Jakobs Castle is the eclectic passion project of 28-year-old Long Beach artist Jakob Nowell, who signed to Epitaph Records this past summer. Today he shares “Lights Out”, a song that combines ska-punk and alt-rock with hyperpop production into a sound he aptly coins “beach meets internet”. Check it out below!
As the only son of late Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, Jakob’s music is indeed influenced by his father’s legacy, though Jakobs Castle is anything but a nostalgic rehash. Staying cutting-edge while retaining the keen sense of melody that endeared his father’s music to millions of people all over the world, Nowell’s mission for Jakobs Castle is to “mix California’s past with the fresh mystery of internet underground culture.”
“’Lights Out’ is the best example of what Jakobs Castle is all about,” Nowell explained. “I wanted to fuse together Southern California’s root sounds with glitchy underground internet music. It’s a hot cyberska mess, complete with side-chained upstrokes and conspicuous anime references. And most of all, I hope people will genuinely identify with the lyrics. ‘Lights Out’ is a story of things that actually happened in my life, and it’s honestly some of the most personal stuff on the entire album.”
Nowell got his start playing in the popular Southern California rock act LAW, but Jakobs Castle is an unfiltered version of his personal musical identity. As a musician born into the California punk scene, he’s been forging his own musical destiny in a way that’s relevant to today’s generation of listeners. On enlisting the help of producer and co-collaborator Jon Joseph, Jakob muses, “I think that Jon was the guy who really helped me discover my sound because I would show him the synth sounds I wanted or what I liked for vocal effects, and it became this affected cyber ska weirdness.”
Catch Jakobs Castle on tour with Common Kings this fall with stops in Chicago, NYC, Boston and more! Tickets available HERE
Jakobs Castle On Tour
W/ Common Kings
Sept. 26 – Minneapolis, MN – Uptown Theater
Sept. 27 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
Sept. 29 – Ithaca, NY – Deep Dive*
Sept. 30 – Hampton Beach, NH – Wally’s
Oct. 1 – Portland, ME – Aura
Oct. 3 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live
Oct. 4 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
Oct. 7 – Orleans, MA – Outermost Roots & Blues Festival*
Oct. 8 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
Oct. 11 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony
Oct. 12 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVA
Oct. 13 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
Oct. 15 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
Oct. 18 – Stuart, FL – Terra Fermata
Oct. 19 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
Oct. 21 – Ft. Myers, FL – The Ranch
Oct. 22 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues
Oct. 25 – Sacramento, CA – TBA
Oct. 28 – Sneads Ferry, NC – Sneads Ferry Community Center*
*no Common Kings
Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.
