The Wake

Finally, there is a band that has a good time, plays fun music and represents a movement. Don’t get it twisted — Slightly Stoopid isn’t necessarily the group for coffee shop hipsters seeking poetic revelations about today’s day and age. Nor is it KDWB brand pop tune material. Instead, this band is for those looking for music that is fun and innovative.

Since their self-titled freshman debut, which featured exclusively dub-laced punk, Slightly Stoopid has carried the title of being a band that’s “like Sublime.” While it’s easiest to compare Slightly Stoopid to the band that signed them to Skunk Records a decade ago, the group is more than a Sublime rip off. In fact, their style has continued to evolve with each of their five albums released, further developing a signature sound.

Longest Barrel Ride, Stoopid’s second offering, fused metal, ska, dub and roots reggae, showing hints of a great new style and potential longevity. Everything You Need focused on a more polished, yet musically diverse sound. This both earned them new fans and angered longtime “stoopidheads.” The latest release, Closer to the Sun, continues the band’s quest to make good music while retaining total creative control, defying labels and genres. The album ranges from roots to dancehall reggae, blues to punk rock, metal to a Grateful Dead cover over its generous 21 tracks, with an additional four tracks on a bonus cd.

If nothing else, one may expect a wide range of sounds and fans at their shows. Saturday’s crowd was comprised of mohawk-rocking skate punks to metrosexuals sporting spiffy hairdos. The first opener, The Beautiful Girls, (an all guy group), was a laid back blend of surf rock and reggae. They were good, but seemed rather out of place with the energy buzzing around the Stoopidheads in the room.

Next up was Fishbone, who began with a ten-minute flow of consciousness revolving around issues ranging from stereotypes, to racism, to corporate domination of airwaves before proceeding to “demonstrate a lesson in history.” They did so by playing an hour and a half of reggae jams. Despite the audience’s lack of familiarity, the grooves kept their heads bobbing the entire time. The ensemble of brass musicians was a treat, and added an authenticity to their reggae vibes. This was capped off by a nearly flawless cover of Sublime’s “Date Rape,” which boiled the crowd into a four-minute frenzy.

With the audience buzzing in anticipation and inebriation, Stoopid took the stage. The tag-team front men, Miles and Kyle, rotated vocal, guitar and bass duties gracefully enough for most to never notice. They played fan favorites, such as the mid-tempo reggae/punk jam, “Living Dread” and the dubbed-out masterpiece, “Wicked Rebel”. Additionally, they played punk jams from as far back as their first album, and “I’m So Stoned,” as the security guards swarmed the audience confiscating spliffs. “Somebody,” the bluesy first single off Closer to the Sun, was among the newer material performed.

The talented guitar players/singers, backed by equally good percussionists, meandered through various selections from their catalogue. This culminated with a two hour set with guest musicians such as Fishbone front man Angelo Moore, who lent his saxophone to several tracks. The final half hour was a free-for-all, with a beat-boxer, most of Fishbone, guitar driven jams by Stoopid, and even featured a dancehall emcee covering Blackstreet’s hit, “No Diggity,” surprisingly well.

In the end, Stoopid gave a show that seems difficult to criticize. As the crowd was filing out the door onto the downtown streets early Sunday morning. A drunken fan ahead of me screamed to the bouncer at the door, “When is stoopid coming next?” Humored, the bouncer answered, “Maybe next year.”