# Rome Ramirez

Roman Rene Ramirez (born June 11, 1988) is an American singer and guitarist best known for playing with Eric Wilson from Sublime in the band Sublime with Rome.

## Early life

Roman Rene Ramirez was born in Fremont, California on June 11, 1988. Both of his parents are of Mexican heritage, his mother being from Guadalajara and his father's parents from Tijuana, but his father relocated the family to Oakland. He first started playing guitar at age 11, and one of the first songs he learned was a Sublime song.
At 18, Ramirez headed to Los Angeles to focus full-time on music. There, he was introduced to one of his idols, Eric Wilson, bassist for Sublime. They became friends and started jamming together at Eric's infamous holiday parties in Long Beach. Within the year, the plan to bring back Sublime had been set into motion.
His sister, Reign Ramirez now lives in Pittsburgh, working for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

## Sublime With Rome

In 2008, Rome collaborated with Eric Wilson on a RAWsession video (also at 17th Street Recording Studio) where he played Sublime songs such as "Saw Red" and "Boss DJ", and eventually began to play with the band's two surviving members, Eric and Bud Gaugh.
The trio then went on tour together playing covers of original Sublime material. Sublime with Rome made its debut in 2009 at Cypress Hill's Smoke Out Festival in San Bernardino, California. Ramirez was soon touring steadily with Sublime with Rome, and the trio released their debut album Yours Truly on July 12, 2011. Gaugh performed his last show with the band on December 10, 2011. Over the next twelve years, the band performed with several different drummers, releasing an additional two albums.
On December 11, 2023 Wilson and Gaugh reunited to perform with Jakob Nowell as Sublime during a benefit show for Bad Brains vocalist H.R. at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles. One week later, on December 18, Ramirez announced that he would be departing Sublime with Rome at the end of 2024 and moving on to focus on his solo career. The next day, Ramirez announced that the band had to postpone their scheduled 2023 performances in New Zealand due to "unforeseen circumstances" but promised to reschedule the dates for 2024. On February 26, 2024 Eric Wilson made an Instagram post announcing his immediate departure from Sublime with Rome. After releasing their self-titled album on May 10, 2024, the band ultimately split up by the end of the year.

## Songwriting and producing

Rome co-wrote the song "Lay Me Down" with The Dirty Heads and has collaborated with the band on several albums including Sounds of Change, Dirty Heads, Dessert EP and Swim Team. Rome also worked extensively with Enrique Iglesias on his 10th studio album.
Rome has said in interviews that his influences are Sublime, Muse, Jimi Hendrix, Bad Brains, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys and Primus.
Rome's promotional solo single, "Dedication," was premiered on the Rolling Stone website May 30, 2012. "The song's about loving someone who is struggling with getting their life together and eventually having to move on," says Rome. "It's probably some of the most personal stuff I've put in a song. Sometimes all you need is the right people to pull the best out of you, and that's what I feel happened with the three of us. The right individuals, at the right place and time." His debut solo EP was released on June 12, 2012.
In March 2015, Ramirez appeared on Blues Traveler's album Blow Up the Moon, co-writing the song "Castaway" and "Vagabond Blues" with Dirty Heads.