Even though this applies more to their self-titled album than “40 Oz. to Freedom,” Sublime was an important gateway band for me and a lot of my friends in high school. For maybe a year or so— but a very formative year that seemed like forever at that age— I exclusively listened to punk rock. I discovered the genre going into ninth grade, and the music represented the independence that every teenager yearns for at that age. Being a punk rocker became my whole personality. I thought I was so cool, as did we all.

Sublime blended punk, reggae, and ska with hip hop-style sampling. They were the one semi-exception to my year of non-stop punk rock listening. As such, they were a reminder that other styles were out there, waiting for me to discover them when I was ready. That led me to check out reggae and ska, and onward from there to explore other genres. If not for them, I’m sure I would’ve gotten a Bob Marley album eventually, but they definitely helped shape my music appreciation journey.

The idea of mixing punk with any other kind of music would’ve been taboo a few years earlier. Listening to the lyrics of punk bands from the 80s, it sounded like punks, metalheads, new wavers, and hippies were constantly at war with one another. This was also documented in the movie “SLC Punk,” which I borrowed on VHS from a guy with a blue mohawk whom I met playing hackeysack behind a grocery store. We called him Justin Blue Hair. By the time I was in high school in the late 90s, all of those groups had melded together, and if you liked one of those types of music, you probably liked the others too, or at least had friends who did.

“40 Oz. to Freedom” includes an outstanding cover of “Scarlet Begonias,” which is still my favorite Grateful Dead song. I was never a huge jam band fan— which is for the best because that’s a whole lifestyle unto itself— but I did go to a few jam band festivals like Gathering of the Vibes. I created some memorable experiences there, but I’ll leave the details to your imagination. In fact, some of Sublime’s best work on this album is their treatment of covers, including songs by Bad Religion, Toots and the Maytals, The Toyes, The Descendents, The Melodians, and, of course, The Grateful Dead.

So much germinated from seeds planted in my ears by Sublime. Even their choices of covers were a message to impressionable listeners that it’s okay to like more than punk rock, and a nudge in certain directions. I can’t say they were totally a positive influence— see the lyrics to just about any of their originals— but they helped shape my musical interests. For that, they’ll always be special to me.

Programming Note:

This is the fifth issue of Jewel Case Journal, which means we’ve made it through a full work week! I will continue posting daily issues through the end of July, which are available to all subscribers for free. Once the calendar turns to August, there will be one free post per week and some yet-to-be-determined number of subscriber-only posts, which will depend on my schedule and availability to write.

If you’d like to continue getting every issue of JCJ, please upgrade to a paid subscription, starting at the price of $2 per month. Half of the proceeds go to supporting music education programs, and really, it’s two bucks! That’s less than the price of a scratched-up used CD. 

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