Slightly Stoopid

by Johnny Loftus
Slightly Stoopid's Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald were signed to Sublime mastermind Brad Nowell's Skunk imprint while still in high school, and did two albums for the label, Slightly Stoopid in 1996 and Longest Barrel Ride two years later. While the sound back then was SoCal skatepunk influenced by thrash elements and copious amounts of weed, Doughty and McDonald's playing and singing had matured considerably by 2001 and Live & Direct: Acoustic Roots. The duo was later rounded by drummer Rob Moran and percussionist/vocalist Oguer Ocon. By 2003 and Everything You Need, they were rocking a California-centric sound of loopy sampledelic pop, hip-hop influence, sunny marijuana affirmations, and the occasional return to raucous skatepunk. In 2005, Slightly Stoopid released their most accomplished album to date, Closer to the Sun. The record mixed dub and reggae influences with light hip-hop and an easy groove -- on tracks like "Ain't Got a Lot of Money," Doughty and McDonald suggested Jack Johnson fronting Fun Lovin' Criminals. Their eclectic mix of sounds found the band on tours over the years with a variety of bands including the Marley Brothers, blink-182, G. Love & Special Sauce, Pennywise, and N.E.R.D. Considering Slightly Stoopid's longtime and adamantly D.I.Y. work ethic, Closer to the Sun impressively debuted in the Billboard Top 200 and sold nearly 25,000 copies in its first two months of release. The EP Slightly Not Stoned Enough to Eat Breakfast Yet Stoopid appeared next, which contained Sun outtakes and other classic studio recordings. Playing nearly 200 shows a year for their diverse fan base affectionately termed Ese Locos or Stoopidheads, the group released a live album (Winter Tour '05-'06) and DVD (Live in San Diego) in June 2006. The releases reflected the band's tendency to jam for nearly two hours at their gigs, focusing on improvisation and crowd interaction.