In early 1996, the three members of Sublime — frontman Bradley Nowell, bassist Eric Wilson, and drummer Bud Gaugh — were jamming in Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio in Austin, Texas, when they broke into an improvised, half-formed song that bootleggers would later call “Eireen.” Frontman Bradley Nowell, who would die of an overdose in May of that year, wasn’t taking the song entirely seriously, adding multiple lyrics about his “anus.” But there’s a striking moment when they hit a dub-influenced groove together and Nowell lands on a catchy refrain — “let me tell you why I feel like that.”
28 years later, a song built around that moment, “Feel Like That (featuring Bradley Nowell),” is due out Friday as the first original Sublime studio track since Nowell’s death, featuring additional vocals from both Scott Woodruff of SoCal reggae band Stick Figure and Bradley Nowell’s son Jakob Nowell, who took over as Sublime’s singer beginning with a Coachella performance this year.
The song is officially credited to Sublime x Stick Figure, since Woodruff built the track from samples of that “Eireen” session. He began work on it several years ago, before the band revived itself with Jakob, after band associate Michael “Miguel” Happoldt brought him the “Eireen” multitracks. Jakob added his vocals in January, well before the Coachella performance. “It was like, OK, now that this is coming together, why don’t we release this song, but let’s get Jake on there,” says Gaugh.
“My dad has a verse and then I have a verse and then Stick closes out the song,” says Jakob, who was moved at the opportunity to collaborate with his late father. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
“We are blessed that we still have all these old recordings and that we were able to stumble upon an outtake that has been sitting there waiting for all these years,” Wilson says in an e-mail to Rolling Stone. “They say timing is everything, and I think they were right! It’s super awesome to hear Brad and Jakob singing side by side on the same track. I’m sure this song is gonna set the mood for the summer.”
The song is likely just the beginning of new material from Sublime, who still have an extensive archive of unreleased Bradley Nowell material. “I think if fans really dig this track and people like the direction, then the sky’s the limit,” says Jakob, who wants the band to continue collaborating with other acts.
“We’re ready to explore all options as far as recording goes,” says Gaugh, who adds he’s already at work in the studio. “Remixes, new stuff, who knows.”
The renewed Sublime is playing festival dates throughout the year. “We’re just going to keep getting more comfortable with each other and learning how to play off each other,” says Jakob. “It’s mind-blowing to see how Sublime is such an important and formative band for so many people out there.”
Adds Wilson, “After playing a couple of shows with Jakob, I realized that something was missing in my heart, and Jakob has filled the void. The chemistry is spot on… just like it was with his father. I am also very thankful that I 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 badass Bud is…. I’m really excited for the future.”
“I got my friend back,” Gaugh says. “My relationship with Eric is, like, brand new from like when we were kids.”
Wilson is coming off of 14 years in Sublime with Rome, the project fronted by singer/guitarist Rome Ramirez. That band that is currently finishing out their final touring obligations without the bassist — and just released their own final studio album, Sublime with Rome. And Jakob, who previously told Rolling Stone he wasn’t thrilled with the existence of that band, now says he’d like to have Ramirez come out and jam. “Man, come on out to a show, maybe you should come up and do a solo or something with us,” he says. “He’s a great guy. Ripping guitar player.”
Steve Cohen*
