• Mike Doughty & Tony Scherr Trio
• 8pm seating / 9pm show
• Pairing Series

Mike Doughty rose to the public eye as the front man of Soul Coughing in the mid-90s, but he really began his career with "Skittish," a solo acoustic album he recorded in 1996 right before Soul Coughing was signed by Warner Brothers. Skittish became an underground hit in its own right on Napster, and after Soul Coughing split in 2000, Doughty hit the road and sold 20,000 copies of Skittish with little promotion at his solo gigs and through his website. He next released a live album called Smofe + Smang (2002) followed by "Rockity Roll" in 2003. Doughty was working on the songs for another album when he met fellow musician and Soul Coughing fan Dave Matthews, who signed Doughty to his ATO label and released his next album, "Haughty Melodic," in 2005. That same year ATO also re-issued "Skittish" and "Rockity Roll" as a 2-CD set, along with several bonus tracks.

This evening Doughty will be paired with Tony Scherr, one of New York City's most prolific and in-demand sidemen. For almost two decades Scherr has played integral roles in the music of such notable artists as Bill Frisell, John Lurie (Lounge Lizards), Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob), and Norah Jones, as well as some of New York's better-kept secrets, such as Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos, The Wollesens, Ursa Minor, and Slowpoke. His debut album "Come Around" was released in 2002, and his critically acclaimed follow up, "Twist in the Wind," was released in 2008.

Pairings is a unique "blend" at City Winery: an intimate concert series — served with fine wine — that will take place on City Winery's main stage every Thursday evening, starting in January 2009. Each concert will be preceded by an optional tasting or private dinner, followed by personal performances from some of today's most respected musicians. Pairings has been designed especially with City Winery's target audience of cool urban wine sophisticates in mind, and promises to be a stand-out program that draws from City Winery's core rudiments — wine, music and food — to create a holistic cultural evening unlike any other in Manhattan.