Slightly Stoopid Interview

In 1994 there was a unique sound being born out of Ocean Beach, California by a couple of childhood friends Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald. Their sound would eventually catch the ear of Sublime Frontman Bradley Nowell and sign them while they were still in Highschool to Skunk Records. It was then that Slightly Stoopid was born. The band saw success early and has played with some of the biggest names in music like Sublime, Dave Matthews Band, The Roots, and even Snoop Dogg.

Slightly Stoopid has not only an amazing sound but the group is fun to talk to. They are not only “down to earth” but they are still just as excited to play today as they were way back in ‘94. When we caught up with Miles and the band they were currently on their Summer Traditions 2022 Tour with Pepper, Common Kings, Fortunate Youth, and The Elovaters.

So, what are you guys up to right now?

In the studio right now, working on a few new songs, kinda gearing up for the summer tour. We have a killer lineup for our summer tour. We are good friends with everyone in the lineup, Common Kings, Fortunate Youth, Pepper, it’s going to be great, with a 30-city tour around the country. It’s been a long time coming, so we are all super pumped! We got to do a few shows, a few big outdoor shows since they’ve been letting everyone do shows again, so with this summer I just like the energy is going to explode.

Where are you guys looking forward to playing at the most?

Well really just looking forward to everywhere. There’s something good about each town we’ve been in but I always love playing at Red Rocks, Coco beach in Florida, Charleston in South Carolina, and really so many good spots to name. Everywhere where there’s an outdoor show the energy is just incredible. When you go to northeastern or northwest places that deal with cold weather and super cold winter months, it’s like their energy just comes out and they all come alive, sweating it with us and just making it’s such a better time for us and everyone else, the whole band really feed off that too.

This summer we have a lot of collaborations with all our friends, it just turns into a huge tailgate party for us really with musicians, friends, family, and fans. We have Don Carlos and Charley Tune-Up from Jurassic 5 along with Marlin Asher and a few other guests to play some shows with us.

Yeah, you guys will be playing an outdoor theatre here in OKC, the Zoo Amphitheater. We are super excited about that!

Oh yeah, I saw that on the lineup and I think that will be our first time playing there, so we are really excited to get there and play at a new place with new energy.

So aside from all your music, shows, and collaborations, what are you excited about in life right now?

We are all at the age where we have families now, so when we aren’t on the road it’s nice to be home, be a dad, and enjoy that side of life. Ya know, when you’re a musician, you dedicate a lot of your life to being on the road so that was one silver lining of being off the road for a couple of years. We got to spend a lot of time with our families. But we are ready to get back on the road and hang out and go play with our touring family. Music is the like the ultimate drug of life, not just for the people listening to it, but for the people playing it too. It feels so incredible and can’t wait to get back to it full-time.

If you don’t mind me asking and if you don’t mind sharing as well when you are traveling and away from your family, do you have any good relationship advice for keeping up with your relationship and family?

I think for me now, talking every day. I go home every Monday to spend a couple of days with them, and I think that the right thing to do to maintain a relationship and a good family is to see them, so I can still be a part of their lives. I am blessed that we are able to do that and I think talking to them as much as you can is important. As we get older, we are definitely putting effort into touring smarter, just so we can maximize time with our family while maximizing time on the road as well.

Well, thank you so much for sharing that! I’d like to know some more interesting things about you to share with fans, like what is your favorite food? Do you have a favorite restaurant or dish you like to cook?

Oh, my favorite food is Mexican, we have the BEST taco shops here in San Diego on the entire planet. There is nothing like it and we all really wish we could find something like it around the country when you’re on the road ya know. When we pull into town, we hit our favorite spots, it's like our go-to always. Like other places try, but San Diego has the best carne asada burritos. My recommendations would be to hit up Roberto’s or Niko’s. It is the first thing we do when getting off the bus or plane when we get home. When on the road you just eat what you can, we get catering sometimes. I do like trying out new spots when out of the road. I’m pretty much on the see-food diet, I see food and I eat it all.

Okay, okay so we know what you guys eating, so what are you drinking on? Alcoholic or nonalcoholic.

Yeah, it’s alcohol I like a club soda, vodka, and lemon or lime, that’s all I really need. My buddy started this vodka company, Uncle Ed’s Damn Good Vodka, he stocks us up when we go out on the road. We have it on the bus and at our houses. I also like Modelos and definitely stay hydrated with water.

Alright, so we got the food and drink order down, what are you smoking on?

Well myself, I am an OG Kush fan, that’s always my go-to. We have our own Caliman Kush, which is the super bomb. We also have our Stoopid Fruits, a Sativa strain, which is also really good. But the OG has always been my favorite, I’ll get some that are so good it will literally bring a tear to anyone’s eyes. Always keep a clean glass bong around for a nice rip. We also have this preroll called Stoopid Hammerhead, with Hammerhead prerolls, and it's honestly a knockout punch dipped in kief with OG kush flower.

