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INTRODUCING

April 20th, 2026 by Traci Turner

As Coachella fades into the sunset, our eyes turn to the next festivals on the calendar for 2026. Yes, there are the usuals, but we also have some new ones that are ready to become permanent summer rituals.

Not many bands had a bigger 2025 than Sublime. With Jakob Nowell now behind the mic and founders Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh in place, they had a number one song, “Ensenada,” and have wrapped up their album, “Until the Sun Explodes,” which is due out June 12th.

But that was not enough for the Long Beach gents – they have created their own festival AND cruise. Basically, they are taking the Sublime experience everywhere they can.

Now, we all know Sublime can put on a show and host a fantastic party, but they are bringing along several friends to assist in the festivities. Many we already know: The Interrupters, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Codefendants, and Nowell’s previous incarnation – Jakobs Castle. But a name has popped up that we did not know yet… DIZZYISDEAD.

Hailing from the land above us, aka Canada, Blake Lounsbury is DIZZYISDEAD (sometimes stylized as dizzyisdxad). The alternative singer/songwriter may look like a tough guy with tattoos, but he shares his emotions and vulnerability in a way I was not expecting. I mean, I was not prepared to be called out while prepping for a chat.

It’s time to meet DIZZYISDEAD!

Traci: Hey there! Nice to meet you!

Dizzy: It’s nice to meet you!

Traci: Where are you today?

Dizzy: I’m in Kelowna, British Columbia.

Traci: Is that your home?

Dizzy: Yeah.

Traci: So let’s spend five hours getting to the deep heart of all your emotions…

Dizzy: We’re gonna figure out where everything comes from.

Traci: Right! I won’t torment you too much. I saw in your bio that you have loved music as long as you can remember. Do you know the first song that you fell in love with?

Dizzy: The first song that I probably fell in love with, um, trying to think back, I’m trying to jog the memory here. I listened to a lot of Pearl Jam when I was a kid. I think one of the first songs that ever really hit me and I still love to this day would be “Black” by Pearl Jam. I think that one’s just stuck with me.

Traci: You also said you started writing when you were a teenager. Do you remember the first song you wrote or what it was about?

Dizzy: I think it was probably mainly focused on mental health and stuff. I’ve had terrible mental health since I was in my teen years, so I think I’ve mainly focused a lot of what I do around mental health and the struggles I’ve had with it.

Traci: I was feeling a bit attacked by your lyrics in “I’ll Be Fine:” “I’m fucked up, but aren’t we all? And no one can reach me because I put up a wall.” Stop getting in my head!

Dizzy: Yeah, no, exactly! That’s why that song did so well; so many people resonated with it.

Traci: Do you have plans for an album or are you a single release type artist?

Dizzy: I’ve been releasing singles just because the way that society is right now and just retention with attention is so low that singles have kind of just been the most forward momentum. But I would love to be working on an album, and that is the plan, is to get working on an album.

Traci: I know it’s so hard now for artists, like content, content, content on social media. And “Oh, we gotta do this single, we gotta do that single because otherwise, our content and retention drops.” I mean, that’s gotta be so freaking hard and exhausting.

Dizzy: It is. It’s a big toll on just your workload because not only do you want to be in the studio all the time creating the art, but then you have to go out for days and film the content for it and stay up to date with all that. We’re a slave to the social media nowadays.

Traci: Do you just set aside a day, like a day a week, go film content and then release it gradually?

Dizzy: Sometimes, or most of the time it’s just the free time in between whatever else I’m working on. Then I’ll just be like, “Let’s go up for an hour or two hours and film as much as we can. For the longest time I was just filming everything on my phone and then editing everything and doing everything myself. It took up a lot of my time. Luckily I have a friend out here that moved from Calgary and now I got him shooting all my content. So it takes that workload off at least.

Traci: Mental wellness is important to you – as it should be to everyone. Besides writing, what are some other ways that you help keep yourself in check?

Dizzy: Just pushing myself to not stay in my house or my bed all day is mainly just keeping that in the back of my mind, where maybe you shouldn’t just bed rot and watch Netflix all day. Just get out of bed and do something. Pick your guitar up, write music, get out, shoot the content that I have to shoot, and it keeps my mind occupied.

Traci: I saw that you’re teaching yourself guitar.

Dizzy: I have been teaching myself guitar. It’s been fun. It’s something I wish I picked up a lot earlier.

Traci: Well, you’re doing awesome so far! While I said I was feeling attacked by some of your lyrics, you have some lighter songs. For instance, I laughed all through “Wish You Worse:” “Hope your favourite artist finally has a show in your town, but when you go to buy admission, they’re already sold out.”

Dizzy: Yeah, yeah, there’s a little bit of that. You’ve got to have fun with it.

Traci: Exactly. A very nice balance. Now you’re going to do these shows with Sublime. Have you met them before?

Dizzy: I haven’t. I grew up listening to Sublime, but I haven’t met them. And these are going to be my first shows in America too, so I’m super excited for it.

Traci: Well, first of all, Jakob does not sit still. (laughing) But they sound amazing live, and the fans are really into it. I think you’re gonna have some awesome crowds.

Dizzy: I’m really excited!

Traci: Have you been to the US at all?

Dizzy: Yeah, when I was younger, I went to Disneyland with my mom a couple of times. And then just other random stuff like crossing the border to go grocery shopping because that was something. I grew up in a really small town, like farm town in Ontario, and it was always that cool thing. It’s just like, “Oh, we’re going to go across the border and go get groceries” or something. And that was like the highlight of the week when we got to do that because there’s nothing else to do in the town I grew up in.

Traci: Is there anything you’re looking forward to when you come back?

Dizzy: Probably the fast food! I’m not gonna lie, you guys got so much cooler food out there than we have in Canada. (laughing)

Traci: Well I always vote for In-N-Out Burger!

Dizzy: Yeah, I’m for sure trying that when I come.

Traci: What else have you been working on that you’re allowed to share info about?

Dizzy: I have a new song coming out, but I’m not quite sure the release date yet. It’s called “Spiderwebs” and I’m really excited.

Traci: I think being on with the Sublime folks, you’re definitely going to get a lot of attention because the excitement for these shows is insane.

Dizzy: So I’ve seen!

Traci: Sorry, is that going to make you nervous? (laughing)

Dizzy: No, no, it’s all good. It’s always good to have that little bit of like anxiety, pre-show anxiety, because that’s what we do it for. That’s the feeling we want to have. And then when you get up there, all those nerves go away and it’s like the coolest feeling ever. Just being in front of that crowd doing what you’ve always dreamed of doing.

Love it. That’s what it is all about! Catch DIZZYISDEAD playing the Sublime Festival June 27th in Portland, OR and the Sublime Reef Madness Cruise in November. Show this Canadian some love from the rowdy neighbors below!

TO FOLLOW

SID 260419 | JIMMY ALVAREZ | EDITOR