With a new single and band lineup, drummer Bud Gaugh says that chart-topping ska-punk band Sublime is ready to make its Evolution Festival debut and takeover Forest Park on Sept. 27.
“We always like to provide a new show,” Gaugh says. “Every experience is a new experience.”
Evolution Festival kicks off on Sept. 27 with a headlining set from Sublime. Grammy Award-winning singer Lenny Kravitz headlines on Sunday. Gaugh says Sublime is bringing new music to the stage, with lead vocals from Jakob Nowell, the son of the band’s original singer, Bradley Nowell.
“He’s got a lot of his dad’s talent just instilled in him genetically,” Gaugh says. “He was just inundated with music from the time he was born.”
Bradley Nowell died from a heroin overdose in 1996, just two months before the release of the band’s self-titled album that catapulted them to mainstream success. The album featured fan favorite tracks like “Santeria” and the Billboard Modern Rock No. 1 hit “What I’ve Got,” drawing in a fanbase of rock lovers.
The band’s Evolution Fest debut will be its first time performing with Jakob Nowell in St. Louis. Gaugh says adding Jakob to the band has been a breath of fresh air. He and bassist Eric Wilson find inspiration in combining their traditional sound with Jakob’s new-school approach to rock music. As the 30th anniversary of Bradley’s death nears in 2026, Gaugh says he’s learned healthier ways to cope with losing his band member and friend.
“Drowning it out and pushing it away … it doesn’t work because it’s still there and it just gets harder and harder to deal with,” he says.
Now, he and Wilson are finding healing through performing and creating new music with Jakob. They released their latest single “Ensenada” in July. The swaggy, summer track stays true to Sublime’s catalog of feel-good, West Coast records that helped build their original fanbase in the late 1990s.
Jakob says he pulled inspiration from Sublime’s past music when working on “Ensenada.”
“Our goal with ‘Ensenada’ was not to replicate anything, but from my perspective its more like a tribute to my uncles Bud and Eric and the inspiration they give me,” Jakob says. “It’s organic and we have a good time.”
In 2026, the band will release “Until the Sun Explodes,” the first Sublime album to drop in 30 years.
But Sublime originally had no intention of reforming and releasing more music. Gaugh says the band reunited in 2023 to perform at a benefit concert honoring their friend, Bad Brains frontman Paul “HR” Hudson. Jakob joined them, and they performed with their late band member’s son for the first time in front of a crowd. In that moment, Gaugh says collective healing took place, for the audience and Sublime.
“It was a step back in time,” he says. “We got the opportunity to face our fears and our heartaches and all of those emotions head on… and playing the music really, really helped.”
The benefit concert created a ripple effect that landed Sublime back on stage and in the studio. Gaugh — who first met Wilson as a child growing up in Long Beach, California — says the pair feel like kids again as they dive back into music, blending the old with the new.
“That childhood love and affection is back in our hearts once again,” he says.
The band has more exciting news coming in 2026. To accompany the upcoming album, Gaugh says fans should look out for a book about Sublime and a biopic celebrating the band’s 30th anniversary. They are also scheduling more tour dates to reconnect with lifelong fans and engage with new listeners.
“Being able to experience this love and joy and music all over again, it’s really special,” Gaugh says. “It only happens once in a lifetime, usually. Being able to redo the whole thing over again, it’s just an amazing feeling.”
As they enter into a new era of Sublime, members want to connect with fans through their music. Gaugh says Sublime’s lyricism and sound come from the soul to feed the souls of fans who identify with the messaging.
“Creating genuine music that reflects your life and times… people tap into that, and then you look around and realize, wow, look at all the love we’ve found,” Jakob says.
Thirty years after breaking onto the mainstream with California dreams and ska-punk attitudes, Gaugh says Sublime is most grateful for their fans, who have remained true through the band’s evolution.
“Thank you for keeping this dream alive for us,” Gaugh says. “We’re going to keep it alive for you.”
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Jasmine Osby | Post-Dispatch
Music reporter
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