W♥M (Archive)

Mike Doughty at First Avenue, Minneapolis (09 Mar 2019)

Mike Doughty at First Ave Mike Doughty Setlist Super Bon Bon Circles Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago Sugar Free Jazz Casiotone Nation Blue Eyed Devil Bus to Beelzebub True Dreams of Wichita Screenwriter's Blues Moon Sammy Supra Genius City of Motors Uh, Zoom Zip Down to This Mr. Bitterness -- Encore -- Janine Wheatus Setlist Break It Don't Buy It Lemonade Time Stand Still (Rush cover) My Music at Work (The Tragically Hip cover) New Song (Beautiful Susan/Don't Talk About Susan) Fourteen No Happy Ending Tune Teenage Dirtbag Valentine Read More Mike Doughty Friday night Mike Doughty gave an ecstatic sold-out First Avenue crowd what they’ve been craving for so many years. The singer/songwriter is currently in the midst of a nationwide tour revolving … Soul Coughing The first time I saw Mike Doughty he was playing as the front man for Soul Coughing. It was one of those musical festivals that lasted all day with dozens of bands, and in between Garbage and the Goo Goo Dolls, Doughty … Wheatus Both Ruby Vroom Anniversary shows will feature Wheatus as opener. Tour Dates: 03/03/2019 Port City Music Hall Portland, ME 03/05/2019 Horseshoe Tavern Toronto, ON …

Mike Doughty’s sold out Ruby Vroom 25th Anniversary show at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, took place on Saturday. To please fans of Soul Coughing, Doughty added a second Ruby Vroom show on Sunday. Since setlist is the same for both nights (with the exception of Wheatus, who plays different sets), we only caught Doughty on Saturday night.

New York’s Wheatus opened the show... with their first electric show on this tour. This is a large band, featuring Brendan B. Brown on vocals/guitars, Matthew Milligan on bass, Brandon Ticer on keys, Madden Klass (although their wikipedia entry lists Leo Freire) on drums, and on backing vocals: Joey Slater, Gabrielle Aimée Sterbenz, and Karlie Bruce.

Although Saturday’s evening in Minneapolis was getting about a foot of snow, no thanks to the never-ending winter in the area, the band was pleased to make it and ready to rock the stage.

You can tell that the band is very good. They play a different set every night on tour and Brown proudly announced on stage that they don’t have a setlist and would be happy to play any requests. They had prepared two cover songs, a Rush cover (“Time Stand Still”) and a Tragically Hip cover (“My Music at Work”), but found out they only had enough time to play only one of them. When the audience “voted” for Rush (louder cheers), they proceeded to play the song, but in a last-minute decision, decided to play the ‘Hip song back to back.

Wheatus’ best known song, “Teenage Dirtbag” was played near the end of the set, complete with unconventionally long break before the final chorus. Personally speaking, I felt like they should have ended their set with “Dirtbag”, because of the false ending, but their finale song was actually “Valentine”, the title track from their 2016 album.

Mike Doughty took the main stage at First Avenue after a short break. At first, it’s just Doughty, playing “Super Bon Bon”. The song is actually not part of Ruby Vroom (it’s from 1996’s Irresistible Bliss), but according to Doughty, it’s his warm-up song for the tour.

Doughty is eventually joined on stage by upright bassist Andrew Livingston, and with partial Wheatus band: Madden Klass on drums, Matthew Milligan on sampler/keys/programming, and Brendan B. Brown on guitars (usually hiding in the background).

Apparently singing his heart out at the Sleeping Village in Chicago on March 7th blew out Doughty’s vocals. His voice was clearly cracking and Doughty even admitted that he “destroyed” his vocals. I can only imagine what it was like to hear “Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago” in Chicago, as, even in Minneapolis, that song had a huge response from the audience. It’s always fun to hear the audience drowning out the band.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since Soul Coughing released Ruby Vroom. Based on hearing the audience singing along and knowing the album front to back, the album is beloved and hearing the entire album played live is a sight to behold... especially experiencing it with fan’s feedback. You can always tell which songs there the favorites, even for the more obscure tracks.

