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Photos contributed by Heather Clapp
From left to right: “Q-Ball” (bass), Matt Myers (vocals and guitar), and Jesse Vargas (drums).
Editor's Note: The following article posted Jan. 14 contains an inaccurate identification of the main source. Please see correction at the end of the story.
LBC: A tribute to Sublime
The Advocate
"Portland always rocks,” said Eric “Q-Ball” Wilson, founder of LBC, a Sublime tribute band, about kicking off their tour with Portland as the second stop.
Dante’s nightclub in downtown Portland was the venue Saturday when Wilson and his crew took the stage. It was standing room only when the show started. At least 120 people came to see them rock the house and find out for themselves what all the hype was about.
The group played fan favorites like “Santeria,” “What I got,” “Caress me down,” and “40 oz. to freedom.” The performance reminded the audience of just how refreshing the original sound of Sublime was back in the day and every time the music is played now.
Wilson formed LBC as a way to pay tribute to the music of Sublime after his bandmate and friend Bradley Nowell died of an overdose in 1996.
He attempted a reunion tour with Bud Gaugh, original drummer and percussionist, as Sublime in 2009, but it was short-lived due to Nowell’s estate convincing a California judge that they had no right to use the name.
Sublime’s late founder had trademarked the name and Wilson found that he didn’t want to pursue the fight against the family.
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Gaugh instigated the suit and continues to try to attain financial gain from income derived from the original band’s name and music, said Wilson.
According to Wilson, Gaugh makes attempts to shut down LBC by posting messages on myspace.com and other forums. “He has actually called up some of the smaller venues and told them we are in litigation to try to get them to cancel our shows,” he said.
Wilson made a promise to Nowell’s father that he would “keep Bradley’s music alive, so it can continue touching the hearts of generations to come.” He’s keeping that promise with an eight-month tour across the United States, Europe and Australia.
Asked if there was any hope of Gaugh joining him on tour with the LBC, “No, absolutely no chance,” Wilson said. “Why would we want to do that when we have a great drummer?”
Wilson was referring to 23-year-old Jesse Vargas, the group’s newest member. The Portland stop was Vargas’s third performance with the group. One wouldn’t have guessed that when he ripped up the beats and intensified the reggae sound Sublime is known, playing for like a guy who’s played drums professionally for half his life.
Wilson recruited Vargas on the Internet and sent an email inviting him to play for the group. Vargas said that when he got an email from the one-and-only “Q-Ball,” he said, “Who would turn down the chance to play drums for him and get paid?”
Vargas grew up on Sublime’s music and other reggae bands and said he’s having a blast playing with the group. “Q-Ball’s a cool dude,” he said when asked what he thinks of the original bassist.
Matt Meyers, vocalist and guitar player, said, “I’m not trying to fill anyone’s shoes,” when asked how he feels about the expectation fans have of him to live up to Nowell’s vocals. Meyers sound is so similar to Nowell that you could close your eyes and actually imagine Nowell there in front of you.
Meyers said his intentions have always been clear. He likes Sublime’s music and when Wilson tracked him down, “I had the opportunity and jumped at the chance to sing,” he said.
The new father recently returned to the group after leaving for his son’s birth last year. After an eight-month sabbatical, he said he’s just glad to be back even though it’s difficult to be away from home.
Wilson, Meyers and Vargas have at least one thing in common: they love to play Sublime’s music and feel that it’s a tribute to Nowell to continue to do so.
A message to those who are upset that LBC is playing the reggae/ska/punk music of its idol: “It is what it is,” Wilson said. “Brad was Sublime and we just want to keep Sublime’s music alive.”
Correction: A source was misidentified in the story above. Mike Houlihan (also referred to as “Q-Ball”) was misidentified as Eric Wilson in the story “LBC: A tribute to Sublime.” LBC was introduced to the crowd Dec. 9 at Dante’s in downtown Portland as a Sublime tribute band, and Houlihan was introduced as an original Sublime member, which he is not. Wilson was the original bassist for Sublime. Any references to Wilson were a case of mistaken identity and should have been attributed to Houlihan. The Advocate regrets the confusion.
The Advocate reserves the right to not publish comments based on their appropriateness.