Maybe it's because I don't touch marijuana. Perhaps it's because I bought Survival while Bob Marley was still alive. Or maybe it's because I still willfully endure "reggae time" to catch the likes of Lee "Scratch" Perry and Barrington Levy perform live. Whatever the reason, one of my most grating pet peeves is spotting a stoner wearing a Bob Marley t-shirt. The dude probably loves Marley's music- who doesn't?- but in all likelihood he mostly identifies with Marley's use of marijuana.
Accordingly, acts like Cypress Hill, Kottonmouth Kings and Pepper that go out of their way to affiliate themselves with marijuana annoy me. I don't care how much people smoke- I'm just not terribly interested in hearing about it. Grow up already.
Still, I complied when a publicist for smoke-oriented Slightly Stoopid recently asked for my mailing address. I'm glad I did. The band is much better than I thought. In terms of sixth-generation American reggae bands, I'll take Slightly Stoopid over 311 or Sublime. At their best, they're as good as Tim Armstrong's work in the same vein.
Reggae aficionados will never mistake Slightly Stoopid's version for the real thing, but it's not bad. Not bad at all. Chronchitis (ugh!) is the solid album that convinced me that the band is more than a dopey gimmick act. Just listen- please don't watch, but listen- to "2am" to hear for yourself. Slightly Stoopid is in the midst of their "Cauzin' Vapors: Legalize It 2010 Tour" (ugh!) with Cypress Hill. They stop in Kansas City on Thursday, August 12.
Oh, one more thing. The publicist sent me the large-size t-shirt pictured above. I'd keep it for myself if I was ten pounds slimmer. The first person to ask for it at happyinbag(at)gmail.com can have it. I'll either mail it to the winner or hand it to him/her in person.
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I finally got around to catching Soft Reeds live last night. I'm very impressed.
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Tech N9ne's The Gates Mixed Plate entered Billboard's Top 200 album chart at #13 and the R&B/Hip Hop album chart at #5.
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Kansas City Click: Savoy Brown brings the boogie to Knuckleheads on Friday.
Saturday presents mind-bogglingly tough choices for concertgoers, but Bob Dylan's in town, so I'm obligated to mention his return to Starlight Theater. Here's rough fan footage from Wednesday's show in Austin.
Sprint Center hosts Wisin y Yandel on Sunday.
4 comments:
The shirt has been claimed by a fan in New Jersey.
Good shit! Although they may espouse a lot of weed themed songs.. Their catalog is actually pretty diverse. I mean, they've been touring with Del the Funky Homosapien, played Jazzfest with the Rebirth Brass Band, Ian Neville is out on the road with them shredding guitar, etc. You'd be surprised at all their influences...
Yeah, SSS, I'm down after finally seeing them perform Thursday. Expect a review of sorts later today. Thanks.
i agree Socialsoundsystem! They are very diverse...you don't have to smoke weed to like their music. Slightly Stoopid plays rock, reggae, hip hop, funk etc. Anyone and everyone can enjoy their music : )
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