Slightly Stoopid
Illustrating the perfect underground success story (and a testament to the new music model), Slightly Stoopid, have become a case study in how to 'mak…
Illustrating the perfect underground success story (and a testament to the new music model), Slightly Stoopid, have become a case study in how to 'make it' circa the early 21 st century. Slightly Stoopid is all the proof you'll need to show that once and for all, with hard work, new technology and file-sharing, die-hard fans, and the right tunes, anything is possible.
The group - which features Miles Doughty (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), Kyle McDonald (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), Ryan 'RyMo' Moran (Drums), C-Money (Trumpet, Keyboard), DeLa (Saxophone), and Oguer 'OG' Ocon (Congas, Percussion, Harp, Vocals) - has built a large n' loyal fan base, who are lovingly known as either Stoopidheads or Ese Locos. And the buzz surrounding the group continues to increase with each successive release - as their album catalog sales have topped the 500,000 mark, while the group continues to fill prestigious concert venues throughout the world.
The Slightly Stoopid story can be traced to Ocean Beach , California, when childhood chums Miles and Kyle formed the group in 1995, mixing reggae and punk sounds into one smooth stylistic cocktail. Soon after, late/great Sublime frontman Brad Nowell caught wind of the group, and signed them to his Skunk Records label – while the band members were still in high school. A pair of releases soon followed for Skunk - 1996's punk-tinged Slightly Stoopid (featuring a guest appearance by Nowell on the song "Prophet" – later covered by Sublime and released on their box set, Everything Under the Sun) and 1998's surf-inspired cult classic The Longest Barrel Ride .
And through it all, Slightly Stoopid has logged some serious road miles - in addition to their incessant criss-crossing of the U.S, which includes appearances at prestigious festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and New Orleans Jazz Fest, among others, the group has played sold-out shows in Japan, Guam, Amsterdam, Portugal and Denmark, the U.K., Germany, Holland, and the Dominican Republic. " Without [the fans], we'd just be playing at the bar," admits Kyle. "They make it worth our while - when we go out and people are having that good of a time, the energy goes back and forth. Just a good time - we rely on each other's energy." And all you have to do is look at the list of artists that Slightly Stoopid has played with, to get a feel for how much of a large and diverse audience they appeal to - the Dave Matthews Band, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and the Marley Brothers, Sublime, the Roots, G. Love & Special Sauce, Ozomatli, Toots and the Maytals, and Pennywise, among others, as well as their first-ever sole headlining tour of amphitheatres in 2008, joined by their friends Pepper and Sly & Robbie.
Seemingly always on the move, there appears to be no slowing down in sight for Slightly Stoopid, and according to Miles, that's precisely what fuels the group's creativity. "For us, the most important thing in the future, we just want to stay busy and always playing music - whether creating, touring, or just sitting on your couch and jamming. I think we'll always be recording. And just have fun – without the fun part, it ain't worth it."
'Chronchitis' features the single 2AM and contains 4 extra tracks for this exclusive Australian release.The album features guest appearances from Guru of Gangstarr and Angela Moore of Fishbone, G Love and Inner Circle. The group's fifth studio effort, CHRONCHITIS, debuted at #55 on the Billboard 200, and #2 on the indie charts in the USA.
$19.95