If you love Soul Coughing and their debut album, you definitely need to see Mike Doughty’s on this tour. The Ruby Vroom continues tonight and runs until the end of March.

Remaining Tour Dates:

03/10/2019 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
03/12/2019 Bluebird Theater Denver, CO
03/13/2019 The State Room Salt Lake City, UT
03/15/2019 The Crocodile Seattle, WA
03/16/2019 Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
03/20/2019 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
03/24/2019 The Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
11/01/2019 Rough Trade Brooklyn, NY

Wheatus

Wheatus

Wheatus

Mike Doughty

Mike Doughty

Mike Doughty

Mike Doughty at First Avenue, Minneapolis (09 Mar 2019)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Minneapolis: March 9 to March 13, 2019

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from March 9 to March 13, 2019.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

Mike Doughty at First Ave Read More Mike Doughty Friday night Mike Doughty gave an ecstatic sold-out First Avenue crowd what they’ve been craving for so many years. The singer/songwriter is currently in the midst of a nationwide tour revolving …

MIKE DOUGHTY
+ Wheatus
First Avenue
Sat 03/09/2019 (8pm/$30/Sold Out)
Sun 03/10/2019 (7pm/$30)
first-avenue.com

Soul Coughing’s found and singer Mike Doughty will be touring and playing the entire Soul Coughing’s debut album Ruby Vroom on this 2019 tour. If you love Soul Coughing, you definitely need to see Doughty on this 25th Anniversary tour. The original show sold out, so Doughty has agreed to add a second date (March 10th).

We last saw Doughty in October 2013 and mentioned, “Friday night Mike Doughty gave an ecstatic sold-out First Avenue crowd what they’ve been craving for so many years. The singer/songwriter is currently in the midst of a nationwide tour revolving around the re-imagining of songs he wrote with his former avant-garde 90s band Soul Coughing and he’s not beating around the bush about it: the trek is billed the “Mike Doughty used to be in Soul Coughing” tour. As someone who grew up with Soul Coughing (I bought El Oso with my Christmas money when I was 14 years old and kind of worked my way back with their catalogue) and who has followed Mike Doughty’s successful transition from weird rocker to reformed junkie to acoustic-oriented songsmith, I was eager to experience this part of Doughty’s musical history.”

Both Ruby Vroom Anniversary shows will feature Wheatus as opener.

Tour Dates:

03/03/2019 Port City Music Hall Portland, ME
03/05/2019 Horseshoe Tavern Toronto, ON
03/09/2019 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
03/10/2019 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
03/12/2019 Bluebird Theater Denver, CO
03/13/2019 The State Room Salt Lake City, UT
03/15/2019 The Crocodile Seattle, WA
03/16/2019 Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
03/20/2019 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
03/24/2019 The Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
11/01/2019 Rough Trade Brooklyn, NY

Other shows in the area:

The Flesh Eaters at Turf Club William Ryan Key at Turf Club We Banjo 3 2019 Tour Shinedown 2019 Tour Jungle at First Ave VHS Collection at 7th Street Read More Yellowcard Jacksonville, FL pop-punk band Yellowcard is still going strong, even after over 15 years in the business. Their latest tour and release, Ocean Avenue Acoustic … We Banjo 3 Come celebrate St Patrick’s Day with Ireland’s We Banjo 3 (brothers Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley), playing music they described as “Celtgrass” (Celtic bluegrass) …

THE FLESH EATERS
+ Porcupine
Turf Club
Sat 03/09/2019 (7:30pm/$25/Sold Out)
turfclub.net

The Flesh Eaters is a supergroup, featuring John Doe and DJ Bonebrake of X, Dave Alvin and Bill Bateman of The Blasters, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, and the Legendary Punk Poet Chris D. The group just released I Used to Be Pretty on Yep Roc Records.

Special guest Porcupine to open.

