Sublime

They're the most popular band in the history of legendary Los Angeles radio station KROQ — above Nirvana and U2. Why? With cuts like "What I Got," "Santeria," "Wrong Way," and "Caress Me Down," Sublime concocted an infectious brew of SoCal punk, reggae, ska, and an arsenal of Krazy Glue-catchy hooks.

To slip through the bong smoke and truly understand the genius of Sublime frontman Brad Nowell, you need to catch him at his lo-fi best ("Marley Medley," "Rivers of Babylon"); to know that the magic of Sublime was the result of more than just Nowell, you need to hear his former bandmates' later incarnation, Long Beach Dub All Stars ("Sunny Hours," "Rolled Up").

If you want to know what made Sublime tick, you'd need to travel down to the LBC on a warm summer day, armed with some ice-cold beers and maybe a little something sticky. That was the trio's element, back in '93, '94 — where you'd catch 'em turning out a house party with Deep Cuts like "Work That We Do" and "Superstar P****i."

By the time Sublime released its 1996 major-label bow, an extraordinary beginning had morphed into an untimely end as frontman Brad Nowell turned up dead of a heroin overdose. Fortunately, in another ironic twist of fate, that apparent ending turned into a new beginning, as cuts like "What I Got" and "Santeria" posthumously emerged as modern-rock-radio staples, while outtakes, lives tracks, and intimate acoustic jams surfaced, forever cementing the band's reputation as one of the greatest triumphs of the alt-rock revolution.