| Soul Coughing | |
| Origin: | New York City, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 1992–2000, 2024 |
| Label: | Slash/Warner Bros. |
| Current Members: | Mike Doughty Mark Degli Antoni Sebastian Steinberg Yuval Gabay |
Soul Coughing is an American alternative rock band composed of vocalist/guitarist Mike Doughty (also known as M. Doughty), keyboardist/sampler Mark Degli Antoni, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and drummer Yuval Gabay. They developed a devout fanbase and garnered largely positive response from critics. Steve Huey of AllMusic described the band as "One of the most unique cult bands of the '90s...Driven by frontman M. Doughty's stream-of-consciousness poetry, Soul Coughing's sound was a willfully idiosyncratic mix of improvisational jazz grooves, oddball samples, hip hop, electronics, and noisy experimentalism".[1] Doughty described the band's sound as "deep slacker jazz".[2] The group broke up in 2000.
In June 2024, the group announced it would reunite for a United States tour in September and October of the same year.[3] It made its first television appearance in decades on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[4]
All four Soul Coughing members were regulars at The Knitting Factory, a New York City nightclub and performance venue that was part of the 1980s and 1990s experimental downtown scene. Doughty was a doorman known for his improvised comedic quasi-raps, while the others appeared at the Knitting Factory in various bands.[5] Doughty, Degli Antoni, and Steinberg all performed in versions of John Zorn's composition Cobra, appearing on (recorded 1992, released 1995).[6]
Within a year of its formation, the band was signed to Slash Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records. The group released three albums: Ruby Vroom (1994), Irresistible Bliss (1996) and El Oso (1998), with the latter showing a marked drum and bass influence.[7] Irresistible Bliss and El Oso both reached the Billboard 200 albums chart.[8] The band enjoyed minor hit singles with "Soundtrack to Mary" and "Super Bon Bon".[9]
In 1996, Soul Coughing contributed to the AIDS benefit album , produced by the Red Hot Organization. Also in 1996, one of the group's songs, "Unmarked Helicopters", was included in the . The band also placed songs in the soundtracks to the films Batman & Robin ("The Bug"), Tommy Boy ("Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago") and Spawn ("A Plane Scraped It’s Belly On A Sooty Yellow Moon", featuring. Roni Size). Their song "Super Bon Bon" was included on the soundtrack for the video game Gran Turismo 2 in 1999.
The 1998 song "Circles" from El Oso reached #8 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, and was used as the soundtrack to a Cartoon Network extended commercial that poked fun at repeating cartoon backgrounds.[10] [11]
Soul Coughing broke up in 2000.[12] Mark Degli Antoni moved on to a career as a film score composer, while Mike Doughty began a prolific solo career, occasionally revisiting Soul Coughing songs in new styles.[13]
Lust in Phaze, a greatest hits compilation including a few B-sides, was released in 2002. Rhino Records reissued Soul Coughing's three studio albums on 180-gram black vinyl in 2015, marking the first time Ruby Vroom had been pressed to vinyl.[14] In 2017, Swedish record label Woah Dad! acquired Soul Coughing's back catalog from Slash Records.[15]
Soul Coughing was honored with a star on the outside mural of Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,[16] which recognizes performers who have played sold-out shows or otherwise made major cultural contributions to the iconic venue.[17] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis", according to journalist Steve Marsh.[18] Soul Coughing was especially popular in Minneapolis, thanks to airplay on alternative radio station Rev 105, and regularly performed there to audiences five to ten times larger than in other cities.[19]
In February 2022, Doughty and Steinberg performed together in Los Angeles during Steinberg's set for Watkins Family Hour. The duo performed Soul Coughing songs "Super Bon Bon" and "True Dreams of Wichita", which marked the first occasion members of Soul Coughing appeared on stage together since the split in 2000.[20]
At the end of June 2024, Soul Coughing reformed with all the original members and announced that there would be a short tour with limited shows throughout September and October 2024.[21] On September 12th, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ruby Vroom, the band performed "Super Bon Bon" live on Jimmy Kimmel Live.[22]
| Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [23] | ||||||||||
| Ruby Vroom |
| — | ||||||||
| Irresistible Bliss |
| 136 | ||||||||
| El Oso |
| 49 | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||||||
| Details | ||
| Lust in Phaze |
|
|---|
| Details | ||
| Tokyo, Japan 03.02.97 |
| |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY 16.08.99 |
| |
| Berlin/Amsterdam 1997 |
| |
| Rennes, France 03.12.94 |
| |
| Live Rarities |
|
| Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt. [24] | US Main. [25] | US Bub. [26] | ||||||||
| 1994 | "Down to This" | — | — | — | Ruby Vroom | |||||
| 1995 | "Sugar Free Jazz" | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Screenwriter's Blues" | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1996 | "Soundtrack to Mary" | 37 | — | — | Irresistible Bliss | |||||
| "Super Bon Bon" | 27 | — | — | |||||||
| 1997 | "Soft Serve" | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1998 | "Circles" | 8 | 38 | 24 | El Oso | |||||
| "St. Louise Is Listening" | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1999 | "Rolling" | — | — | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||||||
| 1995 | Ruby Vroom | Down to This | Mark Kohr | |
| Screenwriter's Blues | Jim McKay (director) | |||
| 1996 | Irresistible Bliss | Soundtrack to Mary | John FlansburghNorwood Cheek | |
| Super Bon Bon | Jamie Caliri | |||
| 1998 | El Oso | Circles | Chris Applebaum |