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Soul Coughing

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Soul Coughing
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded1992
FounderMike Doughty, Mark Degli Antoni, Sebastian Steinberg, Yuval Gabay
Defunct2000 (hiatus)
FateDisbanded in 2000; reunion tour announced in 2024
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Area served
United States
Key people
Mike Doughty (vocalist, guitarist), Mark Degli Antoni (keyboardist, sampler), Sebastian Steinberg (bassist), Yuval Gabay (drummer)
ProductsMusic albums, live performances
Number of employees
4 (band members)

Soul Coughing is a U.S.-based alternative rock ensemble composed of vocalist and guitarist Mike Doughty, keyboardist and sampler Mark Degli Antoni, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and drummer Yuval Gabay. The group cultivated a dedicated following and earned favorable reviews from critics. Steve Huey of AllMusic labeled them as "One of the most distinctive cult acts of the 1990s," notable for merging frontman M. Doughty's stream-of-consciousness lyricism with an innovative fusion of improvisational jazz rhythms, atypical samples, hip-hop, electronic textures, and avant-garde sounds. Doughty described their music as "deep slacker jazz." The band ceased activity in 2000.

In June 2024, Soul Coughing revealed plans for a reunion, embarking on a U.S. tour slated for September and October. They also made their first television appearance in many years on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Career

All members of Soul Coughing were frequent performers at The Knitting Factory, a New York City venue pivotal to the experimental downtown scene during the 1980s and 1990s. Doughty worked there as a doorman, gaining recognition for his spontaneous comedic rap-like performances, while the other musicians participated in various other bands.[1][2] Doughty, Degli Antoni, and Steinberg participated in iterations of John Zorn's Cobra, featuring on John Zorn's Cobra: Live at the Knitting Factory (recorded in 1992 and released in 1995).[3] Their debut performance under the name "M. Doughty's Soul Coughing" took place on June 15, 1992 at the Knitting Factory.

Within twelve months, they secured a contract with Slash Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros.[1] They produced three studio albums: Ruby Vroom (1994), Irresistible Bliss (1996), and El Oso (1998), with the latter showcasing a pronounced influence from drum and bass.[4] Both Irresistible Bliss and El Oso made appearances on the Billboard 200.[5] The band achieved modest chart success with singles such as "Soundtrack to Mary" and "Super Bon Bon".[6]

In 1996, Soul Coughing contributed to the AIDS awareness compilation Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip, produced by the Red Hot Organization. Their track "Unmarked Helicopters" appeared on Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files. Additionally, their songs were featured on several film soundtracks: "The Bug" for Batman & Robin, "Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago" for Tommy Boy, and "A Plane Scraped Its Belly On A Sooty Yellow Moon" featuring Roni Size for Spawn. The track "Super Bon Bon" was included in the soundtrack for the video game Gran Turismo 2 released in 1999.

The song "Circles" from their album El Oso reached number eight on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart,[6] and was notably used in a Cartoon Network advertisement that humorously referenced repetitive cartoon backgrounds.[7][8]

Soul Coughing disbanded in the year 2000.[1][9] Post-breakup, Mark Degli Antoni shifted his focus towards composing film scores,[1] while Mike Doughty embarked on an extensive solo career that occasionally revisits reinterpretations of Soul Coughing material.[10]

A compilation album titled Lust in Phaze, which includes selected B-sides alongside hits, was released in 2002. Rhino Records reissued all three studio albums on vinyl in 2015; this re-release marked the debut vinyl pressing of Ruby Vroom.[11] In addition, Swedish label Woah Dad! acquired the rights to Soul Coughing's back catalog from Slash Records in 2017.[12]

Soul Coughing was honored with a star at Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, an accolade bestowed upon artists who have either sold out shows or significantly impacted the venue's cultural landscape.[13][14][15] The band enjoyed exceptional popularity in Minneapolis due to frequent airplay on alternative radio station Rev105 and regularly performed before crowds five to ten times larger than those at their other venues.[16]

In February 2022, Mike Doughty reunited onstage with Sebastian Steinberg during Steinberg's Watkins Family Hour performance in Los Angeles. Together they played Soul Coughing tracks "Super Bon Bon" and "True Dreams of Wichita," marking their first joint live appearance since the band's dissolution in 2000.[17]

At the close of June 2024, Soul Coughing confirmed a reunion tour featuring all original members set for September and October 2024.[18] On September 12th they performed "Super Bon Bon" live on Jimmy Kimmel Live, commemorating the Ruby Vroom album's 30th anniversary.[19]

Studio Albums

Summary of Soul Coughing studio albums
Album Title Release Information Highest Chart Rankings
US CAN
Ruby Vroom
  • Launch Date: September 27, 1994
  • Record Label: Slash/Warner Bros.
  • Available Formats: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
 — —
Irresistible Bliss
  • Launch Date: July 9, 1996
  • Record Label: Slash/Warner Bros.
  • Available Formats: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
 136 —
El Oso
  • Launch Date: September 29, 1998
  • Record Label: Slash/Warner Bros.
  • Available Formats: CD, Cassette, Vinyl
 49 69
"—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts.

Compilation Albums

Compilation releases by Soul Coughing
Album Title Release Details
Lust in Phaze
  • Launch Date: March 19, 2002
  • Record Label: Slash/Rhino
  • Format: CD

Live Recordings

Soul Coughing live album catalog
Album Title Release Information
Tokyo, Japan 03.02.97
  • Release Year: 2004
  • Label: Kufala Recordings
  • Recording Dates: February 2–3, 1997
New York, NY 16.08.99
  • Release Date: January 4, 2005
  • Label: Kufala Recordings
  • Recording Date: August 16, 1999
Berlin/Amsterdam 1997
  • Release Date: January 4, 2005
  • Label: Kufala Recordings
  • Recording Year: 1997
Rennes, France 03.12.94
  • Release Date: January 4, 2005
  • Label: Kufala Recordings
  • Recording Date: December 3, 1994
LIVE 2024
  • Release Date: April 4, 2025
  • Label: SC24 Inc. / Independent Release (Self-published)
  • Recording Year: 2024

Singles

Soul Coughing singles chart performance overview
Year Issued Single Title Highest Chart Positions in US Markets Associated Album
US
Alternative 		US
Mainstream Rock 		US
Bubbling Under
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"

—

—

—

Music Videos

Year Released Album Video Title Director(s)
1995 Ruby Vroom "Down to This" "Mark Kohr"
"Screenwriter's Blues" "Jim McKay"
1996 Irresistible Bliss "Soundtrack to Mary" "John Flansburgh and Norwood Cheek"
"Super Bon Bon" "Jamie Caliri"
1998 'El Oso' 'Circles' 'Chris Applebaum'


External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named allmusic1
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  3. ↑ Yanow, S. AllMusic Review Archived April 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine accessed October 24, 2013
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