Slightly Stoopid

Slightly Stoopid, the San Diego-based rock band hailing from Ocean Beach, California, have carved a unique niche in the music world. Their sound is a potent brew, blending folk, rock, reggae, and blues with dashes of hip-hop, funk, metal, and punk. This eclectic mix has fueled their impressive catalog of thirteen albums, including four live releases.

Their unlikely launchpad was a high school garage. Childhood friends Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald, along with drummer Adam Bausch, were discovered by Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell. Nowell, while in rehab, happened upon the band rehearsing and was immediately captivated. He signed them to his Skunk Records label, a remarkable feat for still-in-high-school musicians.

Their debut, the punk-infused Slightly $toopid, dropped in 1996, featuring a guest appearance by Nowell himself on "Prophet" (later covered by Sublime and included in their Everything Under the Sun box set). This was followed by 1998's surf-rock-infused The Longest Barrel Ride. Adding to the early lineup was Adam's brother, Eric Bausch, on keyboards.

The band's journey continued with the self-released Acoustic Roots: Live & Direct in 2001, a 40-minute acoustic set recorded live for San Diego's rock 105.3 radio station. This marked the launch of their own label, Stoopid Records. Their 2003 release, Everything You Need, marked a stylistic shift and a commercial breakthrough for the band on Surfdog Records, selling over 185,000 copies. This era also saw the departure of Adam Bausch in 2000, two years after the release of The Longest Barrel Ride.