OCEANSIDE — The family of the late Bradley Nowell, frontman for the band Sublime, will host “A Sublime Life,” the first annual sobriety festival on May 11 at the Oceanside Civic Center.
The Nowell Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization, was formed by Bradley Nowell’s father, Jim “Papa” Nowell, and sister, Kellie Nowell. Longtime family friend Todd “Z-Man” Zalkins, who helped Bradley’s son, Jakob Nowell, get clean and sober was also a major contributor.
The foundation’s goals are to bring awareness and treatment of addiction and to strengthen mental health in local communities. As part of its goals, the foundation established “Bradley’s House,” an elevated sobriety home for recovering musicians phased to become a full-service residential treatment campus.
The sobriety festival in Oceanside will consist of providing resources for those recovering from addiction by government and nonprofit organizations, live music and art, health and wellness programs and guest speakers.
“The intention of the sobriety festival is to bring a community of those affected by addiction, and to promote a positive message that sobriety is not a weakness, rather a demonstration of strength and conquering one’s demons,” states Kevin Shin, an Oceanside business owner and chairman of the foundation’s board. “There is a large population of those in sobriety. We want them to gather together in celebration instead of suppressing their effort due to shame and embarrassment.”
The sobriety festival will be free to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A ticketed benefit concert called the “Sublime Family Jam” will follow for The Nowell Family Foundation from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Oceanside Museum of Art. The concert will feature live performances from Jakob Nowell, Eric Wilson of Sublime, Scott Woodruff of Stick Figure and Bradley’s widow, Troy Dendekker, will be headlined along with the tribute band Burritos.
Special guest performances will be announced leading up to the event. A rare museum exhibition of unique Sublime memorabilia will be on display as well as an intimate presentation of the Nowell Family Foundation.
Tickets for the concert are available at www.eventbrite.com/e/sublime-family-jam-tickets-830507790157?aff=erelexpmlt with early bird pricing starting at $95.
More information on The Nowell Family Foundation can be found at www.thenowellfamilyfoundation.org.
