Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, and 311

In a way, this band could only hail from a place called Open Beach. The uniting thing about their music is its sense of carefree abandon; it’s the sound of an endless summer, a spring break that’s everything you could possibly want and more. Needless to say, it’s pretty awesome that way.

One of the most impressive things about the band is that in their nineteen years as a band they’ve been built around the same core duo of founding members, multi-instrumentalists and childhood friends Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald. Their chemistry and artistry, not to mention their friendship, have been the driving forces behind the band in a way that few bands before or since have replicated.

They formed the band in high school and soon afterwards they were discovered by Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, who signed them to his label where in 1996, they released their debut album “Slightly $toopid”. They’ve since released a total of seven studio albums but for all their quality and experience as musicians, it’s the bands live show that’s made them the band they are to this day.

Few bands have a more welcoming, inclusive spirit at their shows than Slightly Stoopid, both the founding members of the band credit their fans with making them what they are today. That gratitude is pretty much tangible when they perform, and they give back in turn with every riotous skank, every crowd surfing bass player, and every ounce of positivity they possess.

They may be a cult band, but they’re the kind of cult that welcomes newcomers of all shapes, sizes and colours. Anyone would do very well to be a part of it the next chance they get.

Formed of vocalist/guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson, bassist Aaron “P-Nut” Wills, and drummer Chad Sexton, the band derived their name from the Omaha Police Department’s code for indecent exposure after the band’s original guitarist was arrested for streaking. That guitarist, Jim Watson, departed the group shortly after the band's conception and was replaced by Tim Mahoney. The band began honing their skills, performing in the local area before moving to Los Angeles, California and signing with Capricorn Records in 1991.

During the 1990s, 311 released a string of albums including the well-received “Music” in 1992, “Grassroots” in 1993, and 1995’s eponymously-titled album, otherwise known as “The Blue Album”. The latter peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, helped by the singles “All Mixed Up” and “Down” eventually selling over three million copies in the U.S.

311’s 1996 was consumed by nonstop, relentless touring, which the band showed off with their live home video “Enlarged to Show Detail”. Subsequently the modern rockers released the album “Transistor” in 1997, a platinum selling release, which led to the the album “Live” cataloging 311’s live shows. “Soundsystem” arrived in 1999 before the group switched to label Volcano Records for their sixth studio album “From Chaos”, which was issued in 2001.

The band’s seventh album “Evolver” turned out to be their worst ever performing material in 2003, however went on to release a “Greatest Hits” compilation of hit singles to celebrate over 10 years as a group together. New material arrived in 2005 with the band’s eighth full-length album “Don’t Tread on Me” followed by “Uplifter” in 2009, “Universal Pulse” in 2011, and “Stereolithic” in 2014.

The members of Reel Big Fish have shuffled around numerous times throughout the years, with Aaron Barrett as the consistent lead singer of the group. The original trio also included bassist Matt Wong and drummer Andrew Gonzales. They started off producing music independently and their demo “In The Good Old Days” was finished in 1992. After the EP was released the band focused their music on a decidedly ska sound and sought to emulate predecessors like No Doubt and Sublime.

Their first true ska album called “Everything Sucks,” released in 1995 snagged the attention of indie label Mojo Records and Reel Big Fish successfully recorded and released “Turn the Radio Off” the following year. The hit single “Sell Out” garnered mainstream success and made the Billboard charts for 32 weeks. The single also became a favorite on MTV.

Reel Big Fish put out a second album called “Why Do They Rock So Hard” in 1998 and although the album was appreciated by an underground audience, it failed to gain as much mainstream attention as their first album did. Reel Big Fish made their cinematic debut in the film “BASEketball” where they performed in a short cameo role. They also contributed to the soundtrack with a cover of a-ha’s “Take On Me.”

The band transitioned to Jive Records in 2001 and released the more rock and less ska album “Cheer Up!” in 2002. They supported the album with a tour with fellow rock bands Sum 41, Catch 22, Lucky Boys Confusion, Matches, and Zebrahead. Since 2006 Reel Big Fish has departed from Jive Records and self-produces music once again.