Three years ago it would have been rare to meet anyone on Earth who didn't know the name Soap Dough Sal. Sal inspired the world through music and fundamentally changed the way we looked at soap, at dough, and at ourselves.
Sal ascended to global fame in the late 2010's with iconic punk band The Doughs and sustained record-shattering success for over half-a-decade. Produced by the legendary DoughTown Records, The Doughs would thrill audiences around the world with their ethereal, melodic notes and prose. From royals to rebels, The Doughs charmed audiences and reshaped our collective appreciation of music, artistry, and soap dough.
And then, suddenly, with the same velocity of the meteoric rise, The Doughs, along with Sal, disappeared.
We received messages from people who say they've seen Soap Dough Sal, in plain sight. With hopes of catching a glimpse, or better yet, talking with Sal, we went on an adventure. We found so much more
Every music critic will agree that there are two types of music. There is music made on Planet Earth and there is music made by The Doughs. We were whisked away to wispy harmonies of gnomes, intergalactic keytar rifts, and beyond. The Doughs sent us to space, a beautiful space, and then they left us.
Vivid memories return to me of sitting by the pool listening to "Soap Dough Sounds" for the 19th time in a row. The synchronized story of "Bath Battle" changed the way we see baths. Of course, we all know where we were when we first heard "Untitled Dough No. 4."
The Doughs broke the glass ceiling of Soap Dough music and ALL vinyl album sales records with their historic Untitled Dough, No. 4.
Sometime in 2021, Sal walked into his house and was never seen again. Or so we thought.
Celebrity friends, fans, even private investigators offered us their hunches.
"I think he took the dough and ran," said Randy Ropesoap, longtime roadie for the The Doughs during their 2012 Doughfinity tour. Randy recalled vivid testimony to Sal's soap dough dependency, "I kid you not, the moment before going on stage, the moment, maybe thirty seconds before walking on the stage, he was squishin' dough."
We often hear these stories happening to every day people, but Sal's stature was immense.
Which makes this mystery that much more mysterious.
On Part 2 of Soap Dough Sal, we get closer to Sal and to those that knew Sal. What may surprise you, is just WHO knew Sal.
Until next time, please Soap Dough responsibly.