Smart Bets: Mike Doughty

Not to get all existential or anything, but 25 years have passed since the alternative rockers of Soul Coughing released their debut LP, Ruby Vroom. To celebrate the milestone, frontman Mike Doughty is hitting the road with a cellist, bassist and guitarist, and performing the album in its original sequence. Counteracting the potential monotony of such an undertaking, Doughty plans to implement cues and hand gestures to vary what he views as “a single, hourlong piece of music” in real time. “I’m very proud of the record we made — it’s the sonic embodiment of lower Manhattan in the early 1990s,” he says. “Yet there’s a whole other version of this record that lives in my head. I’m extremely excited to see how it evolves night after night.” The Grey Eagle iteration on Saturday, Feb. 23, will be preceded by a 9 p.m. set from “Teenage Dirtbag” rockers Wheatus. $20. thegreyeagle.com. Photo by Ben Staley

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About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin

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