Exclusive Q and A: Sublime With Rome Remember the Past, Embrace the Future

posted in: Exclusive Interviews • Rock

Like most musicians at the age of twenty, singer-songwriter Rome Ramirez was inspired by the music he listened to growing up, including influential reggae group Sublime. Little did he know, he would not only be given the opportunity to jam with Sublime, but to also become their new frontman. The band had not performed as Sublime since the death of original vocalist Bradley Nowell in 1996, but founding members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh knew that Ramirez would be the right choice to sing for the newly reunited band. Sublime with Rome released their debut album, Yours Truly, in July 2011 and have been touring nonstop since. We had the opportunity to speak with Rome himself about fronting this legendary band, what it’s like to write with Bud and Eric and his future plans for a solo record.

OS: What is your musical background and how did it lead you to connecting with the members of Sublime?

RR: I started playing guitar when I was eleven years and I wanted to learn Sublime songs. I played other instruments too, but I was mainly a guitar player. I didn’t start singing until way, way later. I was in a studio in Orange County, and the studio owner was good friends with Eric, the bass player of the band. Eric would come by and hang out and shit, and over the course of time we started to jam. My soon-to-be-manager caught wave that a kid who kind of sounded like Brad was playing Sublime songs once in a while with Eric. She thought of the idea and talked to Eric, and Eric was like, “I was thinking the same thing!” Next thing was going up to Tahoe and seeing Bud…

OS: That’s crazy!

RR: Dude, it’s nuts. It happened so fast!

OS: What is like to be so young, but performing with a band that has a twenty year legacy?

RR: I grew up listening to that music, in particular, so to be able to pick up a phone and call them is just fucking weird [laughs], let alone being on stage and playing their songs!

OS: It’s never easy to replace a beloved band member, but it must be especially difficult when the band is as iconic as Sublime. Did you experience a lot of backlash from diehard Sublime fans when Sublime With Rome formed?

RR: To my face, no, but online… I’m sure I could dig up some articles on shit. But you know, I could go online and dig up anything. It’s all about what you surround yourself with, so to speak. We go to concerts and they’re packed and kids are falling off the ceiling. Where’s the hate? I can’t find it. No one’s ever thrown tomatoes at me or anything. I’m sure there’s a faction of people out there who are very supportive of the project. But you really can’t please everybody. For the amount of success we’ve had thus far, I’m extremely grateful.

OS: What was the writing process like for Yours Truly? What did you learn from collaborating with Bud and Eric?

RR: It was a pretty crazy experience, because some of those songs I had previously written, from years ago, and some of those songs were kind of [written] on the spot. It was a crazy experience, A) having Bud and Eric play songs that I wrote, and B) being in a room with Bud and Eric and writing new shit off the top of our heads, just like Brad, Bud and Eric used to do back in the day. But it was really cool, I was just honored to be a part of the whole process. I definitely learned a lot from Eric…he has such a weird creative savant mind when it comes to music. It’s pretty insane, the way he thinks is so Sublime. It’s crazy. I’ll write a song and I’ll think, “Oh shit, this is in the Sublime vein” and then Eric will fuck around with it and be like “Do this, change this, maybe try that there” and it’ll just sound like a Sublime record.

OS: I noticed right off the bat, when the album starts out with “Panic,”…this album is Sublime.

RR: Thank you. He’s definitely a talented dude, that’s for sure.

OS: Yours Truly also featured a guest appearance from Wiz Khalifa. Who would you like to bring in for a feature on an upcoming record?

RR: That’d be cool if I could get, like…Kanye West on a track. That’d be cool. Or the dude [Win Butler] from Arcade Fire.

OS: Interesting choices there, Arcade Fire and Kanye West?

RR: [laughs] Pretty weird, huh?

OS: Bud is expecting a child and recently left the band to spend some time at home. Who will be replacing him for upcoming performances and will he be returning to the band at some point?

RR: Yeah, Bud’s just kind of doing his thing right now. We’ve been kind of on the road for two years straight. If you look back into the history of Sublime, Bud was not the most avid touring guy in the world…he kind of lasted on the road for maybe a couple months and then needed to go home and recharge the batteries. Dude, being on the road is like nothing you have ever fucking imagined. It’s a lot on your body and on your mind. Being forty-years-old with a beautiful daughter and a beautiful wife at home and a new kid on the way…the man needed a break. So we respect his wishes, but we just put out a record, so we’re definitely not trying to slow down at all. [laughs] So, I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say this…but, fuck it: Josh Freese is playing drums for us now. Josh is an amazing dude. But that throne and those sticks are there for when Bud comes back.

OS: You’ve been in the studio recently working on your solo album and collaborating with artists including B.o.B and Nate Ruess from fun. and The Format. Like Kanye West and Arcade Fire, those two are on opposite ends of the musical spectrum…so what can fans expect to hear in terms of genre on this record?

RR: I’ll always have that reggae influence, but it’s like an evolution for me as an artist, as well. I have songs like that, and then I have some really tasteful alternative songs. It’s like a pop album with an alternative lean. We’re stoked, that track with Nate, that’s probably going to be my first single. It’s fucking incredible.

OS: Do you like the new fun. record?

RR: Oh hell yeah! I’m so proud of them. Nate’s been at it for a long time, so it’s cool to see him kick some ass. He’s got the No. 1 song in the country!

OS: Sublime With Rome has some tour dates coming up with Everlast, as well as some dates in Australia…but will you be performing solo any time this year?

RR: Yeah, I’m not too sure in terms of the whole schedule, but I think I’ll be doing my own little tour around next fall. Maybe like next September, or something. But Sublime is still obviously the priority for me. We’re doing the Australia thing, then we’ll come back for a little bit and then kick a summer tour off. So I’m pretty much going to be gone all summer again, but as soon as I’m back, I’ll start planning for my solo stuff.

Check out Sublime With Rome’s official Web site for upcoming tour dates…and see Rome in action in the music video for “Panic” below!