Throughout the past 15 years, the music of San Diego based band Slightly Stoopid has been custom built for summertime, beaches, and for things not-so-family friendly. The punk/reggae fusion band spends at least half their year on the road, spreading those vibes [...]]]>

The mellow vibes of Slightly Stoopid invade Detroit August 4th.

Throughout the past 15 years, the music of San Diego based band Slightly Stoopid has been custom built for summertime, beaches, and for things not-so-family friendly. The punk/reggae fusion band spends at least half their year on the road, spreading those vibes to fans across the States and Europe.

After two releases in as many years in 2007 and 2008, the band is already starting work on their upcoming album, which is due out sometime in 2011. Even though the band is recording, it hasn’t stopped them from getting out on the road for their summer tour. This year’s summer tour will also include dates with Cypress Hill and a spot at Lollapalooza in August, with the U.S. tour wrapping up with the Austin City Limits festival this fall.

Before the tour’s opening gig in Portland, I had a chance to talk with Slightly Stoopid drummer Ryan Moran, and discussed the success of the single “2 A.M.”, and the grind of the yearly summer tour.

Here’s my interview with Ryan:

AM: Over the years, the band’s sound has shifted from more of a punk background towards reggae- what was the main inspiration for the shift?
RM: With us, as musicians and artists- the sound of the music normally changes with what we’re listening to at that particular moment of writing and recording. Our musical output has definitely changed over the years; early on- the band was influenced far more by punk music, way more aggressive music. In the past couple of years, we’ve really started to listen to a wide range of music. We’re just trying to fun with whatever we do and not trying to take things seriously- hopefully, the fans enjoy it.

AM: Do you feel that the single “2 A.M.” has been the band’s shining moment so far?
RM: I think so. It really got people into the band that normally wouldn’t listen to us, or haven’t heard of us before. We were really, really stoked about the reception and staying power of the song so far.

AM: How was working with the late Guru on the “Chronicitis” album?
RM: It was a really great experience. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get to do the song in person with him, but we had a lot of a contact with him on the song. We ended sending him a bunch of tracks, and he was feeling the vibe on “Other Side” and we went with that. It really helped the feel of the song. It was a total honor to have him on the song and he was gone too soon.

AM: What is the toughest part about being on the road all summer, every summer?
RM: We love being on the road, but there are always going to be hard parts about being in this industry. We’re on the road anywhere from 5 to 7 months a year, and it can make things tough- a couple of guys are married now, and so on. I think the familiarity of being home is the biggest thing you miss on the road. Having the familiarity of a routine- knowing where to grab a coffee and so on is a big thing. You just want to do normal stuff and you search for a balance when on the road and you yearn for simplicity. Also, having your independence when on the road is tough, especially when you have 12-15 guys on the bus that you see day in and day out.

AM: The band started out touring with groups like Sublime- what is your take on the band’s  “reunion” tour?
RM: I think it’s great. They’ve been out of the limelight so it’s great to see them get back on tour. I’ve heard the new music, and it’s going to be exciting to see them bring it to the people. I am sure it’s gonna be successful, but there’s always gonna be issues. There are always going to be those purists that think that it’s not the same and won’t listen to it. But it sounds awesome and I’m in full support of it.

AM: With albums out in 2007, and 2008- where is the band in the recording process for the next album?
RM: We had recorded a lot of new material back in 2007 and a lot of the material went onto the “Chronicitis” album. We worked on a few new songs for the 2008 album “Slightly Not Stoned Enough…”. In 2009, we decided to take a break from recording. But at the moment, we’re about 50 to 60 percent done with the writing for the next album, but we don’t feel pressured to record. We plan on having the album out in the first half of 2011.

Slightly Stoopid play with Cypress Hill at the Fillmore Detroit on Wednesday, August 4^th. Tickets are $29.50 and are available at www.livenation.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.slightlystoopid.com.

If you ever venture out west and listen to the radio out there, you’d swear that the Hawaiian based band Pepper is a cornerstone in alternative rock these days. With upbeat reggae infused rock, the band is custom [...]]]>

Pepper will hopefully be avoiding mugs shots when they come to DTE on Wednesday.

If you ever venture out west and listen to the radio out there, you’d swear that the Hawaiian based band Pepper is a cornerstone in alternative rock these days. With upbeat reggae infused rock, the band is custom built for party music and good times. The band remains one of the most sought after underground bands and with singles like “Give It Up” and “No Control,” it’s easy to see why the band has hooks that can be hummed for days.

Pepper has been touring vigorously throughout the years and is gearing up for their new album, tentatively titled Popping Clappers, due out sometime this fall. But leading up to the release of the album, the band is getting out on a summer tour with 311, which will take them out through the end of July.

Before a show in Indianapolis, I had a chance to interview drummer Yesod Williams. In the interview, Yesod and I discussed the upcoming album as well as the band’s observations at the 2007 Warped Tour- warning the patrons on the evils of emo music. Here’s my interview with Yesod:

MyCityBuzz: The band is currently recording a new album- what is the time table on it?
Yesod Williams: Right now, we’re shooting to have the album out in the middle of October, just in time for our headlining tour. We’re were just finishing the album up as we were getting on the road for this tour.

MCB: What do you think are the major differences between this album and Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations?
YW: Well, we’re hoping it’s better. I think with this album, there’s a lot more collaboration with the band in the recording process than before. In the past, it’s been more of the guys writing individually, but this time- we’ve been writing as a unit and it’s helped the sound. The music is all about events and situations in our lives and traveling on the road. It’s going to be far more uplifting than albums that we’ve done in the past.

MCB: The band released a live album, Kona Gold, last year. Was the crowd response as deafening live as it was on the album?
YW: We nailed it and the crowd nailed it too. The show was in Colorado, which was pretty much the first place outside of Hawaii that really got into the band and was on the radio. For us, people always come up to us and say how much better we are live than on our albums. So, this had the perfect vibe and perfect way to bring that sound across to everybody.

MCB: Do you find the Midwest crowds dig the band as much as the crowds out west?
YW: Absolutely. We’ve always been a band that’s relied on putting our feet on the ground and doing the footwork on the road. I think it may have taken places like the Midwest a little bit longer to catch on than out west, but they are on board now.

MCB: The band was one of the highlights of the 2007 Warped Tour with the humor against some of the band- was the tour all that bad?
YW: Not at all. We were objective in our dislike for some of the music, so we didn’t take it out on the tour. Basically, our opinion was is that we aren’t a fan of emo music and made some jokes along the way. But Warped is a great experience and its great for fans to see a wide range of different sorts of music and figure out who you like. We had a great time on it for sure.

Pepper opens for 311 on Wednesday, July 7^th at DTE Energy Music Theater. Tickets are $29.50 for lawn and range from $29.50 to $45 for pavilion tickets and are available at www.palacenet.com. The band’s first single from the new album, “Wake Up” will be available on ITunes starting July 18^th. Additional dates and band info can be found at www.pepperlive.com.