Nearly 20 years in, and
California’s Slightly Stoopid is still on top of its game. The
reggae-punk fusion act released its seventh studio album, Top of the World, last August to its highest Billboard chart position to date.
“It’s
amazing. We’re living a blessed life,” guitarist, bassist and singer
Miles Doughty said. “I don’t know if there are words to really describe
it. There’s no greater high in the world.”
That means something,
coming from a band that celebrates chronic the way it does, and the
group has gone from high to high since forming in 1995.
After
being discovered — and subsequently signed — to now-deceased Sublime
front man Bradley Nowell’s label in 1996, the funk-rock outfit has
shared the stage with Dave Matthews Band, Snoop Dogg, 311 and The Roots,
and played sold-out shows around the globe.
Those great times and growth are celebrated in Top of the World.
“We’ve
had the same lineup for about 10 years now. It’s nice to have that
continuity between the boys,” Doughty said. “When you have eight
different guys in the recording room and that much history, it resonates
in the music. You could see the growth of the band. You could hear us
starting families and reflecting back on their lives.”
Slightly
Stoopid got the chance to create the 21-track effort with personal
heroes like G. Love, reggae artist Barrington Levy, Black Uhuru’s Don
Carlos, Greyboy Allstars’ Karl Denson and Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na.
“For
us, it was a special environment,” Doughty said. “It’s working with the
guys you grew up idolizing. It’s cool to share in each others’ creative
sides.”
The big names didn’t end there; comedian Tommy Chong starred in the video for the album’s titular first single.
“Obviously, as a kid, growing up watching Up in Smoke, you
almost want to pinch yourself,” Doughty said. “Like, ‘Is this real? Am I
hanging out with Tommy Chong?’ A few years ago, I got to play golf with
Cheech [Marin]. Getting to chill with those guys, people I grew up
admiring, it’s pretty awesome.”
Slightly
Stoopid knows it lives a life most people can only dream of, and the
band hopes to make that a reality for a room full of those people at
every show, including next Wednesday’s at Diamond Ballroom.
“Everyone,
wherever they are, envisions living in Southern California at some
point in their lives,” Doughty said. “Being in the ocean, skating and
surfing ... we bring that culture wherever we play.”