Tour dates:

03/09 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club
03/10 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
03/11 Grand Rapids, MI The Pyramid Scheme
03/12 Detroit, MI El Club
03/14 Boston, MA City Winery Boston
03/15 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
03/16 Washington, DC Union Stage
03/17 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

WILLIAM RYAN KEY (formerly of Yellowcard)
+ Selfish Things, Cory Wells
Turf Club
Sun 03/10/2019 (7pm/$15)
turfclub.net

William Ryan Key (formerly of known as Yellowcard) will be headlining the Turf Club on March 10th.

Selfish Things and Cory Wells to open.

Tour dates:

3/3 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
3/5 - Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee's
3/7 - Lakewood, OH @ Mahall's
3/8 - Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room
3/9 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
3/10 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
3/12 - Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
3/13 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
3/15 - Portland, OR @ Paris Theatre
3/16 - Vancouver, BC @ The Roxy
3/17 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
3/19 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
3/21 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
3/22 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
3/23 - San Diego, CA @ HOB Voodoo Room
3/24 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
3/26 - Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
3/28 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda
3/29 - Dallas, TX @ Three Links
3/30 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
3/31 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues
4/2 - Nashville, TN @ The High Watt

WE BANJO 3
Cedar Cultural Center
Sun 03/10/2019 (7pm/$25)
thecedar.org

We Banjo 3 is back in town, this time partnering with Mental Health America to raise funds and awareness for the program.

We caught the band in August 2018 and did mention about this March 10th show: “The good news for anyone that missed We Banjo 3 at this year’s Irish Fair (or any fans wanting to see them again) is that like last year, they return in the spring across the river, to The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on March 10 (to help get you in the mood for St. Pats) and it was strongly hinted they will be back for Irish Fair 2019 as well, so mark those calendars for the three, errr, four members that play two banjos… Irish logic.”

Tour dates:

03/10/2019 The Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
03/12/2019 Rams Head On Stage Annapolis, MD
03/13/2019 The Hamilton Live Washington, DC
03/15/2019 Diana Wortham Theatre Asheville, NC
03/19/2019 Buffalo Iron Works
03/19/2019 Buffalo Iron Works Buffalo, NY
03/20/2019 Center For The Arts Homer, NY
03/22/2019 Swyer Theatre Albany, NY

SHINEDOWN
+ Asking Alexandria, Papa Roach
Target Center
Mon 03/11/2019 (6pm/$28.50)
targetcenter.com

Shinedown will be headlining the Target Center this Monday, March 11th. Shinedown’s chart-topping album Attention Attention is out now on Atlantic Records.

For this stop, Asking Alexandria and Papa Roach will open (Badflower will join the tour starting June 21).

Tour dates:

03/05 Youngstown, OH @ Covelli Centre
03/07 Ft. Wayne, IN @ Allen County War
03/08 Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
03/09 Green Bay, WI @ Brown County Veterans
03/11 Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
03/12 Fargo, ND @ FargoDome
03/15 Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
03/16 Cedar Rapids, IA @ U.S. Cellular Center
03/17 St. Louis @ Chaifetz Arena
03/19 Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena
03/20 Loveland, CO @ Budweiser Events Center
03/23 Tucson, AZ @ Kino Veterans
05/04 Jacksonville, FL @ Metropolitan Park
05/06 New Orleans, LA @ The Fillmore
05/07 Atlanta, GA @ Coca Cola Roxy Theatre
05/08 Atlanta, GA @ Coca Cola Roxy Theatre
05/10 Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
05/11 Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
05/13 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
05/14 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
05/17 Virginia Beach, VA @ WNOR Lunatic Luau

JUNGLE
+ Houses
First Avenue
Tue 03/12/2019 (7pm/$20)
first-avenue.com

Jungle returns to the USA to promote their latest album For Ever (available now on XL Recordings).

They are bringing Los Angeles-based Houses (aka songwriter/producer Dexter Tortoriello) on tour… good thing, because they tried to bring Beaty Heart in 2014, but BH had to pull out due to Visa issues.

