4/20 with 40 Oz. to Freedom
On 4/20 at the WOW Hall, a Sublime-cover-band called 40 Oz. to Freedom performed in celebration of the counterculture holiday. A faint cloud of reefer smoke hovered above the audience as the band played from the Sublime songbook. The crowd cheered whenever marijuana references came up in the lyrics. 40 Oz. to Freedom, comprised of four Sublime-obsessed San Diegans, perfectly recreated the original band’s sound (down to the police dispatcher sound-bites), and their performance exceeded my expectations by far.
I couldn’t help but laugh at their character. Every five songs or so, the band members would down shots in unison. In between songs they would engage the audience, especially the females. The bass player once shouted, “Women above 18, raise your hands.” I reveled in their sleaziness. The lead singer later questioned, “Where the after party at?” but there was no response.
I thought that my tastes had elevated above bands like Sublime. There’s nothing subtle or artistic about it, I told myself. Sublime’s self-titled 1996 release was an essential part of my middle school experience. So as 40 Oz. to Freedom played songs that I had once loved and memorized, I was transported back to my rebellious adolescent epoch, and I rediscovered why Sublime (and ska music in general) is brilliant.
There’s nothing pretentious about Sublime. They wrote songs about what they knew: sex, drugs, and riots. And it’s incredibly accessible: reggae-influenced punk-pop driven by a strong emotive singer. It’s catchy yet grungy, heavy yet melodic, angry yet irie. I get it.
Happy belated 4/20
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