Jakob Nowell's Sublime dad

‘Our very first show in 2013 was with Mike Watt & the Missingmen,” says Law frontman Jakob Nowell, son of the late Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell. The 21-year-old, who grew up in San Diego, was 11 months old when his father overdosed on heroin in a San Francisco motel room in May 1996. Law released its debut album Mild Lawtism on Skunk Records late last year, with their current lineup featuring Nowell on lead vocals and guitar, bassist Logun Spellacy, drummer Nick Aguilar (doing double duty with Mike Watt & the Secondmen), and guitarist Aidan Palacios.

Though definitely a punk/ska/reggae band akin to both Sublime and its later splinter groups, Law’s sound is tempered with Nowell’s far-eastern and world influences. “My band and I try to honor the sacrifices of all of those before us,” says Nowell. “That being said, we seek to transmute the old ways, to evoke a reinvigoration of genuine no-nonsense rock....

“My bandmates and I like to think of it as a new style of rock that takes inspiration from all corners of the rock world. Sounds pretty nebulous and vague, right? That’s the way we like it.”

Law has a new video streaming online, “Know You,” filmed live at an O.C. backyard keg party. They’ll appear on Friday, July 8, at Winstons in Ocean Beach, on a bill that includes Perro Bravo, a band featuring former Sublime player Miguel Happoldt, who produced Law’s album and co-founded Sublime’s label Skunk Records.

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

1. Tool, Lateralus. “One of my favorite albums of all time.”
2. Queens of the Stone Age, Songs for the Deaf. “One of the best rock albums of the 21st Century.”
3. Death Grips, Bottomless Pit. “Brand new and, all memes aside, I just fucking love it.”
4. Falcon Stevens, Falcon Stevens Does Kirkwood. “A hidden gem, a challenging and thought-provoking classic that inspires me even now as I type this.”

MAC OR PC?

“Mac for work, PC for gaming.”

NAME YOUR POISON?

“Iced coffee. Black. No cream, no sugar.”

FIRST BOOK YOU REMEMBER READING?

“The Hero with a Thousand Faces, a comparative mythology book by Joseph Campbell. Shout-out to my grandfather Jim.”

YOUR BEST RECIPE (AND WHAT’S YOUR SECRET)?

“I cook a mean eggs. My secret? I break the yolks on purpose when I fry them. Why? Because it tastes better that way, and anyone who disagrees is a liar and most likely a foul, villainous human.”

MOST DANGEROUS THING YOU’VE DONE ON PURPOSE?

“Drugs.”

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE YOUNGER YOU?

“I’d tell him not to do drugs, but I don’t want to talk to that guy. He’s an asshole.”

FAVORITE BAD MOVIE?

“Watching bad movies is one of my great joys in life. To choose only one would be unfair to the others.”

WITH A BAND NAMED LAW, IS THERE ONE LAW YOU’D LIKE TO SEE CHANGED?

“This question is hard to answer honestly, so I’m gonna go with changing the word ‘law’ itself, so people can find our band easier when searching for it online.”

SOMETHING YOU NEVER RUN OUT OF?

“I don’t know, man, something involving chocolate.”

WHAT REMAINS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?

“Probably something having to do with mountains and the subsequent climbing of them.”

WILDEST DREAM?

“Becoming a semi-immortal cyborg, like some William Gibson–type shit.”

WHO SHOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE?

“John Goodman.”

ANY FEARS OR PHOBIAS?

“Domesticated animals kept as pets. I have a developed reason, but judging by how tired my friends are of hearing about it, I’d say it’s too much to go into detail here.”

MOST VISITED WEBSITES?

“For the sake of my career, I’m going to have to plead the fifth on this one.”

BEST ADVICE YOU EVER GOT FROM YOUR PRODUCER AND LABEL HEAD MIGUEL HAPPOLDT?

“One can never know what is in another’s mind, and a foolish man will go mad trying to know.”

SOMETHING WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?

“I could never know what’s in your mind, and I’d be foolish and mad to try.”