Tour dates:

Mar 03 CRSSD Fest, San Diego CA, USA
Mar 05 Fox Theater, Oakland CA, USA
Mar 07 Roseland, Portland OR, USA
Mar 08 Showbox, Seattle WA, USA
Mar 09 The Vogue, Vancouver BC, Canada
Mar 12 First Avenue, Minneapolis MN, USA
Mar 13 Metro, Chicago IL, USA
Mar 15 Danforth Music Hall, Toronto ON, Canada
Mar 16 Danforth, Toronto ON, Canada
Mar 17 Mtelus, Montreal, Canada
Mar 19 Terminal 5, New York NY, USA
Mar 20 Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, USA
Mar 21 930 Club, Washington DC, USA
Mar 22 Orange Peel, Asheville NC, USA
Mar 23 Marathon Music Works, Nashville TN, USA

VHS COLLECTION
7th St Entry
Wed 03/13/2019 (7pm/$15)
first-avenue.com

Brooklyn based electro-rock band VHS Collection will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry on Wednesday, March 13th. The band’s debut album Retrofuturism is out now.

Tour dates:

03/04 - Portland, OR @ Holocene
03/05 - Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret
03/06 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
03/08 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
03/09 - Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
03/13 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
03/14 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
03/15 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
03/16 - Toronto, ON @ Radio @ Adelaide Hall
03/21 - Boston, MA @ Sonia's
03/22 - Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
03/23 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
06/23 - Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Minneapolis Music Guide: March 9-March 15, 2014

Here is a guide of some Minneapolis (and St Paul!) shows next week: March 9-March 15. Concert-wise, if you're into smaller/indie bands - it will be dead in Minneapolis, because everyone is in Austin, Texas, for SXSW.

Sword/O'Brother/Big Business at Mill City Nights Concert Poster Read More The Sword But the crowd didn't really start going nuts until The Sword went on. The Sword is a much younger band, formed in Austin, Texas in 2003. Their sound is more on the “thrash” end of doom metal, with riffing reminiscent of … O'Brother Songs from their slightly hour-long set consisted of music from Disillusion, including "Ascension" and "Disillusion", which seems to go hand in hand with its theme of darkness and anger. …

MARCH 9: MILL CITY NIGHTS
The Sword w/ O'Brother and Big Business

O Brother, where are thou?

Why, they’re on tour, opening along with Big Business, for The Sword.

An Atlanta-based five-piece, the band O Brother is playing in support of their sophomore full-length, Disillusions (Triple Crown Records), recorded in Long Island along with engineer/producer Mike Sapone (Brand New, Public Enemy, Daytrader). The heavier, more refined sound is a follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed 2012 debut Garden Window.

Regarding their new album, according to their bio, “The sprawling concept albums of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson and more provided the grist, but these five intrepid seekers have crafted a complex slab of bejeweled art-rock that shimmers vividly all on its own.” That’s all we need to hear to pique our interest.

O'Brother's U.S. tour dates:

03/06/14 Indianapolis, IN Vogue
03/07/14 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection
03/08/14 Milwaukee, WI Rave Bar
03/09/14 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
03/10/14 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room
03/11/14 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep
03/13/14 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
03/14/14 Boise, ID Neurolux
03/15/14 Spokane, WA The Hop
03/16/14 Seattle, WA Neumos
03/17/14 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
03/19/14 Sacramento, CA Harlow's Night Club
03/20/14 San Francisco, CA Slim's
03/21/14 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
03/22/14 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
03/23/14 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
03/24/14 El Paso, TX Lowbrow Palace
03/25/14 Oklahoma City, OK The Conservatory
03/26/14 Jackson, MS Morningbell Records

Bangerz RCA Read More Icona Pop Of course, her biggest hit song, "I Love It", is actually made famous by Icona Pop. I sensed a little bitterness when she announced the song, "You all know this, I wrote this song. This is my song." …

MARCH 10: XCEL ENERGY CENTER
Miley Cyrus w/ Icona Pop

Miley Cyrus' oversexualized Bangerz shows have been getting a lot of attention, criticized in TMZ where they comment how her parents were in the audience at one of her recent show.

