta bass heads into 4x 12″ and 8x 10″ Menirva speaker cabs. Key bass is run through a Sisma head by Jad Freer into 4x 12″ Menirva speaker cabs, and I have a Jad Freer Capo DI.
I’ve got two Volta 200-watt all-tube bass amps, one Sisma Class G Hybrid Bass amp, two 410 Venere bass cabs, and two 212 Minerva bass cabs. All my basses are five-string Coppolo Customs, and they have the new ergonomic twisted neck tutorial. So, that’s a five-string with a 35-degree natural twisted neck. And, like I said, the Dave Smith Morpho SE keyboard.
Do you still have any basses or amps you used while recording Sublime’s classic records?
Not anymore.
How would you describe your overall approach to bass?
Listening to all the music and playing the melody and rhythm combined.
As Sublime was coming up, did you have any idea that you were doing something very different?
No. We just wanted to be the Bad Brains.
What was the vibe like while recording 40oz To Freedom? Did you know you had a special record on your hands?
We knew before that with our demo cassette, Jah Won’t Pay the Bills.
Robbin’ The Hood is probably Sublime’s most overlooked record, but do you view it now, looking back?
It’s absolutely my favorite.
From a bass perspective, which Sublime song means the most to you, and why?
Probably “Badfish” because it correlates to what I was talking about earlier, about the melody and the rhythm. We had a great time making it, and it cost nothing! Also, “Greatest Hits.” I look back at some of those songs and think I was trying to put too many notes into one bar.
What does having a second chance at life as a band with Jakob mean to you?
Everything.
Seeing as the vibes are good, is there a chance that we’ll see Sublime record a full record with Jakob?
Right now, we are just embracing the love of playing all of the old catalog. But I could totally see that in the future.
Eric Wilson of Sublime: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2024
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