Marshall Goodman, aka “Bradley’s on the microphone with Ras MG,” first met Brad Nowell of Sublime when he was about 14-years-old. Brad was in a band with Marshall’s older sister, Ruth, who was known all around Long Beach as a great saxophonist. The band was called Sloppy Seconds and it also featured Eric Wilson on bass.
It was during a Sloppy Seconds practice that Brad first met Goodman. Marshall tells The Pier: “As a youngster I was a break-dancer, I was into the entire Hip Hop scene, and I had a set of turntables. Brad came by once when I was in my room spinning some records. He came in and didn’t understand how I was making the song repeat because it didn’t look like I was operating an echo system. I was using the turntables to make the song repeat. He was intrigued at how I was doing that, and that’s how I first met Brad.”
Overtime, Sublime formed and as Marshall recalls, the styles of Sloppy Seconds kind of spun into Sublime and Sublime was now known for playing backyard parties where Marshall would later become acquainted with Sublime’s drummer, Bud Gaugh. By this time, Marshall was about 17, 18-years-old, and very much into hip hop and free-styling. He’d see Sublime at these backyard parties and because he previously knew Eric and Brad, he’d rock a free-style during their set.
[Related: Interview – Marshall Goodman Pt 1]
Marshall got his first drum-set at 15-years-old, so he had a few years experience with his turntables as well as drumming by the time he was running into Sublime at back-yard parties. “One time, Bud went out to talk to his girlfriend and they had an argument,” Marshall recalls. “They were arguing a lot is what Eric and Brad implied, and Eric said: ‘Well Marshall plays drums!’ So I jumped on the drums and jammed.”
The issues apparently continued with Bud, and Brad eventually asked Marshall to join the band. So in 1990-1991, during Marshall’s first year of college, he joined Sublime as their official drummer.
While all of this was taking place during the early years of Sublime, from 1987-1991, the world was feeling the undeniable influence of N.W.A.’s mainstream success led by Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E. The distance from Long Beach to Compton, CA is only about 12 miles, so if the entire world was mesmerized by the cultural impact of N.W.A. then you can imagine how this influence may have impacted a town like Long Beach where Sublime was known for ripping backyard parties, playing to, as Marshall describes: “a very brilliant frame of a lot of cultures, similar to New York, but in a small town beach fashion.”
While Marshall was joining the band, Sublime was also wrapping up their first ever cassette EP that would later be known as Jah Wont Pay The Bills. Sublime was recording with Miguel Happoldt at Cal State Dominquez Hills, using his access after hours to record their demo.
Marshall explains: “They were finishing it up, putting some final touches on it and we did a song called ‘Live At E’s.’ I went in and played drums and free-styled on it. I did what I use to do at the backyard parties and that’s ‘Live At E’s’ from ’40oz to Freedom.’ The song was later moved from the ‘Jah Wont Pay The Bills’ demo to the ’40z to Freedom’ album.”
As Marshall reveals to The Pier: “It is called ‘Live At E’s’ because Dominquez Hills is near Compton, CA and Miguel and Brad were intrigued by Eazy E being from Compton. Cal State Dominquez is right next to Compton so that’s why it was called ‘Live At E’s’ because we were ‘live in Compton’ essentially.”
Marshall Goodman would end up being the drummer of Sublime during 40oz to Freedom and is the credited drummer on every song except for tracks, “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” “New Thrash,” “Chica Me Tipo,” and “Ebin.” So while fans see Bud Gaugh in the music video for “Date Rape”, its actually Marshall Goodman on the recording. But the first song he recorded with Sublime was “Live At E’s” which became a loose tribute to their neighboring influential Compton legend in Eazy-E.
While Marshall would later leave the band as drummer, making way for Bud’s return, Marshall would be brought back for the production of Sublime’s Self-Titled record where he played drums on “What I Got” while also being heavily attached to the production of such hit songs as “Doin’ Time” and “April 29th, 1992”, among others.
Listen: Sublime – “Live At E’s”
Related Links:
Sublime Website
@Sublime
@rasmg_marshallgoodman
@_Vemix_
Article Mike Patti
