Rome Ramirez opens up regarding the situation with Sublime and Sublime with Rome in a new interview with Rolling Stone.
As previously reported, original Sublime members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh reunited at the end of 2023 for a show fronted by Jakob Nowell, the son of late singer/guitarist Bradley Nowell. The trio then announced that they'd be performing as Sublime at festivals in 2024.
Sublime with Rome, which Wilson and Gaugh had started in 2009 with Ramirez, then announced a farewell tour. However, it won't feature Wilson or Gaugh, meaning no Sublime members will be participating.
Since Gaugh left Sublime with Rome in 2011, his absence wasn't surprising, but Wilson was playing shows with Ramirez as recently as February 2024. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Ramirez shares that he was under the impression that Wilson would still be playing with Sublime with Rome until a week before the farewell tour was announced.
"We were under the assumption that he had been working on, you know, getting his stuff together," Ramirez says. "And then we were going to continue out for the remainder of the year and then part ways on a very beautiful journey that we've embarked on for the last 15 years."
Ramirez mentions that Wilson has been dealing with "serious health issues," though Wilson maintains his health is better "than it's been in years." Wilson also says that his departure from Sublime with Rome "has been known for a while now."
As for the reformed version of Sublime, Ramirez says, "I think Jakob is the right man for the job."
"He's Bradley's son, for crying out loud!" Ramirez says. "At the end of the day, I'm just a diehard Sublime fan like everyone else, and I wish nothing but success for them."