Slightly Stoopid is about staying real

By John Benson

The band has just come off a big summer tour.

Homegrown stoopid heads may sound like something Homer Simpson would say (and he would), but that interesting title belongs to a legion of diehard fans for rock-punk-reggae-hip-hop act Slightly Stoopid, which over the past decade and a half has spread its Southern California sound to the masses, one independent album at a time.

In support of its latest effort, “Slightly Not Stoned Enough to Eat Breakfast Yet Stoopid,” the outfit is coming off an amazing summer tour that included sold-out dates at such major venues as California’s Greek Theater at UC Berkeley and Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater.

“It’s been like, ‘Wow, this is starting to go,’” said Slightly Stoopid drummer Ryan “RyMo” Moran, calling from Portland, Ore. “It’s exciting, but we just want to keep touring and keep making music our fans appreciate. We want to stay independent. We don’t have a major label deal. We don’t have major label backing.

“It’s all homegrown and grass-roots, and we’re going to maintain that because that’s what gotten us to this level. So we’ll just keep on the road and make music that people like.”

As for “Slightly Not Stoned Enough to Eat Breakfast Yet Stoopid,” the new album includes B-sides, rarities and other previously unreleased outtakes, as well as eight new studio tracks. One of Moran’s favorite new songs is “No Cocaine,” with its quintessential Slightly Stoopid blend of hip-hop and reggae.

“That track features the bass player [Ian Lewis] from Inner Circle,” Moran said. “We’ve also got a couple of punk tunes, which is normal for us. We always mix in a little bit of punk with reggae. One song is ‘She Bangz,’ and it’s not the Ricky Martin version. Another one is called ‘Ain’t No Reason To Go.’

“It’s kind of the punk rock, lower-fi kind of thing. Those are kind of what people can expect from us live, a mix of a reggae vibe and an upbeat punk rock style.” Slightly Stoopid has booked another Northeast Ohio date for Saturday at the House of Blues.

With its reggae vibe, and the fact that reggae music is often related to various mind-altering herbs, the name Slightly Stoopid in many ways offers a wink-wink to fans who enjoy listening to the group when, well, altered.

“I agree, a lot of our fans are ... buzzed, of course, not stupid,” Moran said.

And where did the name come from?

“It’s like the guys in the band were 15 or 16 years old then sitting around and tossing names around,” Moran said. “That’s one that got a laugh from everyone, so the name stuck.”

While the name Slightly Stoopid definitely stands out, there’s a pretty good argument to be made that it may belie or diminish the serious intentions of a hard-working band. Furthermore, there’s a sense the moniker has done more to hinder than help the veteran DIY band.

Though Moran admits there is some truth to that type of thinking, he can’t help but let the punk rocker in him shine. Considering Slightly Stoopid has been fighting an us-against-them battle for more than a decade, the group now feels some sense of vindication.

“Yeah, we were voted one of the bands least likely to succeed based on our name from Spin magazine back in the day,” Moran laughed. “I think we proved them wrong. Sure, a lot of people laugh at the band name but we don’t really give a [expletive].”