Take a look at your upcoming local concert listings, and you might not only find Sublime taking over a festival stage, but Sublime with Rome headlining a nearby amphitheater. It may appear to the average alternative rock fan that there are two active incarnations of Sublime — and it’s a reality that’s led to both a little bit of confusion and a little bit of ska-seasoned beef.
“I mean, as far as I’m concerned, the last Sublime show was played at the Phoenix Theater in ‘96.”
So says Jakob Nowell, the son of late Sublime singer Bradley Nowell, referring to the Petaluma, California venue where the Long Beach outfit performed on May 24th, 1996. “That’s where my dad passed away.”
Jakob is now stepping into his father’s shoes for the first time, fronting Sublime for a string of festival performances. He’s already been in the family business, first launching his own music career as the vocalist for the ska-punk band LAW and recently dropping his ENTER: THE CASTLE debut under the Jakob’s Castle moniker. Now, though, he’s been given the chance to pay respect to his family’s legacy in a brand new way.
“All I ever wanted was for music to become a full time job for me, so for that I’m extremely grateful,” he tells Consequence. “A lot of people are only just discovering me now, so I think they understandably get this impression like, ‘Oh, well, because he’s so-and-so’s son, he’s getting handed all this stuff and he’s jumping up with Sublime.’ I’ve been toiling in obscurity for a decade plus with no-name bands releasing music that no one will ever listen to, and I was perfectly content to do that.”
“I think I’ve put in my 10 years of time and I’m still trying to cut my teeth out there. And as far as me doing the Sublime stuff, I just do it out of love and service and respect to the fans, the friends, and the family — fuck everything else.”
