The Unity tour, headlined and organized by 311, has become a show that fans expect to see each summer. With this year's eighth edition of the tour, stopping tonight in Virginia Beach, 311 singer/guitarist Nick Hexum believes his band has an ideal support act in Sublime With Rome.
"I think it's kind of an obvious choice because there's always been a crossover of our fans and their fans. If you go to a Sublime show, there are probably going to be some 311 shirts, and I can definitely attest that if you go to a 311 show, there are a few Sublime T-shirts out in the audience. So there's a commonality in the music that we have mutual fans. It's kind of a dream tour for fans of reggae and good-time summer music."
Both bands will be touring behind new albums. For 311, the new disc, "Universal Pulse," comes just two years after "Uplifter." That's a nice change for fans, who waited five years for the band (which also includes vocalist/deejay SA Martinez, drummer Chad Sexton, guitarist Tim Mahoney and bassist P-Nut) to release the previous album.
The shorter interval was by design, Hexum said.
"Rather than taking a long time to make a long album, we realized that our fans, if they had a choice, they'd probably rather have a shorter album sooner."
As a result, "Universal Pulse" is a compact record, with just eight songs. It's also an up-tempo, hard-hitting CD. You'll still hear the reggae, world beat grooves and rap elements that have been part of 311's sound since the band debuted with the 1993 CD "Music." But "Universal Pulse," 311's 10th studio release, is mostly a catchy rock album.
"I can't think of a harder album, because this one doesn't have any ballads," Hexum said. "It's either fast or heavy on this new album."
As for Sublime With Rome, that group's new album, "Yours Truly," is a coming-out party for new singer Rome Ramirez and a new edition of a band that has gained stature over the past decade and a half.
The other two members are drummer Bud Gaugh and bassist Eric Wilson, the rhythm section of the band Sublime. The original group was just tasting success when singer/guitarist Bradley Nowell died of a drug overdose in 1996.
Rather than carry the Sublime name forward, Gaugh and Wilson formed a group called the Long Beach Dub Allstars, then split. Gaugh joined the short-lived group Eyes Adrift, and Wilson started the band Long Beach Short Bus.
But even as Gaugh and Wilson separated, Sublime's fame and reputation grew. Its two studio albums, "40 Oz. to Freedom" (1992) and "Sublime" (1996), became hits, while the group's mix of ska, reggae, punk, surf rock and hip-hop influenced a host of acts that have come along since.
The idea of forming a new edition of Sublime surfaced a couple of years ago after Ramirez met Wilson while the two were working at a studio owned by a mutual friend. Ramirez (who loved Sublime growing up) and Wilson began jamming together and became friends. According to Ramirez, 23, the idea of forming a new Sublime happened quite casually.
"He actually just kind of thought of it one day and just asked me. He's like, 'Would you be down with singing with Sublime?'
"So we went to see Bud (Gaugh) and hung out with Bud for a little bit and jammed the next week.
"It was awesome, man. That was the start of great things."
A successful tour last year set the stage for the next step - recording a new CD as Sublime With Rome (the name the band adopted after Nowell's family and estate sued to prevent the trio from performing or recording under the name Sublime).
The new album, "Yours Truly," carries forward Sublime's musical trademarks, with ska informing the songs "Panic" and "My World," reggae underpinning "Lovers Rock" and "Murdera," and punk surfacing on "Paper Cuts."
Both bands plan to include several of their new songs in their shows on this summer's Unity tour.
Ramirez also expects to feel more at home onstage after last year's tour forced him to make a big transition in a hurry.
"I went from playing in front of 200 people to 20,000 people in two months. There was no in between. I wouldn't let fear dictate my future and ruin anything. So I just said, 'Hey, this is your shot. This is it. Just have fun.' "
As for 311, there will be no such challenges, and the new songs should translate well to the stage, Hexum said.
"Record sales and all that comes and goes, but what's important is that we have an album that serves what we want to play live. So this new album was very much customized to be really good to play live."
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/07/if-sweaty-tshirt-fits-youre-311s-unity-tour
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