Either you love it or hate it, it's hard to ignore all the attention that Cyrus is getting.

03/06/14 Omaha, NE CenturyLink Center Omaha
03/07/14 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
03/09/14 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Bradley Center
03/10/14 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
03/12/14 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
03/13/14 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
03/15/14 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
03/16/14 Houston, TX Toyota Center
03/18/14 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
03/20/14 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Times Forum
03/22/14 Miami, FL AmericanAirlines Arena
03/24/14 Orlando, FL Amway Center
03/25/14 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
03/29/14 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
03/31/14 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
04/02/14 Boston, MA TD Garden
04/03/14 East Rutherford, NJ IZOD Center
04/05/14 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
04/07/14 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
04/08/14 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
04/10/14 Washington, DC Verizon Center
04/12/14 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills
04/13/14 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
04/15/14 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
04/16/14 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
04/18/14 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena Plaza
04/19/14 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
04/22/14 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
04/24/14 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Mike Doughty with Sons of Hippies at First Avenue 10/25/13

Tour Dates 10/29/13 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater 10/30/13 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge 11/01/13 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret 11/02/13 Seattle, WA The Neptune 11/03/13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom 11/05/13 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre 11/06/13 San Francisco, CA Fillmore 11/08/13 Los Angeles, CA Fonda 11/09/13 Santa Ana, CA Observatory 11/10/13 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom 11/12/13 Dallas, TX Trees 11/13/13 Austin, TX Belmont 11/14/13 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's 11/15/13 New Orleans, LA Tipitina's 11/16/13 Tampa, FL Crowbar 11/17/13 Orlando, FL Social 11/19/13 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge 11/20/13 Atlanta, GA Terminal West 11/21/13 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle 11/22/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 11/23/13 New York, NY Webster Hall Read More Mike Doughty Charmingly neurotic and prolific singer/songwriter Mike Doughty has enjoyed a successful solo career for several years now. After kicking a nasty drug addiction …

Friday night Mike Doughty gave an ecstatic sold-out First Avenue crowd what they’ve been craving for so many years. The singer/songwriter is currently in the midst of a nationwide tour revolving around the re-imagining of songs he wrote with his former avant-garde 90s band Soul Coughing and he’s not beating around the bush about it: the trek is billed the “Mike Doughty used to be in Soul Coughing” tour. As someone who grew up with Soul Coughing (I bought El Oso with my Christmas money when I was 14 years old and kind of worked my way back with their catalogue) and who has followed Mike Doughty’s successful transition from weird rocker to reformed junkie to acoustic-oriented songsmith, I was eager to experience this part of Doughty’s musical history.

SONS OF HIPPIES

Florida-based psych-metal band Sons of Hippies opened the show with a surprisingly awesome blast to the senses. Think Hawkwind, early Deep Purple, the sweet rumblings of late 60s/early 70s hard rock. Now, throw in some space-rock compositions over crazy time signatures and a lead singer whose theatrical pipes are the love child of Siouxsie Sioux, Missing Persons vocalist Dale Bozzio and a little Axel Rose. Sons of Hippies are probably the coolest, loudest thing from Florida since Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids wreaked havoc in Ft. Lauderdale all those years ago.

Doughty took to the stage a short time later to spaghetti-western style intro music with his bandmates drummer Pete Wilhoit and bassist Catherine Popper (who played upright bass!!) Overall, the setlist favored songs from Soul Coughing’s first two records, 1994’s Ruby Vroom and 1996’s Irresistible Bliss to the delight of hardcore fans who were joyfully singing along. Under the streams of blue stage lights, Doughty played those terse opening guitar chords to “Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago” and in his fantastic trademark drone sang, “A man drives a plane into the Chrysler Building.” Following that was the ultra-cool “Sugar Free Jazz” where Wilhoit really shined with his tight and precise drumming. When the loop to Raymond Scott’s sinister cartoon-y “Powerhouse” signaled the beginning of “Bus to Beelzebub,” the place went bonkers. It’s hard to resist the hook: “Get on to the bus that’s going to take you back to Beelzebub!”

