Date: Friday, January 13, 2012
Line up: Slightly Stoopid, The Aggrolites, & Perro Bravo
Location: SOMA, San Diego, CA
Classic Southern California sounds were jamming out of SOMA in San Diego, California Friday night. Slightly Stoopid, The Aggrolites, and Perro Bravo rocked out at the all ages, sold out rager. After being on tour in Brazil and a fantastic New Years Eve show with The Expendables, Slightly Stoopid announced three days of California shows this weekend. Plus, starting the weekend off in their hometown of San Diego, California seemed like the most appropriate spot for the first show. Slightly Stoopid, known for their musical talent and history in the reggae-rock genre, hit the stage with their dedicated fans dressed in their favorite reggae show attire.
SOMA is one of the favorite local venues in San Diego. After its 2002 opening in an old multiplex theater, SOMA can accommodate over 2,500 fans and for a band like Slightly Stoopid that sold out Friday night, is the perfect place to perform. The all age venue showed off the diversity of Stoopid’s fans and with a long wait for will call, their love & patience was on display for the group as well.
Doors opened at 6pm and Perro Bravo hit the stage an hour later. Perro Bravo was the perfect opener for the night, bringing that authentic Long Beach reggae-rock sound into the venue. Band member, Michael “Miguel” Happoldt originally associated himself with the founding band of the genre, Sublime. As a guitarist, producer, and manager of Sublime, Happoldt is part of the reggae-rock history. With his support in production with Slightly Stoopid music, Happoldt and the rest of Perro Bravo kicked off the night with those irie vibes, before ending with a cover of Sublime’s cover of Bad Religions “Early Man”.
Hitting the stage around 7:45, The Aggrolites were up next. Hailing down from Los Angeles, The Aggrolites joined the session with a mix of reggae and soulful groovy tunes. Just like their song “Dirty Reggae,” The Aggrolites brought the dancing vibes with their energy on stage. Guitarist and lead singer, Jesse Wagner got the crowd going while the organ played by Roger Rivas kept the crowd on their toes. The Aggrolites and Perro Bravo definitely set the mood for the night, getting the fans pumped for Stoopid.
Slightly Stoopid hit the stage around 9:10 to a sold out crowd who had been anticipating their stage presence all night. With red, yellow, and green colors in the audience, Stoopid took the stage with screams and hands in the air. Rocking the hometown venue, Slightly began the show with psychedelic dub and bass pounding through the speakers. The rasta vibes got the crowd ready to dance and sway to the beat.
It is the complexity and the capabilities that Slightly Stoopid presents that brings out the rock, reggae, punk, ska, blues, and hip-hop collaboration of music. Miles and Kyle on guitar, bass, and vocals changes up in almost every song, creating a mix of styles throughout the show. Ryan on drums, OG on percussion and vocals, C-Money on trumpet and keys, and DeLa on sax put Slightly Stoopid on different musical levels throughout the night.
The band played “Wicked Rebel” and “Somebody” before going into “Anywhere I Go,” where the band altered some lyrics to accommodate the hazy scene. The band also threw in reggae dubs as well as rockin’ interludes for the moshing fans that kept head banging in the pits.
The fans were stoked when “Officer” popped up next on the set list, singing along with the band. The classic Stoopid song got the crow amped up and ready for more hits. Reggae jams like “Mr Music,” “Baby I Like It,” and “Digital” kept the irie vibes high while the rock and hardcore sounds from “Just a Buzz” and a Nirvana cover of “Territorial Pissings” brought on the mosh pits. Slightly closed out the set with “Collie Man” and a rockin’ guitar solo with mosh circles going on throughout the crowd.
Slightly came back on stage one more time to perform “I’m on Fire” with lighters in the air. Switching up the pace, OG then beat-boxed a sick intro to “Couldn’t Get High” before the band closed up the night with their hit “Closer to the Sun.”
For a Friday the 13th, Slightly Stoopid fans were pretty lucky to experience the wide-ranging talents of the San Diego band. Slightly will be in Pomona Saturday night before concluding the weekend at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz on Sunday.
– Article By: Alyssa Torres
– Photos By: Ryan Daley
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