Jakob Nowell
getting weird for the sake of community
Exclusive FTY Interview by Jayden Lovelady
All Photos by Dylan Gianella
“In my studies, what I learned is that the most Sublime thing you can do is just be genuine, and kind of not give a fuck.” - a grinning Jakob Nowell, cigarette in mouth in Downtown Disney.
As the shining new front-man of one of SoCal’s best kept treasures unfolded his perspective and experiences in front of me, it was clear that the genuine warmth he brings to the stage was not a taught skill; that’s just who he is.
Extremely human in his nature, he brought with him a wooden coaster in the pocket of a beaten leather jacket he’s had since adolescence, just in case someone needs to “knock on wood” if they get a little too daring in their daydreams. Whether he was serious or not about traveling with it always, the sentiment is enough to compel a smile if not to ward off a jinx in the making.
However, who Nowell is as a person and his own prospective dreams run deeper in his veins than the DNA that connected him to Sublime in the first place. His eye for the music scene, especially here in SoCal, is not something he just inherited through status, finding his as he found his footing with a few other bands before stepping into his father’s role as the front-man in Sublime.
Seeing him play with his own band, Jakob’s Castle, in a little coffee shop venue in Long Beach this June was enough to cement the fact that he can make any room feel as big and filled as the Coachella stage he played with Sublime this April.
Jakobs Castle, his most recent and successful solo project, is a mystical-sounding blend of the indomitable spirit of Rock ‘n Roll with the soundscape of modern EDM inspired beats. Nowell, with the help of his producer and co-collaborator Jon Joseph, patched together an album full of music that encompasses his inspirations from Gorillaz to Nine Inch Nails to 100 Gecs, rather seamlessly at that.
While he recognizes his hereditarily given name and place in this world, let alone this industry, Nowell is hyper-aware of the way society often views media-proclaimed “nepo-babies.” However, his talent and success was far from this concept of transferred luck.
“If you grind in obscurity and try to do everything yourself, then people are going to be like, ‘well you're not living up to your potential,’” said Nowell. “Then if you do use any opportunities at your disposal, they’re like ‘well you cheated, it was all handed to you.’ I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle with every story.”
Nowell is no stranger to tireless work, despite alleged fame that people believe his last name automatically gets him. After a couple ill-fated projects, it’s clear that his passion and experience now both root him in this industry and are his key factors to his success this year. Especially with his first band, LAW, which he was an active member of from teenage years until 2021.
“I would wake up at 8 am and I would go knock on the doors of all the local venues in San Diego and Long Beach and Orange County and just beg people to let us play a show, and like, these people didn’t care who my dad was. A lot of times the answer was no,” Nowell laughed.
One of his most imminent long term goals in this industry, however, is reviving Skunk Records, a label started by his father, the late Sublime singer Bradley Nowell. Although he was clearly a passionate musician and very appreciative of his experiences throughout our interview, his eyes lit up when talking about this specific prospect.
Skunk records, he shared, was started by Nowell’s “uncle” Micheal “Miguel” Happoldt and Bradley Nowell back in the ‘90s. Jakob fondly shared his goal for continuing his late fathers legacy both on and off stage, seeing how much the message of Sublime still lives on in coming generations to this day.
“We were always just these local dudes, people really connected with the music. So, taking the band now, it’s like the step that I wish he could have done if he had survived,” Nowell said. “It's so barrier dissolving and multi-genre, multi-generational.”
This concept is echoed in Nowell’s own hopes for Skunk Records, as he hopes to attract anyone who “mixes multi-genres and is getting weird,” in the words of the current generation’s resuscitator himself.
Along with this, he hopes to play a role in reviving SoCals local-music community and contribute to the death of establishment within it. “Let’s make it a cool local thing for people who care about alternative music,” Nowell beamed.
Having felt like he never fit exactly into the energy-charged environments or the sandy and sun-kissed fronts he grew up with up and down Socal’s coasts, Nowell found his own salvage in the alternative music scene. Having come of age in the security and community that it provided is what drives him to create that space wherever he can, extending that comfort to others in this community.
“I want it to show people Southern California alternative music is in a dormant state, but we can make it alive,” Nowell said. “I believe in it so strongly.”
Although his talents are clearly well-refined and full of colorful potential, the highest compliment to be given to Jakob Nowell is his genuine devotion to keep his local music scene alive and well. Creating a place for every artist, his sunny disposition and future in the music industry is quickly blooming before our eyes, it would be wise to keep an eye out for what he does next.
Special thanks to Jakob Nowell and Dylan Gianella
