Slightly Stoopid w/ SOJA
Marymoor Park, Seattle, WA
06.15.16
It was 67-degrees, partly sunny, with dramatic clouds in the sky at Marymoor Park. A perfect day for a bit of reggae and relaxation in Redmond courtesy of Slightly Stoopid and SOJA.
First on the stage was Washington D.C’s SOJA, an 8-piece roots reggae band to the core. SOJA has made a name for themselves over the years touring with bands such as O.A.R, Allen Stone, Dave Matthews Band, and Michael Franti, playing at some of the biggest festivals in the United States. Their brand of reggae is one continuous flow of happy beats and joyful rhythms. Like Phish, but reggae.
Lead singer Jacob Hemphill effortlessly traveled the stage, allowing his band to shine in their individual ways, especially when saxophonist Hellman Escorcia stepped up to melt the faces off the front row of fans. Bassist Bobby Lee – nicknamed “Bumble Blee” – flew around the stage with nonstop energy and style. The highlight of their set was a rousing percussion battle leading into the song “I Believe,” an anthem of self-discovery and optimism. The crowd was clapping happily and Lee twirled his dreadlocks like a helicopter until the end of the song. A perfect end to a great opening set.
Performing for almost 20 years together, SS’s multi-instrumentalist co-founders and lead singers Kyle McDonald and Miles Doughty immediately got the crowd on their feet with “Stones,” the first song on their first stop of the Return of the Red Eye tour. Their stage was simple (just a background with an abstract skull), just like their music: a simple formula of combining California sunshine, classic reggae, a hint of jam band, with a funk backbone.
Along with the six other members of the band, Mcdonald and Doughty seamlessly switched guitar and bass on many occasions during their set, showing off their considerable musical chops. Speaking of musical chops, the band as a whole performed with a high level of musicianship and truly showed a relaxed chemistry together.
The crowd of the show was a diverse mix of groups of young adults donning ponchos and whimsical “festival” wear to families who brought their kids all decked out in “Dirty Heads” t-shirts or hipster kiddo fashions. They swayed to the grooves of SS, as the band sailed through their catalogue with ease. Even though the grooves were relaxed and breezy, SS kept the energy high.
As the sun made its descent, it lit the sky on fire with a most memorable sunset. Like kismet, this natural firework show began at the beginning of “Collie Man,” a song dedicated to a friend of the band who had passed away. They pointed to the sky, encouraged the crowd to do the same, and began to play the deeply personal song. They closed the set with a memorable five song encore that began with the “Cantina Song” from Star Wars that really put the crowd into a frenzy and ended with crowd favorite “Serious Man.” Even though the name of the tour was Return of the Red Eye, the men of SS kept the admiring crowd’s eyes open with their infectious energy and genuine joy.
Review and photos by Phillip Johnson
Slightly Stoopid
SOJA
