For the first time in over 25 years, the original members of SOUL COUGHING are touring together. April 25 saw the NYC band pack the house at Rochester’s Water Street Music Hall.
Known for quirky lyrics that bring together the sounds of jazz, funk, and hip hop, Soul Coughing rose to popularity in the early to mid 90s thanks to loads of airplay on college airwaves and not for profit stations such as local favorite WBER, which singer Mike Doughty graciously thanked all the fans for.
If it wasn’t for stations like WBER, we wouldn’t be here tonight. And if it wasn’t for us, you wouldn’t be here.
M. Doughty
After eight years together, Doughty along with Yuval Gabay (percussion), Mark Degli Antoni (keys), and Sebastian Steinberg (bass) decided to disband in 2000 and pursue other interests. Doughty went on the solo path, releasing 18 albums and EPs while Degli Antoni began scoring music for film.
While the band has not released new music in quite some time, there is still a cult like following as shown by the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd at Water Street Music Hall. Moving from the photo pit to the back of the venue was like Chris Farley trying to shimmy through a racked set of bowling pins. Needless to say, the crowd was plentiful and chill, as many of them were reliving their high school days.
Moving through the 90-minute set with relative ease and pleasure, Doughty was visibly moved by the crowd and their involvement with each song. A smile hidden behind the facial hair, paired with a gaze over the crowd gives proof that getting the band back together was a sound decision.
With the set winding down, the crowd was thanked again for all the support over the past 33 years and provided instructions for the remainder of the set. “We are going to play the fake last song, you’re going cheer as we exit and then we will come back out acting surprised and then play two more songs.”
33 years after their first album, 25 years after they last played together, and various other happenings, Soul Coughing still sounds like they did the first time I heard them on WBER from the two speakers in my Plymouth Horizon. New live album is out now, check your favorite streaming service.
Soul Coughing – Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, NY – Friday, April 25, 2025
Setlist: Bus to Beelzebub, Casitone Nation, White Girl, Soft Serve, Blue Eyed Devil, The Idiot Kings, Sugar Free Jazz, Uh Zoom Zip, I Miss the Girl, Dow to This, Misinformed, Disseminated, True Dreams of Wichita, Moon Sammy, St. Louise Is Listening, Mr. Bitterness, Circles, Rolling, Screenwriter’s Blues
Encore: Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago, Super Bon Bon
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