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Members include Bud Gaugh, drums; Marshall Goodman, percussion; Jack Maness, keyboards; Opie Ortiz, vocals; RAS-1, guitar; Eric Wilson, bass; Tim Wu, saxophone. Addresses: Record company--DreamWorks, 575 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

The Long Beach Dub All Stars include many previous members of the multi-platinum band Sublime. Sublime's lead vocalist, Brad Nowell, was found dead in a San Francisco hotel at the peak of that band's popularity in 1996; his death was the result of a heroin overdose.

Two members of the band, bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh, have been friends since they were boys. Gaugh was born in 1967 in California. His family lived across an alley from Wilson's home, and the two grew up together. As they grew older, they began playing music together and surfing at Seal Beach in California; they also went to concerts by local punk bands.

Wilson's father was a big band drummer, and he taught Gaugh how to play. Wilson had played music with Nowell in sixth grade, but Nowell's family then moved to Santa Cruz. When he returned to town during a school break, Wilson introduced him to Gaugh and the three began playing together, founding Sublime in 1986. The band lasted for ten years, until Nowell's untimely death of a heroin overdose.

Wilson and Gaugh and other surviving members of Sublime got together and continued playing together under a different name, the Long Beach Dub All Stars. Marshall Goodman told Alice Hammond in NYRock.com that the band's style "is accepted by the same type of fans of MXBX, NOFX, Green Day. We're a mixture of punk rock, reggae, ska. It kind of all falls into the same genre, so we're accepted well."

The band includes bassist Eric Wilson, drummer Bud Gaugh, singer Opie Ortiz, guitarist RAS-1, keyboardist Jack Maness, saxophonist Tim Wu, and bassist Marshall Goodman. The band appeared on a series of compilations and tribute albums, and released their debut album, Right Back, in 2000. The album featured guest appearances by various reggae musicians, including Barrington Levy, Half-Pint and Tippa; hardcore Bad Brains singer HR; and guitarist Fletcher Dragge of the punk group Pennywise. In AVRev.com, Brian Kahan wrote that on the album, "Brad Nowell is missed, [and] the Allstars have some difficulty pulling off the effortless harmonies and lyrics that made Sublime such a success." He did note that one strength of the band is "their energetic optimism delivered through their reggae ska music." In Punknews.org, Adam White also commented that "there are some weaknesses in the harmonies ... but that's forgivable in punk rock." He also commented, "Right Back isn't bad, but such a musically strong group could (and I'm sure will) do much better."

In 2001 the band released Wonders of the World, and backed it up with a tour. Reviewer Alexander Cote wrote in the Hoya that the band seemed caught up in the past. "[They] did not really have a stage presence. It didn't seem like they were putting on a show, but rather trying very hard to play music as close to the way they played it when they were Sublime." The reviewer also noted that the band drank beer throughout the show and "seemed fairly stoned." Cote noted that this "complete (drug induced?) apathy" was tragic, considering that Nowell had died of a drug overdose.

Cote also noted that "had it not been for Nowell's untimely death, the ... group would never have sold so many albums," nor garnered as much publicity; and he also pointed out that the influence of Sublime was "ever-present" in their performances: more than 75 percent of their live show consisted of covers of Sublime songs.

In a review of Right Back in Flat Hat, James Mumper commented that Sublime's "half-baked brand of sunny, punkish chill tunes echoes" on two of the songs, "Sublime" and "Second-Hand Smoke." In addition, one song, "Sunny Hours," reuses a line originally written by Brad Nowell. He wrote that the difference between the two bands is that "Sublime sounded like a punk band with reggae and ska influences, while the All-Stars sound like a reggae band with punk and ska influences." He commented that the band's main weakness is their "lyrical limpness." On the whole, however, he summed up Wonders of the World as "an agreeable, and, at times, amusing listen." In Kendrick, Joseph Izado Brazauskas wrote, "Wonders of the World is truly a solid album, especially for the dreaded sophomore release. It provides all the elements that fans of dub and reggae want to hear while putting the band's own twist on them. While not a classic, it is certainly a great listen."

In an interview with a reporter for US Music Vault, the band described their process of writing music: "It's pretty much a collective thing. Certain people have ideas and then, like a big mural, everybody kind of comes in at the right time. Everyone knows his position in the band, so if someone wants to go extreme ... we're down for it." In addition, Goodman told Hammond that he had a message for the band's fans: "Thanks for the support. We know you make it happen for us."

by Kelly Winters

Long Beach Dub All Stars's Career

Group formed in 1996; released Right Back, 2000; released Wonders of the World, 2001.

Famous Works

Further Reading

Sources

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