In early 1996, the three members of Sublime – frontman Bradley Nowell, bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh – were jamming at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studio in Austin, Texas, when they broke into an improvised, half-formed song they would later call bootleggers. “Irene”. Frontman Bradley Nowell, who would die of an overdose in May of that year, didn't take the song entirely seriously, adding several lyrics about his “anus”. But there's a standout moment when they hit a dub-influenced groove together and Nowell lands a catchy chorus – “let me tell you why I feel this way.”
28 years later, a song created around that time, “Feel Like That (featuring Bradley Nowell),” will be released Friday as Sublime's first original studio track since Nowell's death, with additional vocals from Scott Woodruff of SoCal reggae band Stick Figure; and Bradley Nowell's son Jakob Nowell, who took over as lead singer for Sublime starting with a Coachella show this year.
The song is officially credited to Sublime x Stick Figure, as Woodruff crafted the track from samples from that “Eireen” session. He started working on it several years ago, before the band was revived with Jakob, after bandmate Michael “Miguel” Happoldt brought him the multitracks “Eireen”. Jakob added his vocals in January, well before the Coachella show. “It was like, OK, now that this is coming together, why aren't we releasing this song, but let's get Jake on there,” Gaugh says.
“My dad has a verse and then I have a verse and then Stick closes the song,” says Jakob, who was moved by the opportunity to work with his late father. “It's a beautiful thing.”
“We're blessed to still have all these old recordings and to be able to stumble upon a breakout that's been sitting there waiting all these years,” Wilson says in an e-mail to Rolling rock. “They say timing is everything, and I think they were right! It's great to hear Brad and Jakob sing side by side on the same track. I'm sure this song will get you in the mood for summer.”
The song is likely just the start of new material from Sublime, who still have an extensive archive of unreleased Bradley Nowell material. “I think if the fans really dig this track and people like the direction, then the sky's the limit,” says Jakob, who wants the band to continue working on other projects.
“We're ready to explore all options in terms of recording,” says Gaugh, who adds that he's already at work in the studio. “Remixes, new stuff, who knows.”
The revamped Sublime play festival dates throughout the year. “We'll continue to get more comfortable with each other and learn how to play from each other,” says Jakob. “It's shocking to see how important and formative a band Sublime is to so many people out there.”
Adds Wilson, “After playing a few shows with Jakob, I realized there was something missing in my heart and Jakob has filled the void. The chemistry is spot on… as it was with his father. I am also very thankful to have my brother Bud back in my life! After years of playing with other great drummers, I can see that what we had was special and I realized what a mean Bud…. I'm really excited for the future.”
“I got my friend back,” Gaugh says. “My relationship with Eric is brand new like when we were kids.”
Wilson is coming off 14 years in Sublime with Rome, the project led by singer/guitarist Rome Ramirez. This band, which is currently wrapping up its final tour commitments without the bassist — and just released its own latest studio album, Great with Rome. And Jakob, who said before Rolling rock He wasn't thrilled with the existence of this band, now he says he'd like Ramirez to come out and jam. “Man, come to a show, maybe you should come and do a solo or something with us,” he says. “He's a great guy. Rip guitar player.”
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/new-sublime-song-feel-like-that-jakob-bradley-nowell-1235026634/