Awesome! You already answered the other question I had, what is your favorite way to smoke/consume, as you just said flower, out of glass bong. So you kind of already mentioned the products you just said, but can you tell us a little more about the cannabis company you guys have now?

Yeah, Stoopid Organics, we are still branching and expanding that but right now we have seeds, CBD, those strains Stoopid Fruits, Caliman Kush, Hammerhead prerolls, but it’s all going so good right now. I just love the name of the company too, it fits so well. Another cool thing, is we’ve got to meet so many rad people along the way with this company. I was just with B Real from Cypresshill- one of the godfathers of the weed movement, it’s pretty cool to be a part of that journey as well.

May I ask, what is your personal opinion and thoughts on cannabis, like what else do you like about it, besides of course the high! (ha-ha).

Honestly, I’ve been smoking weed my whole life. It’s just great when you’re creating, as a musician I’ve smoked ever since I’ve been making music. It definitely has medical benefits too.

I’ve had friends in critical conditions from certain elements where the CBD and other functions of the plant have just brought peace to them rather than the pharmaceuticals with sometimes all those unwanted side effects. With THC and CBD, plus other things within the plant, and all that together can save and heal people, with no side effects. Where our products don’t have those side effects and so many other cannabis products out there.

It’s just insane that the medical field hasn’t allowed it to be published and pushed more just because of the fact they hate it AND it works.

Cannabis has come so much further though, not as many people turning up their noses to it. I love to buy from local growers who put so much love into their work, plus help keep the local guy fed.

Another question to Segway into, you mentioned using cannabis for your creative process, is there anything else you do for your process?

Oh no, not really. I’ve been playing music for so long; I don’t ever try to force creativity. Usually, I just get this feeling when it's time, to pick up the phone, open a voice memo to sing or play whatever it is, come into the studio, start getting in that right mindset, and just hit record. That’s what works best for me, just never really forcing things and letting the vibe going.

As a musician, what are you most proud of, like a certain song, collaboration, or project?

One of the coolest things for me was playing with Bob Weir, of the Grateful Dead, because of what they’ve done for music, their touring platform, that really catapulted everyone else to that way of touring. They’ve done so much for music, people, and rock and roll in general. I also played in his studio, I just remember looking over at him, thinking ‘holy shit this is the coolest thing ever. Kyle and I grew up together in this band, we’ve been touring all over, getting to do the coolest shit since we were teenagers, then ya know in a blink of an eye, it’s like where did the time go?!

Then thinking back on all of our experiences and getting to meet him (Bob Weir), it’s just like wow what a cool memory.

Yeah, you and Kyle growing up together, being friends for so long, that’s actually pretty rare for people to stay friends that long. I think that really says a lot about you guys and all the things you two have grown through, literally through and on so many stages of life!

Kyle and I have been friends longer than most people can tolerate their own family members. It’s been awesome, literally since diapers. We both have our own styles, visions, and personalities. And that’s one thing about going to one of our shows, we have so many different styles that we switch back and forth from guitar to bass. It’s so much fun to do this my best friend, it’s like living the best dream in real life.

I don’t doubt you guys have been through many things together. If you could go back and tell your younger selves or even any advice to fans out there, what would it be?

Go for it, keep chasing your dreams. You can’t be scared of fears, you have to face them. And you can’t be afraid of failure. We’ve played a million shows, in the beginning, there was nobody there in the crowd, maybe a few people, or shows without security or even a bartender.

It was just a slow time in the beginning. There were so many times where it felt like we could have just said ‘ah let’s forget it and gave up, but we didn’t. We never doubted that the harder we tried the more we would succeed. We, Kyle and I started the band when were 15 and 16 years old, the rest is history. We’ve played from all the shitholes to the greatest places now. Those hard moments are what make our success feel so awesome. Even though the hardest moment you laugh your way through or figure it out. Now looking back at those times your ‘oh shit, whew, it wasn’t as bad it seemed then’. That is the mantra of life, you gotta chase your dreams, don’t give up on yourself, and always believe in yourself, even when others don’t. Sometimes we’d only make like $50 bucks, enough to get us to the next town, then get paid another $50 bucks to get us on to the next. Back then gas was like $1 (laughing). All those moments lead us here, we’ll never take those moments for granted.

Okay, I have one last and kind of weird question for you. What is something you haven’t done, that you want to do, or a place you haven’t been?

Well, that’s a tough one, we’ve been so many places it’s hard to say or pick somewhere we haven’t been. I’m stumped… let's think about that one. Actually, ya know, swimming with dolphins does sound nice, I haven’t done that yet (laughing). I’ve also always wanted to learn how to ski, I’ve snowboarded but haven’t skied yet.