Before Rome Ramirez even owned his first guitar, there were a handful of songs that captivated him enough to deconstruct and learn them for himself on instruments he’d borrowed. On that list of songs was the “Wrong Way” by Sublime, a band he revered as a fan, never imagining that he would one day stand as their frontman.
“It’s come full circle,” Ramirez said in a recent phone interview. “I’ve been doing that for the last 15 years, and getting the opportunity to play the music that got me to become a musician and chart out around the world to meet the fans who are also like-minded individuals; it’s a beautiful moment.”
Sublime with Rome is bidding farewell to their fans before Sublime original members bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh take the stage with late vocalist Bradley Nowell’s son, Jakob Nowell at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio and the No Values Festival at Fairplex Pomona on Saturday, June 8. The project with Rome will release its fourth and final album on Friday, May 10.
“(The farewell tour) is going to be a celebration with the community and the staff that we’ve grown up with for the better part of two decades, and it’s just like a final celebration of replaying that catalog in-depth,” Ramirez said. Sublime with Rome recently played at the Cali Vibes Festival in Long Beach where it ran through Sublime’s “40oz. to Freedom” in full.
“It’s a wonderful part of my history that I will forever be proud of, and Godspeed and God bless Jakob, Bud, and Eric on their endeavors,” he continued. “I just know that it’ll be great. That’s what this life is about, taking great opportunities, doing them to the best of your ability, and being thankful for it all along the way.”
Ramirez grew up in Northern California before he relocated to Los Angeles with aspirations to become a musician. Upon his arrival, he found himself frequenting a studio in Costa Mesa where we happened to rub shoulders…
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