Cider Mag
Exclusive
I n t e r v i ew
with RyMo of Slightly Stoopid:
Slightly
Stoopid
Summer Sessions Hits Boston &
Gathering of the Vibes (July 31stAug. 1st)
By Juliana Wilson
“We’ve been fairly busy this year,” said Ryan
“RyMo” Moran, the drummer of the popular Reggae-Rock band, Slightly Stoopid from Ocean Beach,
California. Stoopid, known for their ambitious touring schedules, has been to Costa Rica and Brazil
this year, as well as all over the States, during their
Spring Tour 2014.
The band spent June flying out to the X-Games in
Texas, and to perform for tens of thousands of festival-goers for the first time at Bonnaroo. “I really
enjoyed it, great lineup, good show, great turnout,”
RyMo commented “We had about 10-15K fans at
our show!” Karl Denson, the band’s rotating saxophonist who fills in the horn section, was able to join
Stoopid for their Bonnaroo. Denson, who has been
busy this past spring touring with his band Karl
Denson’s Tiny Universe in support of their recent
release, New Ammo (Stoopid Records), is scheduled
to join Stoopid on the majority of the dates for their
Summer Sessions 2014 Tour.
Slightly Stoopid’s Summer Sessions 2014 Tour
will also host supporting artists, Stephen Marley,
Cypress Hill, NOFX and their longtime friend and
touring partner G. Love and Special Sauce. (G. Love
& Special Sauce also have a new album, Sugar, to
celebrate their 20th anniversary.) Summer Sessions
2014 will bring Stoopid back to the Blue Hills Bank
Pavilion in Boston on Thursday, July 31st (with Stephen Marley and G. Love & Special Sauce), followed
by their first performance on the Gathering of the
Vibes main stage on Friday, August 1st in Bridgeport, CT.
As a huge fan of Stoopid, I was extremely excit-
14 • CIDER MAG • cidermag.com
ed to get an interview with RyMo a couple weeks
ago, while he was at home in San Diego, enjoying
some down time from his busy touring schedule to
be with his wife (who is expecting another baby this
year) and his one-year-old child. RyMo, who is a lifelong surfer and currently training for an upcoming
triathlon as well, is one of the most down to earth,
chill musicians I’ve ever met. He is very comfortable
to talk with, while remaining very professional, and
our interview immediately felt, to me, like a conversation with a friend.
Read my exclusive interview with Stoopid’s
drummer RyMo below to hear what he has to say
about returning to Boston, playing Gathering of the
Vibes, Summer Sessions, Stoopid’s upcoming album,
NOFX and so much more!
Juliana: New England is lucky that we get to have
Stoopid back in Boston and at Gathering of the Vibes this
summer. Do you have any special feelings about Boston?
RyMO: We have a handful of guys that are from the
area, and for half of the band it’s a homecoming. Our keyboard player [Paul W.] lives in Boston full-time, and our
sax player [Dela] spent years in Boston, and they used to
play with John Brown’s Body. Last summer my wife came
out while we were [in Boston] and we got to cruise around
and went to little Italy, and got a chance to explore. I love
Boston and think it’s a great city! Love it, really nice spot
for a summer show, right there on the water. This will be
our first time at Gathering of the Vibes. Heard a lot about
it and can’t wait to check it out. I’ve heard so many good
things!
July• 2014