Photo by Jaime Butler

Slightly Stoopid
The Pageant
St. Louis, MO
April 18

I was surrounded by a blur of tie-dye, Rasta colors, dreadlocks, and the lingering scent of ganja as I walked into The Pageant on April 18th. The opener, Ethan Tucker, eased us into the evening with some incredibly soulful blues guitar. Tribal Seeds kicked off the energetic vibe with their groove-laden music that instantly makes you feel like you’re on the beach. The six-piece group mastered the laid back roots-rock-reggae style and was enjoyable to watch with their stomping bass player Victor Navarro and keyboardist/melodica player E.N. Young’s impossibly thick dreads bouncing less than a foot above the ground. Tribal Seeds was an impressive and lively opener – Miles Doughty even made an appearance and freestyled during one of their songs.

Slightly Stoopid took the stage in full force and their enthusiasm was instantly reflected back by the rowdy and ready audience.

There was a nice blend of new tracks and old favorites; most of the songs came from their newest album, Top of the World (2012), and Closer to the Sun (2005). They also played “Officer” and “Collie Man” from Everything You Need (2003) and several tunes from Chronchitis (2007). A standout track was the usually mellow “Babylon is Falling,” which started out in its melodic, acoustic form and blossomed into a well-received much heavier rendition.

The show was characterized by many highlights, one of them being Kyle McDonald stepping off the stage and walking along the ledge overlooking the dance floor. Making his way towards the back amid high-fives and fist-pumps, he finally dove off the edge and crowd-surfed back to the stage. An ongoing element was Miles and Kyle constantly switching each others’ instruments (one a guitar and one a bass) back and forth seamlessly, showcasing their musical talent and experience. Slightly Stoopid has a unique sound that is brought out even more by C-Money and DeLa, their trumpet and saxophone players respectively. The horns give the group’s music a nice polish, as well as distinguish them as a more versatile band.

Their mix of style and energy – flowing in and out of reggae rock, ska, and mosh pit-inducing punk – was an ideal combination that left the audience hoping the show would never end.

They did not go out quietly…each of the members of Tribal Seeds slowly trickled out during the three song encore. They each contributed more and more to the music until the crescendo climaxed and they all walked off the stage, leaving us audience members to gradually stream out of the venue radiating energy and good vibes. I received a hug from Slightly Stoopid’s C-Money and a CD sampler from Tribal Seeds’ E.N. Young’s label before I even got out the door, not to mention had a beer with a few of the members later that evening, confirming this group of musicians is about as down to earth as it gets.

Slightly Stoopid has been touring at a pretty ferocious speed lately. They have been described as one of the more popular music groups for having little radio play in its 18 years as a group. Why? Because their music speaks for itself and they never fail to put on a great show. And in this tight-knit community of jam band freaks and festival heads, word of mouth spreads far and wide.