When this show first hit the radar, I chided Manic Productions as to their wisdom of having an outdoor show on the 5th of November. Seventy degree day and gorgeous weather, thanks climate change. Mike Doughty, the recovering heroin addict, the door man at The Knitting Factory at the height of the No-Wave downtown movement, and oh yeah, front man for the seminal beat-groove-funk vehicle Soul Coughing. The star burned bright for SC, 3 or 4 critically acclaimed slabs of literate pop released between 94-98. While Mike claims the SC experiment “almost killed him”, it sure produced a body of work that was tapped on this evening. Doughty is joined on stage by longtime compatriot Andrew “Scrap” Livingston on guitar. The two barrel through screwed down workings of SC songs and chestnuts from Doughty’s excellent post SC solo career. The arrangements were a treat for a super fan like me, never straying into the kitschy MTV Unplugged realm. Setlist included 27 Jennifers, White Lexus, Tremendous Brunettes, Shunned and Falsified, St Louise Is Listening, Blame, Circles, Super Bon Bon, Soft Serve,, Lazybones, How Many Cans, Sugar Free Jazz. He played my favorite anthemic ode “Busting Up A Starbucks”, which I urge all readers to give a spin. Ended the show with an excellent “I Hear The Bells” and encored with “True Dreams of Wichita”. Doughty is a wordsmith and had some fun with an AI story writing app. An industrious artist, it seems that Mike has been writing a song a week and posting on his website for free dissemination. Thanks to Manic for believing in the weather and delivering an excellent free outdoor show.
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