Pearl Drums - Artist News Article

Slightly Stoopid Live: Legalize It - 2010 Tour7/22/2010Pearl artists Ryan Moran and Oguer "OG" Ocon, or Slightly Stoopid, rock the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, CA.Last week, the Legalize It Tour made its way to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, California, where Slightly Stoopid rocked to over 12,000 people in their first night of the 5 week tour. On display throughout the night was one of Pearl’s finest drummer/percussionist duos in Ryan Moran, on drums, and Oguer “O.G.” Ocon, on percussion, who’s drumming molds together to give Slightly Stoopid the backbone and the groove that has established them as one of the biggest bands of their genre. With several years of touring, recording, and playing together on a nightly basis, Ryan and OG’s musical chemistry combines to find the perfect rhythms to compliment each other’s playing. While Ryan’s groove and feel tends to drive the songs, OG’s accents and rhythmic fill the arenas adding depth and layers to the music.

When it comes to getting the warmth that he needs throughout his kit, Ryan Moran turns to his Pearl Reference Series in Twilight Fade to give him the tones that he wants. Since most of Slightly Stoopid’s music is more groove oriented, Ryan insists on being able to pull a full bodied tone out of each drum, turning to the wood combinations of the Reference Series to do so. With his 8”, 10”, 12”, 16” tom combination, Ryan is able to diversify his playing with the 3 different wood compositions in each of his toms. The 14x6.5 Reference Series snare also provides Ryan with the perfect combination of crack, body, and attack when needing to open the feel of the song more, but also provides the sensitivity desired when lying back in the pocket.

O.G.’s work with Slightly Stoopid is essential for giving them their unmistakable sound and feel. Working with a smaller setup than most percussionists that are selling out amphitheaters, O.G.’s rhythmic understanding of each song allows for him to provide so much towards each groove, while needing so little to work with. Armed with a set of Richie Flores Signature Congas and Bongos, O.G. uses the oak shells to provide the right amount of pitch to cut through the deep bass tones that come with the Slightly Stoopid sound. Alongside his hand percussion, O.G. also uses a combination of Pearl clave blocks, bells, and shakers to add definition to each song, which helps to accent Ryan’s work behind the kit.

For more information on Slightly Stoopid, and to see what the remainder of their tour dates look like, please visit them online at www.slightlystoopid.com. Also be sure to check out the pictures from their sound-check which can be found below…