After the great, uptempo b-side “Unmarked Helicopters,” that saw Popper rocking a moog bass, Doughty’s bandmates slipped off the stage. Armed with a sampler and a pair of turntables, Doughty sang a few tracks from Ruby Vroom like “Uh, Zoom Zip,” and “Mr. Bitterness.” Fan favorite “Screenwriter’s Blues,” a stream-of-conscious radio dialogue where Doughty assumes the role of disc jockey overseeing a surreal LA drive-time commute, deviated slightly from its original sound; Doughty traded in the sampled horns and piano for a starry, dance-y drum loop.

Despite a really enjoyable first half, the last four songs were what I was looking forward to the most. El Oso is my favorite Soul Coughing record so hearing “Monster Man” and “So Far I Have Not Found the Science” (which detoured into “Moon Sammy”) were quite exciting. My only complaint (and it isn’t even a complaint!) was the direction Doughty took with “St. Louise is Listening.” On the album, the song has a moody, echo-y atmosphere that crescendos with Doughty passionately singing, “I could be your baby doll/I could be your doll, baby.” The live interpretation lacked some of that erratic intensity. That said, being able to hear this song as well as the sublime “True Dreams of Wichita” (another one close to my heart) was thrilling.

Doughty kept the chatter to a minimum, but was in fine spirits; he chuckled at a small mosh pit that had developed at random points in the night and handled a heckler calling out for Doughty solo tunes with good humor (“I just can’t please you guys!”) Clearly, he was enjoying himself. To the cynical, this tour could be misconstrued as a simple money-grab, a ploy to cash in on nostalgia. But to Doughty, like the writing of his 2012 memoir The Book of Drugs, it’s therapy. This is how he’s making peace with his Soul Coughing past and I, along with that sold out crowd, was glad to be a part of it.

Mike Doughty at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10/25/13)

emily () ♥ mikedoughty.com

Mike Doughty Reimagines Soul Coughing

Read More Mike Doughty The first time I saw Mike Doughty he was playing as the front man for Soul Coughing. It was one of those musical festivals that lasted all day with dozens of bands, and in between Garbage and …

Charmingly neurotic and prolific singer/songwriter Mike Doughty has enjoyed a successful solo career for several years now. After kicking a nasty drug addiction and splitting from his popular 90s band Soul Coughing in the early 2000s, Doughty embarked on a solo venture, self-releasing Skittish and Rockity Roll as well as the live 2002 classic Smofe + Smang: Live in Minneapolis. He toured behind these records before finally releasing his first album on Dave Matthews’ record label ATO, Haughty Melodic in 2005. In an effort to distance himself from Soul Coughing’s sound and the group’s bad blood, Doughty’s music took on a more straightforward pop angle. Still present in his new tunes, however, were Doughty’s unmistakably droll vocal delivery and his sharp, funny wordplay. Since 2005, Doughty has released three full length LPs (Golden Delicious, Sad Man Happy Man and Yes and Also Yes) and a handful of EPs. He’s also put out special live records like The Question Jar Show which featured Doughty and his bandmate Andrew “Scrap” Livingston answering questions from audience members in between songs. The Flip is Another Honey is a covers record that Doughty released in November of last year and features covers from artists like John Denver and Thin Lizzy. (Check out the excellent cover of the Stephen Sondheim-penned “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” - from Guys and Dolls!)

you could have knocked me down with a feather

When Doughty’s newest project was announced earlier this month, you could have knocked me down with a feather - it was both thrilling and shocking to hear the news. Fans familiar with Doughty know of his distaste for playing Soul Coughing songs during concerts and his frustration with fans that seemingly demanded it when he became a solo artist. His memoir The Book of Drugs, published last year, details the toxic relationship between the band and himself and the reasons for his unwillingness to dip into that song catalogue. Amazingly, however, Doughty unveiled a new album dedicated to the reimagining of thirteen Soul Coughing songs. The response was overwhelmingly positive and fans clamored to finance the new album via PledgeMusic, a site similar to Kickstarter that allows people to donate funds to musical efforts.

