There are moments when Rome Ramirez still can’t believe what he gets to do for a living.

A Sublime fan, first and foremost, he would’ve never dreamed that he’d get to front his all-time favorite band, let alone sing the immortal words of beloved Long Beach icon Bradley Nowell for a whole new generation of fans.

So to get up onstage now, with one of his boyhood idols-turned closest friends playing bass beside him, he can only feel grateful yet aware of the huge shoes he has to fill every night.  

Life isn’t always easy for interplanetary warriors trying to bide their time on Earth. Just ask Pustulus Maximus, lead guitarist for GWAR, the legendary shock-rock band. 

“I started out my tenure on this planet very disheveled. I just wanted to drink bottles of Jim Beam and lay in some gutters.” Pustulus explained. “Now I’m very disheveled.” 

October 2015 — This monthly playlist is a collaboration between WYCE, AMI Jukeboxes, and Revue West Michigan. Play this mix as a playlist on AMI Jukeboxes, read about it on revuewm.com and stream it on wyce.org — from Grand Rapids to the world!

After sitting down for a conversation and cup of coffee with Hot Capicola Records founder Luke Schmidt you’ll quickly realize one thing: He’s a wholehearted believer in the Grand Rapids music scene.

Since the sudden success of their song “Dreaming” last summer, the members of L.A. band Smallpools have been living out some of their wildest musical fantasies. 

Just over a year ago, Nicole LaRae and Brian Hoekstra were gearing up for the launch of their new record label, dizzybird records. The vinyl pressings were in, sponsors were lined up for the release party and people were stoked. The future was looking bright. Twelve months later, LaRae and Hoekstra are finding themselves in a similar situation.

If you’re not familiar with SuicideGirls, think edgy, nonconformist pin-up models for the 21st century. The website has a devoted cult following, thanks to photos, profiles and interviews dedicated to its never-ending roster of tattooed, outsider models.

By the time the 1970s came along, Sun Records and the sounds of the ’50s were being eclipsed by hard, progressive rock. True rock ‘n’ roll, even in its birthplace of Memphis, Tenn., was going underground. That’s where Tav Falco & Panther Burns come into frame.

In the ’80s and ’90s, music videos were breaking bands large, the tail wildly wagging the dog. Flash forward to 2011, when Last Days Here, a 91-minute video that would be available to anyone with a Netflix account, turned Pentagram, a band that had toiled in obscurity since the ’70s, into a cultish phenomenon.

While the Jazz Age of the Roaring Twenties may be long behind us, that energy still thrives today thanks to artists like five-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves. Her new LP, Beautiful Life, includes Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” along with a roster of originals. The Denver-based songster is now touring the country in support of the LP; she performs Oct. 29 at St. Cecilia Music Center’s Great Artist Gala in the Royce Auditorium.