Biography
Rome Ramirez gained initial prominence in 2009 upon stepping in as lead vocalist and guitarist for Sublime with Rome, the outfit that united Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson from the original Sublime. In that role he filled the spot left vacant by Bradley Nowell, the band’s founder and frontman who passed away in 1996 while Sublime’s debut major-label release was still in preparation. Born Roman Rene Ramirez on June 11, 1988, in Fremont, California, he first picked up the guitar at age eleven. During his teenage years he played in several local groups while counting Sublime among his chief influences alongside Muse, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and the Bad Brains. A friend employed at a recording studio arranged an introduction to bassist Eric Wilson, after which Ramirez joined Wilson for informal renditions of Sublime material. The pair later convened with drummer Bud Gaugh for another session, prompting Wilson and Gaugh to ask Ramirez to form a new incarnation of the band. Sublime with Rome made its first public appearance in 2009 at Cypress Hill’s Smokeout Festival in San Bernardino, California. Steady touring followed, and in 2010 Ramirez co-wrote and performed the Dirty Heads track “Lay Me Down,” which reached the summit of Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart. The trio entered the studio the next year to record the album Yours Truly, issued by the independent punk label Fueled by Ramen; shortly afterward Bud Gaugh stepped down, and Josh Freese came aboard as the new drummer. In 2012 Ramirez issued his debut solo EP, Dedication, also on Fueled by Ramen, and contributed to the Dirty Heads’ album Cabin by the Sea. The year 2013 kept him occupied with songwriting and guitar work on Selena Gomez’s Stars Dance, two joint singles with Enrique Iglesias, and the release of his own first solo single, “Terrorista.”