The album, simply titled Circles Super Bon Bon Sleepless How Many Cans? True Dreams of Wichita Monster Man Mr. Bitterness Maybe I’ll Come Down St. Louise Is Listening I Miss the Girl Unmarked Helicopters The Idiot Kings So Far I Have Not Found the Science, will drop September 17th and a 32-city tour will begin the following month. Minneapolis fans will be able to catch him October 25th at First Avenue. Tickets are on sale right now. Like this very second.

So, if you plan on going, better act fast! This show will most definitely sell out!

10/16/13 Teaneck, NJ Mexicali Live 10/17/13 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer 10/18/13 South Burlington, VT Higher Ground 10/19/13 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club 10/20/13 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall 10/22/13 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom 10/23/13 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall 10/24/13 Chicago, IL Park West 10/25/13 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 10/26/13 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway Nightclub 10/27/13 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom 10/29/13 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater 10/30/13 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge 11/01/13 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret 11/02/13 Seattle, WA The Neptune 11/03/13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom

11/05/13 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre 11/06/13 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 11/08/13 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda 11/09/13 Santa Ana, CA Observatory 11/10/13 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom 11/12/13 Dallas, TX Trees 11/13/13 Austin, TX Belmont 11/14/13 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's 11/15/13 New Orleans, LA Tipitina's Uptown 11/16/13 Tampa, FL Crowbar 11/17/13 Orlando, FL Social 11/19/13 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge 11/20/13 Atlanta, GA Terminal West 11/21/13 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle 11/22/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 11/23/13 New York, NY Webster Hall

emily () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ mikedoughty.com

MIKE DOUGHTY – GOLDEN DELICOUS

 

 

 

 

PUT IT DOWN

Mike Doughty

 

 

When I listened to Bo Diddley, I didn’t know what

he was saying, whether it was “My baby, she was

a bird’ or ‘My baby, she was murdered.”

It didn’t make any difference.  It moved me.

 

Paul Simon

Bo Diddley passed away last week, and anybody who tapped a toe or shook a tail feather, should take a moment to thank him.  For it was a beat, his beat that helped set Rock n’ Roll as the music to get you up and moving.  From Buddy Holly to Bow Wow Wow, Diddley’s beat influenced a wave of musicians to where I can even hear echoes on this album. 

The first time I saw Mike Doughty he was playing as the front man for Soul Coughing.  It was one of those musical festivals that lasted all day with dozens of bands, and in between Garbage and the Goo Goo Dolls, Doughty and his crew amped their equipment and blew the audience away.  It wasn’t so much as loud as it was the fat bass which literally passed right through me.  And as song after song began to shift around major organs in my body, I knew this man was heavily invested in a solid beat. 

Doughty’s latest solo release, “Golden Delicious” can best be described as infectious.  With the help of Semisonic’s front man, Dan Wilson, as producer, Doughty makes a deliberate attempt to shed his baroque, sometimes impenetrable past to create a more friendly sound.  Some may call it a sell out, but I think any album that contains a song called “More Bacon than the Pan Can Handle” deserves a listen.

Overall, this is an upbeat album even if some of the material may not be.  I like the way Doughty let’s the sun shine in by way of interspersing the melody from the musical “Hair” on his anti-war anthem “Fort Hood”.  Clearly, he wants to create an album that keeps us dancing as in my favorite, “Put it Down”, which reminds me of one of his more popular hits with Soul Coughing, “Super Bon Bon.”  But no longer is there a Kaleidoscope of sounds crashing from every direction.  Instead, there’s a beat, and that beat wants me to put down this pen, get up and get moving.