Fans are buzzing with excitement for a reunion that many, including the band, said would never happen. After Soul Coughing announced a 17-date American tour, they have now introduced venue upgrades for certain shows and are kicking off the tour earlier with an extra date in San Diego. The tour concludes with a two-night celebration at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, NY, on October 4 and 5.
From the original announcement: The four members of Soul Coughing have repeatedly told audiences, fans, and journalists: “We will not reunite. Stop asking.” However, the tune has changed. This fall, all four original members will take the stage once more with 17 dates across the country, bringing their off-kilter magic to a whole new audience.
Mike Doughty (vocals/guitar), Mark degli Antoni (keyboards/sampler), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), and Yuval Gabay (drums) formed Soul Coughing in 1992 after meeting at New York’s Knitting Factory, where Doughty worked the door. A truly eclectic collection of musicians, they merged drum & bass, trance, rock & roll, and hip-hop to create a unique strain of music. As Doughty says: “Our music didn’t fit into the landscape then and it doesn’t now. We were super incorrect. We were messy. We were all over the place. There were moments in our career where we tried to be less different, and we always failed.” And thank God for that.
Over their eight-year history, the band amassed a motley crew of fans who gravitated to their deeply weird yet danceable energy. Their discography began with their 1994 debut, Ruby Vroom. They broke up in 2000, but Soul Coughing has lived on in the hearts of their most ardent fans and a new crop of listeners who may have heard standouts like “Super Bon Bon” on a video game soundtrack or “Circles” on a favorite TV show.
The band members have kept busy since the breakup. Doughty has released solo records at a steady clip and penned two memoirs. Antoni has ventured into the soundtrack world, scoring films by Werner Herzog and collaborating with Steinberg, who has played with artists like Iron & Wine and Fiona Apple on her critically acclaimed 2020 record Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Steinberg also teamed up with Gabay on the drum and bass project UV Ray and select recordings for Suzanne Vega. Gabay moved to the U.K. and recorded with DJ Krust, ADF, and Roni Size Reprazent.
Approaching the 30th anniversary of Ruby Vroom, Doughty started to look backward. After playing the entire record solo on tour, he reached out to the band with a radical idea: a reunion tour featuring a best-of collection from Ruby Vroom, 1996’s Irresistible Bliss, and 1998’s El Oso. “The end was acrimonious, but I just thought I’d give it a shot,” he says. “So I just wrote an email to all three guys. It took a little convincing for some of them, but I was really gratified that everyone wanted to take part in that again – to see if we can be a great band again.”
The setlist for the tour is still in flux, but fans can expect a thrilling mix of their favorite tracks from the band’s discography.
Tour Dates:
SEPTEMBER
10 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern
11 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern
13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Bellwether
14 & 15 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
17 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
18 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
20 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
21 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
22 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
24 – Minneapolis, MN – Palace Theatre
25 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
27 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Small’s Theatre
28 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
29 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
OCTOBER
3 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
4 & 5 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
Soul Coughing’s reunion tour promises to be a spectacular event, rekindling the magic that made them a beloved, eclectic band and introducing their unique sound to new audiences.
