Badfish (band)

Background

Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime got its start in 2001 when a group of computer science majors at the University of Rhode Island decided to form a band. They took their name from a track on Sublime’s album 40oz. to Freedom. After cutting their teeth in local Rhode Island clubs, they quickly started selling out shows and expanded their touring to the East Coast and Midwest. Their popularity grew on college campuses and among Sublime fans who missed seeing the original band after frontman Bradley Nowell died in 1996.

The group now performs multiple national tours each year. In 2008, they earned a nomination for Best Tribute Act at the Boston Music Awards. During 2006, they played 152 shows across the United States, selling nearly 100,000 tickets and grossing $1.4 million. They have sold out major venues including House of Blues locations in Chicago, Atlantic City, and Las Vegas, the Toronto Opera House, the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey, and Lupo’s in Providence, Rhode Island.

Some members also perform in a separate non-tribute act called Scotty Don’t, which sometimes opens for Badfish shows. The band appeared at the Hoodwink festival in New Jersey in 2009 and at Shwagstock in Salem, Missouri in 2010. Current members are Joel Hanks on bass, Scott Begin on drums, Pat Downes on vocals and guitar (since 2007), and Danny Torgersen on horns, keys, and guitars (since 2022).

Origins & Formation

Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime traces its roots to the University of Rhode Island in 2001, where a group of computer science majors decided to channel their passion for Sublime's music into a live performance act. The band took its name from a track on Sublime's album 40oz. to Freedom, signaling from the start that their identity was inextricably tied to the original group's catalog.

What began as a campus project quickly outgrew the lecture halls. The young musicians started booking local Rhode Island clubs and, remarkably for a newly formed tribute act, began selling out those venues almost immediately. This early momentum set the trajectory for everything that followed, transforming a group of college students into a serious touring operation within just a few years of their first gig.

Career & Touring Milestones

After establishing themselves on the East Coast and Midwest college circuit, Badfish evolved into a multi-tour-per-year national operation. Their appeal was particularly strong among fans who had never had the opportunity to see Sublime perform live, a gap created by frontman Bradley Nowell's death in 1996. By 2006, the band had played 152 shows across the United States, moving just under 100,000 tickets and generating approximately $1.4 million in revenue.

Their venue list reads like a who's-who of major music spaces: House of Blues locations in Chicago, Atlantic City, and Las Vegas; the Toronto Opera House; the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey; and Lupo's in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2008, the Boston Music Awards recognized their work with a nomination for Best Tribute Act. Festival appearances followed, including Hoodwink in New Jersey in 2009 and Shwagstock in Salem, Missouri in 2010, cementing their status as a staple of the live music scene.

Personnel & Lineup Evolution

Over more than two decades, Badfish has cycled through several members while maintaining its core identity. Joel Hanks on bass and Scott Begin on drums have been constant fixtures.

On the vocal and guitar front, Dave Ladin held the position from the band's 2001 inception through 2006, after which Pat Downes took over in 2007 and has continued in that role. The keys, horns, and sample positions have seen the most turnover: Ben Schomp served from 2001 to 2009, Dorian Duffy filled the role from 2010 to 2022, and Danny Torgersen has occupied the position since 2022. This steady rotation of musicians—particularly in the multi-instrumentalist roles—has allowed the band to keep its sound fresh while preserving the essential Sublime arrangements that fans expect.

Side Project & Emotional Resonance

Beyond their primary identity as a Sublime tribute, the Badfish members also perform under the name Scotty Don't, a separate non-tribute act that showcases their own creative output. Scotty Don't occasionally serves as the opening act at Badfish shows, giving audiences a taste of the musicians' individual artistic voices before the main set delivers the Sublime catalog. This dual existence highlights a broader theme in the band's story: the tension between faithfully reproducing another artist's work and expressing one's own musical personality.

The tribute aspect of Badfish carries particular emotional weight for fans who lost the chance to experience Sublime live after Bradley Nowell's 1996 passing. For many of those attendees, a Badfish concert fills a void that no other performance could, making the band's dedication to the material feel less like imitation and more like preservation.