Soul Coughing was an American alternative rock band composed of vocalist/guitarist Mike Doughty, keyboardist/sampler Mark Degli Antoni, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and drummer Yuval Gabay. Soul Coughing developed a devout fanbase and garnered largely positive response from critics. Steve Huey of AllMusic describes the band as "one of the most unusual cult bands of the 1990s... driven by frontman Mike 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." The band's sound was described by Doughty as "deep slacker jazz."
Recording career
All of the members of Soul Coughing were regulars at The Knitting Factory, a New York City nightclub and performance venue that was part of the experimental downtown scene of the 1980s and 1990s. 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's composition Cobra, appearing on '." Within a year of their formation, the band was signed to Slash Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records. They released three albums: Ruby Vroom, Irresistible Bliss, and El Oso, with the latter showing a marked drum and bass influence. Irresistible Bliss and El Oso both reached the Billboard 200 albums chart. They enjoyed minor hit singles with "Soundtrack to Mary" and "Super Bon Bon." In 1996, Soul Coughing contributed to the AIDSbenefit album' produced by the Red Hot Organization. Also in 1996, the song "Unmarked Helicopters" was included in the . The band also placed songs in the soundtracks to the films Batman & Robin, Tommy Boy and Spawn. Their song "Super Bon Bon" was included on the soundtrack for the PlayStation game Gran Turismo 2 in 1999 and the soundtrack for the 2K Sports video gameThe Bigs 2 in 2009. The song "Circles" from El Oso reached #8 on the BillboardAlternative Songs chart, and was used as the soundtrack to a Cartoon Network extended commercial that poked fun at repeating cartoon backgrounds. Soul Coughing broke up in 2000, after years of feuding over songwriting credits and publishing. 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. 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. This marks 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 the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh. Despite being from New York, Soul Coughing was especially popular in Minneapolis thanks to airplay on alternative radio station Rev 105, and regularly performed to audiences 5 to 10 times larger than in other cities.
