OT: Sublime with Rome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEhMHjxbddM I can't embed right now cause I'm on my iPod anyways I'm a huge sublime fan and I just heard about this so forgive me if it's not new to any of you but they're coming to Atlanta soon and I have always wanted to go to a sublime concert. It will never be the same without bradley but Eric and bud are playing and with me being a bassist that would be more than enough of a reason to go. Now this Rome character, I don't know. He's a good guitarist and a fairly decent singer but I just can't get passed the fact that he is not brad. I'd like to see what some of you think about all of this.
I am a huge Sublime fan and I have every single one of their albums (studio and live). When Bradley Nowell first died Eric and Bud decided that they had go in a different direction. I don't understand why they have now changed their minds and decided to start playing the Sublime songs. I would never go to one of their shows and to me they are barely anything more than a Sublime cover band.
I'm a casual Sublime fan, and I heard some of Sublime with Rome's live stuff here on the radio in Chicago, which sounded fantastic. Does it compare to the original music with Bradley? Doubtful, but still worth a listen, IMHO.
mandatory mgorule mention
In fact, I've been helping them out a little bit over the past year. I've met Bud and Rome in person and they are really great people. Rome wil never be Bradley and everyone realizes it. He's still a very talented artist (his collab with Dirty Heads called "Lay Me Down" has been #1 on the Alternative charts for 6 weeks now, leaping over much bigger bands like Stone Temple Pilots and Muse).
Trust me, I've followed this closer than just about anyone...the hatred that Rome gets thrown at him daily is amazing. Last night I watched them play the KROQ show on ustream and the comments were full of racist garbage and making fun of his weight.
As far as why they do it now...it's time. It's been 14 years since Brad died and Bud and Eric are at a new stage in the greiving process to where they feel they can perform these songs again. Also, they finally feel that they have found someone worthy of capturing Brad's general spirit/style in Rome.
All I can say, is if you are on the fence, go to a show and give it a listen. They will win you over. Just don't expect Rome to be Brad. No one ever will. But it's still good music. In the end, it's going to be the new music that these guys create that will be their legacy. Rome has already written a new song called "Panic" which they have performed multiple times and in my opinion it's a pretty good ska track.
/end rant
this helps somewhat with my ambivalence. I'll check them out. Honestly not 100% impressed by the videos I've seen, and the comments of those I know who've seen them.
But, I was a big LBDAS/Short Bus fan after Sublime- this is a logical extension for Bud and Eric.
Well I myself have not been 100% impressed either, but I see the potential there. Listen to some of Rome's original stuff and maybe it will show you what he CAN do besides cover sublime's old stuff.
Here is his song "Only" which is my favorite of his. Kind of reminds me of The Police:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG2dYdOhGNA
This is the hit song "Lay Me Down" which I think could be a summer smash hit. Dirty Heads has been around for years and never got significant airplay. Then Rome created this song with them back when the Haiti earthquake hit as a way to raise money...KROQ picked it up back in February and in less than 2 months it went straight to #1 on the alternative chart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss88V3L5F9w
The truth is, lots of people are going to hate this because it's NOT the old Sublime. It's not the same without Brad and lou dog. It's not the same because the guys are older. Bud has a 2 year old girl now, Eric has a son in grade school...they aren't exactly teenage punkers against the establishment anymore.
Another part of the reason for this is because of the band's battles with drugs and alcohol. Bud hit rock bottom a few years ago. He's always had his battles, but the grief/guilt of losing Brad made him tailspin. But a few years ago he went clean sober and is to this day. He's got a great wife and support group and he's much better off. Bud also wants to start a drug rehab center for troubled youth and name it "Brad's House" in Bradley's honor. So to me, it was a no brainer to help them out. If I can keep Bud and Eric sober, and help troubled youth with addictions, then that alone is worth it to me.
I don't know...it's still early...I have yet to see them put on a truely "killer" show. They have a lot of consistency (something the old sublime lacked) but they haven't had a "legendary" performance yet either. They are walking a tough line right now. Fans want to hear the classics, but at the same time, they call the band a cover band. Fans will chastise Rome for "not sounding like Brad" and yet others call him an imitator. It amazes me how divisve this is (I liken it to the Carr vs. Rodriguez camps). But if you are on the fence, I'd definitely just recommend a show. Tickets are cheap at like $25 last I checked.
PS-They are the most humble, down to earth people you could imagine. You'd figure after selling 17 million albums, they might be kind of snobby or whatever...but not at all. They let me hang out with them in the RV and talked with me after the show and stuff...they are down to earth regular guys just trying to make the music they (and the fans) love and remember their lost brother.