Slightly Stoopid, Sprung Monkey and Clark W. Griswald

When you see young bands play, you get excited for them, because they look so cute on the stage. That was how I felt about Griswald as they started to play. However, their virgin-like attitude quickly faded as they got used to the stage and began to rock. The quintet was entertaining, with their use of hard bass lines, cool drums and one or two borrowed melodies. The vocals went well with the simple, strong guitar. Griswald ultimately entertained their friends and family, along with the feeble audience that established themselves beneath the band.
Sprung Monkey followed Griswald in an amazing display of fat guitar riffs, cool vocals, a deep bass and continuous drums that stitched the whole thing together. Their melodic tunes and smart and fast guitar jams were amazing, amidst their brisk drums and rockin' bass that just drove the songs home. S.M. played three or four cover songs, one of which was Leonard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama," but of course Alabama was replaced by San Diego. They also covered a Bad Religion song that Sublime covered on 40oz to Freedom, "We're Only Going to Die From Our Own Arrogance." The guys of Sprung Monkey look cool on the stage, while acting relaxed and entertaining. More of a crowd showed up to pay homage to S.M. and even got a few requests in by the end of the set.
Soon, Slightly Stoopid took over and just nailed their set. While they seemed younger and less experienced than Sprung Monkey, they really knew how to attract and entertain an audience. The soft voices, tight drums and reggae vibe, made Slightly Stoopid rock. Their beats changed periodically from cool Rasta to punk. The echoes made the sound deep and loose. The sound was cool and smooth; where at some points, the four piece seemed to reflect their Sublime predecessors and influence. They also have a great sound on their own. They not only play reggae and punk, but they can also mix the two sounds just as good as the next band. They take what others have done and expand on it beautifully with creative vocals and smooth melodies.
Slightly Stoopid was quite entertaining, but Sprung Monkey stole the show, for they rocked with talent, experience, style and by just being cool.

-by Brooke Haley
- photos by Matt Muirhead

Bookmark: