‘Same Seed, Different Plant’: Jakob Nowell of Sublime

The history of So-Cal rockers Sublime has certainly been a tumultuous one. Their breakthrough success came with their self-titled third record. However, the voice of the band, Bradley Nowell, never lived to see the fruits of his labor as he died from a heroin overdose a few months before its release. For a time, the surviving members continued as Sublime With Rome, with Rome Ramirez jumping into the guitar/vocal duties. But now the band has decided to return to the Sublime banner with Bradley's son, Jakob Nowell, in the lead role.

In order to get to know his story fully, Pierre Robert had Jakob Nowell on for a conversation over Zoom. Jakob was on the way to his gymnasium in Long Beach, California, and gladly took the time with a smile to speak with the former California native. The young rocker certainly has put in the work, with early bands including Law, Jakob's Castle, and even a technical death metal band band Death of the Author (truly everything that rocks!) But now stepping into his late father's shoes as the front man of Sublime, he certainly takes it with humility. "I know I'm here because of my father," Jakob tells Pierre, and simply just wants to continue the musical legacy of Sublime.

Along with original players Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson, the band Sublime returned with a brand new single, "Ensenada". When asked about the single, Jakob explains to Pierre that they used old demos from his father as a sort of launching pad for the new song. "The seed is the same, but the plant is different," as Jakob so eloquently puts it. It was also revealed that this song will be a part of an upcoming record, tentatively titled Til The Sun Explodes, and features a number of artists, including Philly's own G Love.

The pair also gets quite candid about how addiction has affected their lives. Jakob Nowell admits that being sober for as long as he has been is the key to success in a business that is rampant with all sorts of vices. They also discuss how Sublime got to cover the Grateful Dead, Rome's departure from the band, and a legendary photo that leads to quite the heartfelt impromptu trip to see it as a mural. You can watch and listen to this conversation below, and look forward to the continued success of Jakob Nowell and Sublime!