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Soul Coughing is an American
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band composed of vocalist/guitarist
Mike Doughty Michael Ross Doughty ( ; born June 10, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and author. He founded the band Soul Coughing in 1992, and as of '' The Heart Watches While the Brain Burns'' (2016), has released 18 studio albums, live albums, and ...
(also known as M. Doughty), keyboardist/sampler
Mark Degli Antoni Mark degli Antoni (sometimes credited as Mark De Gli Antoni) is an American composer, known for his work as co-founder and keyboard sampler for the band Soul Coughing from 1992 to 2000.Huey, Steve.Soul Coughing - Biography, AllMusic.com. He studie ...
, bassist
Sebastian Steinberg Sebastian Steinberg (born February 20, 1959) is an American double bass, bass player, best known for his work in the band Soul Coughing. Biography Steinberg played with Soul Coughing throughout the band's entire history, from 1992 to 2000. In 200 ...
, and drummer Yuval Gabay. They developed a devout fanbase and garnered largely positive response from
critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...
. Steve Huey of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
described the band as "One of the most unique
cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...
bands of the '90s. Driven by frontman M. Doughty's
stream-of-consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. It is usually in the form of an interior monologue which i ...
poetry, Soul Coughing's sound was a willfully idiosyncratic mix of improvisational
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
grooves Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station * ...
, oddball samples,
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
,
electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
, and noisy
experimentalism Experimentalism is the philosophical belief that the way to truth is through experiments and empiricism. It is also associated with instrumentalism, the belief that truth should be evaluated based upon its demonstrated usefulness. Experimentalism is ...
". Doughty described the band's sound as "deep
slacker A slacker is someone who habitually work aversion, avoids work or lacks work ethic. Origin According to different sources, the term "slacker" dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the UK, British Gezira Sche ...
jazz". 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. It made its first television appearance in decades on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...
''.


Career

All four Soul Coughing members were regulars at
The Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment and is co-owned and co-operated by Knitting Factory Entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United Stat ...
, a New York City nightclub and performance venue that was part of the 1980s and 1990s experimental
downtown scene Downtown music is a subdivision of American music, closely related to experimental music, which developed in downtown Manhattan in the 1960s. History The scene the term describes began in 1960, when Yoko Ono, one of the early Fluxus artists, o ...
. Doughty was a doorman known for his improvised comedic quasi-raps, while the others appeared at the Knitting Factory in various bands. Doughty, Degli Antoni, and Steinberg all performed in versions of
John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...
's composition ''
Cobra COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...
'', appearing on '' John Zorn's Cobra: Live at the Knitting Factory'' (recorded 1992, released 1995). Within a year of its formation, the band was signed to
Slash Records Slash Records was an American record label originally specializing in local punk rock bands, active from 1978 to 2000. It was notable as one of the first and most successful independent record labels in alternative music, before its eventual acq ...
, a subsidiary of
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
. The group released three albums: ''
Ruby Vroom ''Ruby Vroom'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Soul Coughing, released in 1994. The album's sound is a mixture of sample-based tunes (loops of Raymond Scott's " Powerhouse" on "Bus to Beelzebub", Toots and the Maytals, Howlin' Wol ...
'' (1994), ''
Irresistible Bliss ''Irresistible Bliss'' is the second studio album by the American electronic music group Soul Coughing, released in 1996. The band initially planned for Tchad Blake, producer of their first album ''Ruby Vroom'', to produce the album, but the deat ...
'' (1996) and ''
El Oso ''El Oso'' (Spanish for ''The Bear'') is the third and final studio album by the New York City band Soul Coughing, released on September 29, 1998, by Slash Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album received generally positive critical recepti ...
'' (1998), with the latter showing a marked
drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...
influence. ''
Irresistible Bliss ''Irresistible Bliss'' is the second studio album by the American electronic music group Soul Coughing, released in 1996. The band initially planned for Tchad Blake, producer of their first album ''Ruby Vroom'', to produce the album, but the deat ...
'' and ''
El Oso ''El Oso'' (Spanish for ''The Bear'') is the third and final studio album by the New York City band Soul Coughing, released on September 29, 1998, by Slash Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album received generally positive critical recepti ...
'' both reached the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
albums chart. The band enjoyed minor hit
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
with "Soundtrack to Mary" and "Super Bon Bon". In 1996, Soul Coughing contributed to the
AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
benefit album '' Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip'', produced by the
Red Hot Organization ''Red Hot Organization'' (RHO) is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization with goals to promote diversity through equal access to healthcare through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors ...
. Also in 1996, one of the group's songs, "Unmarked Helicopters", was included in the '' Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files''. The band also placed songs in the soundtracks to the films '' Batman & Robin'' ("The Bug"), ''
Tommy Boy ''Tommy Boy'' is a 1995 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, produced by Lorne Michaels, and starring soon-to-be former ''Saturday Night Live'' castmates and close friends Chris Farley and D ...
'' ("Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago") and ''
Spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawning, the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** ''Spawn: Armageddon' ...
'' ("A Plane Scraped Its Belly On A Sooty Yellow Moon", featuring
Roni Size Ryan Owen Granville Williams (born 29 October 1969), better known by his stage name Roni Size, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and frontman of Roni Size & Reprazent, a drum and bass collective. ...
). Their song "Super Bon Bon" was included on the soundtrack for the video game ''
Gran Turismo 2 ''Gran Turismo 2'' is a 1999 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to '' Gran Turismo'', the second installment of the '' Gran Turismo'' series, a ...
'' 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 Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
extended commercial that poked fun at repeating cartoon backgrounds. Soul Coughing broke up in 2000. Mark Degli Antoni moved on to a career as a
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
composer, while Mike Doughty began a prolific solo career, occasionally revisiting Soul Coughing songs in new styles. '' Lust in Phaze'', a greatest hits compilation including a few
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
s, 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. In 2017, Swedish record label Woah Dad! acquired Soul Coughing's back catalog from Slash Records. Soul Coughing was honored with a star on the outside mural of
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
nightclub First Avenue, which recognizes performers who have played sold-out shows or otherwise made major cultural contributions to the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis", according to journalist Steve Marsh. 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. 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. 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. On September 12th, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of ''Ruby Vroom'', the band performed "Super Bon Bon" live on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live''.


Discography


Albums


Compilations


Live albums


Singles


Music videos


References


External links


Soul Coughing Underground
– An unofficial website including a discography, guitar tablature, and other information * *
Soul Coughing collection
at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
's live music archive *
Suckerfied Assman Tripping In His Own Dribble: An Appreciation of Soul Coughing (No Ripcord feature)
{{Authority control 1992 establishments in New York City 2000 disestablishments in New York (state) Alternative rock groups from New York (state) Musical groups disestablished in 2000 Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups from New York City Slash Records artists