Stoopidheads Keep Slightly Stoopid Touring for Nearly 25 Years
There are countless stories of how a band became relevant in the music industry. Each band has a distinct biography of success that includes its own pivotal moments that paved the way to greatness. While most bands don’t achieve the level of commercial success that Slightly Stoopid has, bands often look back at the root of their start that ultimately determines their path to success or failure.
Slightly Stoopid’s founding front-men Miles Doughty (guitar, bass, vocals) and Kyle McDonald (guitar, bass, vocals), along with Adam Bausch (drums), all were high school buddies and in 1994 formed a three-piece punk rock band that played local gigs until they were discovered by Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell. After a performance at a local tavern, Nowell realized that the trio had huge potential and signed them to his label Skunk Records, all while these teenagers were still attending high school.
Slightly Stoopid’s start comes from the small San Diego seaside town of Ocean Beach, where high school buddies Doughty and McDonald formed the group in 1995. The music they created was a mix of reggae and punk sounds that were perfectly suited for the San Diego surf scene who adopted the band as its own.
The band had initial success in 1996 when they released their first studio album, Slightly $toopid. After Bausch left the group due to personal differences, Slightly Stoopid expanded its talent and added Ryan Moran (drums), Oguer Ocon (congas, percussion, harp, vocals), C-Money (trumpet, keyboard) and Dela (saxophone). The band hit the road and logged plenty of road miles, bringing the band closer musically and deepening their friendships. Nearly two years later, Slightly Stoopid released their second album, The Longest Barrel Ride.
Soon after their departure from Skunk Records, the band decided to take a bootstrapped and unconventional approach that allowed them not only to maintain creative freedom but also to control of their musical direction. This new found sovereignty allowed the band to explore their musical appetite in other genres including hip hop, blues, folk and dub. This intermix of music created a unique sound that Slightly Stoopid could call their own.
The group self-released 2001’s Acoustic Roots: Live & Direct that was recorded during a live performance at San Diego’s Rock 105.3 radio station. This record became the band’s first on their own label, Stoopid Records. In 2003, the band signed with Surfdog Records and released Everything You Need. This album became a huge success commercially, leading to sales in excess of 185,000 copies.
As Slightly Stoopid began to attract the love and respect of music lovers due to their own unique style of sounds, as did the demand for the band to play at larger venues. Playing both intimate venues and arenas led to heavily attended music festivals with over 30,000 in attendance: festivals include Coachella, Harmony, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and New Orleans Jazz Fest. Stoopidheads demanded to see the band more often, which led to national and international tours with prominent acts such as the Dave Matthews Band, Damian Marley, Sublime, The Roots, The Expendables, Snoop Dogg, G. Love & Special Sauce, Pennywise and others. Its international following has led them on worldwide tours to Australia, Japan, Guam, Portugal, Denmark, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the Dominican Republic.
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The changing landscape of records sales has forced nearly all bands to hit the road as a primary source of revenue. Gone are the days of mega record sales and multi-million dollar contracts. Now bands like Slightly Stoopid make their living on the road, traveling much of the year to make a solid living. Fortunately for these road warriors, their fans continue to attend their events and buy their merch to keep their music live and alive.
Catch Slightly Stoopid currently on the Schools Out For Summer 2018 Tour.
