Sublime's Jakob Nowell on late father: It's interesting 'getting to know someone posthumously'

Sublime frontman Jakob Nowell recently studied the artifacts of the Grammy Museum's newest exhibit Sublime: Straight From Long Beach.

He wasn't even a year old when his father — the band's founder Bradley Nowell — died from a heroin overdose in 1996.

"It's been a really interesting process getting to know someone posthumously through their work and something that's so emotionally entangled in all of my machinery," Nowell said. " There's just DNA splattered all over everything in this exhibit."

The exhibit opened this week at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles. It features photos of the band, along with instruments used by the original members, song lyrics, promotional materials and other items.

This summer, Sublime's third, self-titled album celebrates its 30th anniversary. It spawned hits like, "What I Got," and "Santeria" and sold more than nine million copies, redefining Alternative radio with a blend of punk rock, reggae, ska and hip-hop.

Jakob Nowell stepped into his father's role in the band in 2023, a move he said has reconnected him to his family.

"Sometimes our work lives and our careers break us down and rip us apart from the people who matter most," Nowell said. "Getting to be a part of my father's work and my uncle's work, it really has brought together a lot of people in my life that are the most important."

Although the Grammy Museum is celebrating Sublime's past, Nowell and the band are also looking toward the future. The band is releasing a new album Until the Sun Explodes on June 12, and the title track is out now.

It's Nowell's tribute to his late father with lyrics like, "I only hope that you know I owe you my life."

"It's something I've been trying to say for 30 years," he said. "It only came out correctly now. It feels really special to get to share it with people out there. They've been sharing with me their stories my entire life."

At 30, Nowell is two years older now than when his father died at 28, but he has an outlook on their relationship that belongs to someone much older and wiser.

"The permanence of death is an illusion," Nowell said. "It's only temporary and [there's] no more evidence than everything around us here and all of the love and good times.

"It happens at the shows we play," he added. "It's evident to me every single day."

The exhibit is scheduled to run through Sept. 7.