Long Beach Shortbus

In 2002, internal disputes triggered an abrupt breakup of the Southern California outfit Long Beach Dub Allstars, prompting three of its members to form Long Beach Shortbus. Shortbus manager Capri Kanwal explained the split by noting, "What basically happened with the Long Beach Dub Allstars was there were too many cooks in the kitchen." He added that the resulting factions forced the group to tour on separate vehicles, with Shortbus representing the members from one bus who maintained a strong rapport. The new band delivered its debut full-length, Flying Ship of Fantasy, in June of 2005.

Although bassist Eric Wilson, vocalist RAS-1, and guitarist Trey Pangborn had all performed in the Dub Allstars, the project's lineage reaches back further to Sublime, the garage-punk band where Wilson handled bass duties. Kanwal observed that Sublime's storied sound supplies Shortbus's primary inspiration, recounting that Eric mentioned once that if Bradley -- Brad Nowell, the Sublime frontman who died in 1996 -- was still here, this is the sound he would be playing. It's a continuation of Sublime, with a little more psychedelic rock put into it. There's also quite a bit of reggae mixed in.

Drummer Damion Ramirez stands apart, lacking any history with Sublime or the Dub Allstars, yet his explosive, energetic thrashing strengthens the rock-ska-reggae approach heard on Flying Ship of Fantasy. Live crowds likewise respond to that intensity, leading Kanwal to remark, "Watching him, I think of Animal from The Muppets."