Slightly Stoopid

An eclectic band when it comes to musical styles as well as collaborations, Slightly Stoopid, now in their second decade of making music, continues to manufacture an energizing and multifaceted sound that has been described as “a spiritual bath of positive party energy.”

The Ocean Beach, California-based band formed by multi-instrumentalists Kyle McDonald and Miles Doughty has matured into a versatile musical ensemble. Band members consist of drummer Ryan “Rymo” Moran; percussionist Oguer “OG” Ocon; saxophonist Daniel “Dela” Delacruz; keyboardist Paul Wolstencroft; trumpet and trombone player Andy Geib, and an arsenal of guests that frequent the stage, most notably Karl Denson (Rolling Stones/Greyboy Allstars), Don Carlos, Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) and Rashawn Ross (Dave Matthews Band). 

Pepper

For Pepper paying homage to their roots is essential over a decade in to their celebrated career. The Southern California trio, who formed in 1997 and moved to the mainland from the three musicians’ hometown of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in 1999, know that where they come from should always be infused in the music they create. On Ohana, the group’s seventh full-length album (4/29/16, LAW Records), Pepper embraces the feelings and sounds that encouraged them to become a band in the first place.

“Over our past few albums, we had been departing from our original sound and exploring new directions,” Bret notes. “On this album, we wanted to come back to our classic style and revisit our roots. The writing and recording process was a conscious effort to do that.”

Stick Figure

From the musical imagination of Scott Woodruff emerges a vibrant sonic soundscape, revealed in the newest Stick Figure release, Set in Stone. As with his previous releases, Set in Stone was written, produced and recorded by Woodruff, a self-taught musician.

An intuitive and accomplished producer, Woodruff crafts authentic artistry from the foundation of roots-dub reggae. Cavernous grooves, sparkling electronic orchestration and thick rhythms; songs and sounds that have incubated in a studio cabin in the woods near Santa Cruz, CA, where Woodruff found solace excavating a foundation and constructing a studio, all in preparation for his most ambitious recording to date. When completed, a brotherhood of hard-jamming musicians delivers this widescreen soundtrack in concert performances of consciousness-altering emancipation.

With Woodruff as the genial on-stage figurehead, Stick Figure concerts are gatherings distinguished by extended improvisational interludes, the mind-manifesting hues of a light show, and the much-anticipated entrance of the band’s canine mascot, a rescued Australian Shepherd, Cocoa The Tour Dog. The release of Set in Stone is a culmination of a journey that has seen the producer go from a mysterious figure to becoming a major player in the scene, virtually inventing a melodic subgenre, at a time reggae is reaching new heights of popularity.