Recorded at Total Access studios in
The album’s first single “Somebody” is a blues romp peppered with a timely sample of the late ODB from Wu Tang’s “36 Chambers” (eerily recorded less than a month prior to the late hip-hop luminary’s overdose, and scratched by the infamous D.J. Field Marshall). The solid bass lines of the band’s newest weed anthems “This Joint” and “Fat Spliffs” lend deep grooves to hip-hop rhythms. In fact, reggae legend Barrington Levy, who appears on “See It No Other Way,” said, “I took this song back to
Boasting dual front men, Slightly Stoopid possesses a unique dynamic and kinship. They share a multitude of influences, from the acoustic leanings of Cat Stevens, Tom Petty, Django Reinhardt, and the Grateful Dead, to old school reggae and dub artists Augustus Pablo, Lee Scratch Perry, Yellowman, and UB40. In addition, their more modern influences such as Sublime and G-Love certainly shine through, and hint towards the band becoming the natural heir to the close-knit musical lineage which spawned them.
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Back In 1995, while still in high school, Miles and Kyle caught the ear of Sublime vocalist Bradley Nowell, who then signed them to his own Skunk Records label. Staying true to the D.I.Y ethic of punk rock, the band released its first two albums independently on Skunk. With minimal distribution (primarily in Southern California), the Skunk label released the punk-tinged debut Slightly Stoopid (1996), and the heavier-produced reggae leanings of the band’s surf inspired Longest Barrel Ride (1998). After a couple of years of hard core gigging, and between recording a legitimate new studio album, Slightly Stoopid delivered a live CD from an hour long live acoustic set from San Diego’s Rock 105 through their own Stoopid Records imprint. Titled Acoustic Roots: Live and Direct, it featured both players on acoustic guitars and vocals, and was recorded live, one take with no overdubs. Then in 2003, Slightly Stoopid released Everything You Need, their first legitimately produced studio album since 1998. A departure on some levels, Everything You Need was the culmination of the band reaching a new creative plateau, forging their own brand of music without abandoning the philosophy of where they started. According to co-front man Kyle McDonald, “Miles and I both love music, and we have been friends since we were one and two years old. We are just like brothers, and it’s really nice to be able to make music with your family. We’ve been listening to music together all of our lives, have been playing together since our mid-teens, and are in our 11th year as a band.”
On the live front, the band’s fans, who are known as “Ese Locos” or “Stoopidheads,” flock to nearly 200 live shows a year. Slightly Stoopid’s touring schedule typically has them locked into two-plus hours of improvisational jamming, five days a week. Along the way, they have supported such acts as The Marley Bros, Sublime, The Roots, G-Love and Special Sauce, Blink 182, Toots and The Maytals, N.E.R.D, Pennywise, and The Warped Tour, to name a few. The group’s diversity appeals to a wide demographic of music fans. “Our live shows are fun, and we get every sort of person you can imagine in one room,” Kyle reveals. “And a lot of them are crazy. We’re all about having fun - we interact with the crowd and get ‘em riled up.”
Slightly Stoopid remain a group devoted to the pursuit of the perfect mix of lifestyle and sound. With Closer to the Sun, Slightly Stoopid have created a soundtrack to compliment their quest for the most crucial mix, and prove that hard work, perseverance and staying true to their roots is their path to creating genre-bending music with integrity.
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CONTACT:
Lesley Zimmerman
Lesley Z Media
310-476-4414
lesley@lesleyzmedia.com
Lesley Z Media
(tel) 310-476-4414 * lesley@lesleyzmedia.com * www.lesleyzmedia.com
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