Dub / Rock pioneers Slightly Stoopid describe themselves as “the perfect underground success story”. Stoopid includes 2 front men, Miles Doughty (Guitar, Bass, Vocals) and Kyle McDonald (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), who began as a 3-piece outfit in Ocean Beach, San Diego, California.

Slightly Stoopid’s sound is defined by an eclectic mix of punk, ska, and reggae. After beginning with a mostly-punk sound with obvious influence by Sublime and Rancid, they’ve grown to include reggae and dancehall influences based on artists such as Beenie Man and Buju Banton.

After signing with Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell’s Skunk Records and releasing their Slightly $toopid debut in 1996 (just months after Nowell’s death), and their surf-inspired cult classic The Longest Barrel Ride in 1998, they created their own label, Stoopid Records in 2001 so they could avoid signing another record deal and keep doing things the way they knew best – independent, by themselves. In 2003 they released Everything You Need on Surfdog; the album went on to sell more than 130,000 copies.

Doughty and McDonald then rebuilt their band with Ryan ‘RyMo’ Moran on drums and Oguer ‘OG’ Ocon on congas, percussion, harp, and vocals from the B Side Players and C-Money (Trumpet, Keyboard) and Dela (Saxophone) from John Browns Body. Their 2005 release Closer to the Sun included collaborations with well-known reggae artists including Barrington Levy and Scientist.

From there Slightly Stoopid has built a large, loyal fan base through constant touring. “Without [the fans], we’d just be playing at the bar,” admits Kyle. “They make it worth our while – when we go out and people are having that good of a time, the energy goes back and forth. Just a good time – we rely on each other’s energy.” In the process they’ve become some of the most successful independent artists of this decade.

Slightly Stoopid is currently on their 2010 Legalize It tour with Collie Buddz and Cypress Hill.

Slightly Stoopid – Runnin With A Gun (Official Video)

Slightly Stoopid gets political with Runnin With A Gun, from their Everything You Need album.

Free Slightly Stoopid MP3 downloads

Slightly Stoopid is giving away 1 free MP3 download from many of their albums. You can find them all on Bandelero from Closer To The Sun