Welcome to NOLA Reggae

April 26 - NOLA- Republic "Devil's Door" an evening in New Orleans with Slightly Stoopid featuring special guests Ian and Ivan Neville

Illustrating the perfect underground success story, Slightly Stoopid's dual front-men Miles Doughty (Guitar, Bass, Vocals) and Kyle McDonald (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), created their own label, Stoopid Records, in the early 2000’s to avoid signing a record deal and keep their DIY work ethic and freedom away from music industry politics. West coast DUB/Rock pioneers later added musicians Ryan ‘RyMo’ Moran (Drums) and Oguer 'OG' Ocon (Congas, Percussion, Harp, Vocals) from the B Side Players, as well as C-Money (Trumpet, Keyboard) and Dela (Saxophone) from John Browns Body; solidifying their on stage line up. Slightly Stoopid has built a large n’ loyal fan base, and has soared to one of the most successful independent artists of this decade. The buzz surrounding the group continues to increase with each successive release; their album catalog sales have topped the 700,000 mark and the group continues to fill the most prestigious concert venues around the world.

The Slightly Stoopid story can be traced to Ocean Beach, California, when childhood chums Miles and Kyle formed the group in 1995, mixing reggae and punk sounds into one smooth stylistic cocktail. Soon after, late/great Sublime frontman Brad Nowell caught wind of the group, and signed them to his Skunk Records label – while the band members were still in high school. A pair of releases soon followed for Skunk - 1996's punk-tinged Slightly $toopid (featuring a guest appearance by Nowell on the song “Prophet” – later covered by Sublime and released on their box set, Everything Under the Sun) and 1998's surf-inspired cult classic Longest Barrel Ride.

Read more: Slightly Stoopid featuring special guests Rebirth and Ivan Neville

DUB Artists Profiles - Reggae Heros

Toots and his band were on the road for much of 2008. The veteran unit covered the gamut: playing the European festival circuit, touring the United States with Grammy winners Sheryl Crow and James Blunt and performing at a private party for Elvis Presley's grandson.

"I am sure that Toots tours more than any other reggae act out of Jamaica consistently. He has created a whole new fan base which comes from touring and working so much with international acts like the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffett, Los Lonely Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt, Ben Harper and many others," said Mike Cacia, the group's manager.

Read more about Toots and other top Jamaican acts successful tours in this article from the Jamaican Gleaner.