Soul Coughing takes the field

Ever grooved on the football field? Few have. But this afternoon and into the evening, New York's Soul Coughing are prepared to show Obies just what is on the agenda when funk, rock, jazz, rap, hip hop and soul mesh on Oberlin soil.

Formed back in 1992, Soul Coughing have spent half a decade perfecting their fusion of the aforementioned genres, never settling for the norm. Having mastered Lollapalooza in 1996, the gritty four-piece take their audiences by storm in energetic live sets across the globe. Packing houses with their half-orchestral, half-informal coffee house-like sets, Soul Coughing know how to get their crowd riled-up.

With M. Doughty singing the lyrics and strumming out the melody, drummer Yuval Gabay bashing out the beats, Sebastian Steinberg on upright bass and Mark De Gli Antoni on keyboards, Soul Coughing's complete essence can pack arenas with the feel of an intimate jam session. Doughty shifts from spoken-word to chant to straight-out wailing and back again, all the while maintaining an awesome rhythmic appeal. Gabay was once quoted as saying, "What I do with this band is groove, just concentrate on playing in-your-face beats, something I'd dance to. It takes the most concentration of anything I do, besides...well, sex is pretty demanding."

Jokesters or not, Soul Coughing are prepared to give Oberlin their all, and treat our little football stadium (or Philips Gym, weather permitting) like any other large concert. The band will most likely be playing selections from their most recent album, Iresistible Bliss, which the band has described as a fairly dark album. No matter: Soul Coughing is a great live band, and this afternoon for a measly five bucks, Oberlin students can get a piece of the action.

Soul Coughing, with opening act Los Amigos Invisibles, perform this afternoon on the Football Field at 5 p.m. Admission is $5 OCID, $15 others. Rainspace: Philips Gym.