That's the only negative thing I can think of. One time, somebody threw a bottle cap at my head and gave me a little nick on my forehead. Ramirez: 'Honestly, none that I can really think of. TU: When you're on tour and playing in concert, have you had any kind of negative experiences so far? Live in concert have you had any negative experiences or is that just all positive? TU: But you do see a Sublime With Rome album coming, is that accurate? But again, this is just all talk that we've had and everything's subject to change.' Probably around February or March, we'd release the album. Then by November or December we plan on being in the studio and recording an actual album. We're going to focus on this tour right now and then by the end of the summer we plan on getting into the studio and doing some demos. Ramirez: 'Yeah, you just nailed the schedule right on the head. Where's that stand? Are you concentrating on the tour right now or do you see an original album coming out next year? TU: There's been some talk about potential new material. Is it destiny or is it luck? I've had this conversation a million times.' You really have to be in that situation to understand how it feels. That's a feeling, man, it's incomparable. Ramirez: 'Not only did I idolize them, but those guys were my favorite band. What's that like playing with a band that you obviously idolized for a while and now you're part of the band? But they formed before you were even born (in 1988). TU: Obviously Sublime had a big influence on you. It's really similar, actually even Bud told me that.' It's kind of like how we're writing new songs today. Eric wrote 'Santeria.' They were really like a collective group. TU: So, you're playing some stuff that Brad wrote, but didn't perform, is that correct? It's a trip, man, because some of the songs Brad, Bud and Eric never even played live before.' There are songs the guys only played a couple times. We're always digging up set lists from old Sublime to new Sublime. TU: So why should people come to see you? That's why it's Sublime With Rome because I'm with them.' Bradley passed away and that leaves Bud and Eric.

Ramirez: 'We call it Sublime With Rome because Sublime is Brad, Bud and Eric. TU: Why should people come out and see Sublime With Rome? Are you trying to catch the essence of the band or is it a new band? What is the blend that you're going for here and what can people expect when they come to see you? I'm just like, 'Hey, I'm going to go up there and have some fun tonight,' and that's that.' Sometimes, I'm not thinking of it like that. Sometimes, I let the nerves get the best of me and sometimes I don't. TU: Do you still maybe get nervous before each performance or is it more natural for you now?

But if I just feel like I go up there and give it my best, I did all I had the power to do.' I understand that, I know how the world works. People are always going to have flak to say about something. If I feel like if I've done my best, I feel like I came out the winner, you know. But for the most part, I just try to do my best. Ramirez: 'You know, there's always been pressure. Is there any kind of extra pressure on you or has that just gone away? Is Bradley Nowell still somehow over this band? TU: You obviously know the whole story and that you're filling obviously big shoes. Above any thing, dude, we're just having a (expletive) blast.' We got the tunes on lock and we're just having fun. 31.Ramirez: 'It couldn't be any better, man. On the ensemble's new LP, '7,' silky soul, Caribbean rhythms, funk, pop and Central African tones and timbres mingle with the easy familiarity of first cousins rather than the formal stiffness of foreign exchange students. But few artists link African music, reggae and R&B as seamlessly as Marie Daulne and Zap Mama. Zap Mama, Monday at Orchestra Hall: Though world beat-western pop hybrids were once unusual, they're now as commonplace as burritos. Though Chesnutt's high, ragged drawl and simple tunesmithing sound almost artless next to most contemporary rock, his best work lingers and haunts as powerfully as rarefied, elegant chamber music. Vic Chesnutt, Friday at the Park West: Pop music acts, like flim-flam artists, sometimes rely on novelty to mesmerize and ensnare listeners, but Georgia singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt commands attention with an old-fashioned blend of vivid imagery, appealingly folky hooks and searing emotion.

Sublime singer