Buffalo experienced an influx of Californians last week. The San Diego-based Slightly Stoopid came to Artpark on July 27 on their “Return of The Red Eye” East Coast Tour which began in June and will continue until August 28 to promote their newest album ‘Meanwhile... Back at the Lab.’ Surprisingly, they chose to focus on content from the mid 2000s while their newest, jam-centric material received little play.

The show began with the Oakland-centered Zion I crew which will be releasing “The Labyrinth” on September 23. The band announced “We need the special stuff. We need it!” It is not surprising that the band has developed the reputation and following that they have considering past albums like ‘Slightly Not Stoned Enough’(2008) and ‘Chronchitis’(2007). They focused on earlier material such as “Baby I like It” and “Ocean” from that second album.

The 8-man band has been active for 17 years. They launched Stoopid Records in 1999 to ensure creative control of their songwriting, recording, and the production process. Recently, the band’s performance of “Franklin’s Tower,” with Bob Weir, founding member of The Grateful Dead, aired on Tamalpais Research Institute Studio's sonically accurate webcast, which was covered by Hank Shteamer of Rolling Stone on July 27. This is a beginning to cementing their place in rock 'n'roll history. Their approach was innovative, with a more frenetic tempo and vicious backbeat, and Weir and Slightly Stoopid guitarist, Doughty, alternated vocals where Jerry Garcia’s solo originally was.