Son of late Sublime singer Bradley Nowell sang with his dad’s band at Coachella
(CNN) — Jakob Nowell, who is the son of the band Sublime’s late lead singer Bradley Nowell, is continuing his father’s legacy.
Jakob Nowell joined two of Sublime’s original members – Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson – on the Coachella music festival stage on Saturday, marking a new chapter in the band’s story.
Bradley Nowell died in San Francisco in 1996 of an overdose at age 28, just two months before Sublime’s now-iconic self-titled album was released.
Following Bradley Nowell’s death, Sublime as it was essentially dissolved. Gaugh and Wilson went on to perform as a new band called the Long Beach Dub Allstars before forming another band in 2009 with singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez, which they called Sublime with Rome.
The Coachella set marked the first public performance by the new group since it was announced that the 28-year-old musician would begin performing with Gaugh and Wilson. Their first performance was in December during a private benefit concert in Los Angeles.
At Coachella, Sublime played a number of classic hits including “Bad Fish,” “Santeria” and “What I Got,” among others, with Jakob Nowell’s vocals sounding hauntingly similar to his father’s.
Jakob Nowell, who was just 11-month’s old when his father died, said in a recent interview with People that he considers Gaugh and Wilson his “family,” and that preparing for his on-stage debut with his father’s band has been “emotionally complicated.”
“I think stepping into this role has given me a lot of closure,” he said. “The story feels complete.”
Sublime first popped onto the music scene in the late 1980s. Their ska-punk sound mixed with beachy California rock shined on their 1996 self-titled major label debut, their third album overall, which went on to become a massive hit.
Sublime with Rome are currently on their farewell tour, with their final show set for August. Jakob Nowell, Gaugh and Wilson, according to People, are planning to continue to play together at various music festivals and one-off gigs in the years to come.
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