Music
Press
“Coolest song in the world – Black Sheep”
-Little Steven Van Zandt, Underground Garage
“It’s fooking GREAT, Jeeezis. I should have known. It’s like... early Stones... Yardbirds... the Music Machine... the Animals... oh its f**king AWESOME. It ROCKS. The answer to the question "is it now?" is... it IS. And then it’s NOT because it’s so perfectly THEN. And then it’s now, again.”
-Bill Kates, XM Satellite Radio
“Pure nitroglycerine…Black Sheep is what a street fight between The Pretty Things and The Stooges would sound like. It’s got hooks as sharp as switchblades, and it’ll cut you if you look at it funny.”
-Peter Lindblad, Goldmine
“The true teen originators of vintage-‘66 Jersey Beat (read all about it in Richard X Heyman's literally loud Boom Harangue book), Plainfield, N.J.'s very own Doughboys have just now released their first new recordings in -- wait for it! -- four long decades. Yet so far from sounding in any way retro-stalgic, the band's debut CD (produced at the House of Vibes in Highland Park, N.J.) is quite simply, quite pimply, a red-white-and-blues-too, all-American roller-rock wonder. Nothing but cool, crafty meat 'n' potatoes rock and soul -- and whenever none other than original Nashville Strawb John Hawken adds his Alan-priceless 88's to the equation, things get even, well, doughier! Yes, in a fair and just world, the D-Boys' "Too Little Too Late" for starters would be tops inside not only Little Steven's Underground Garage -- but that's hardly any excuse to keep on waiting to get your own copy of this disc.”
-Gary Pig Gold, Medleyville.com
“Despite the four decades that have transpired since [The Doughboys] last recorded together, there's still zeal and tenacity in their seamless blend of vintage-sounding originals and choice classic covers.”
-Performing Songwriter, January 2008
“Combines spirited, authentically tough-sounding period covers with grounded originals that admirably capture the vibe of the era.”
-Ken Barnes, USA Today
"The mixes are really fine - and the new stuff really cooks. I'm looking forward to playing it in the car where I can turn up the volume (and not disturb the neighbors). It's easy to tell that all of you are enjoying being together making straight ahead really good sounds."
-John Zacherle, “The Cool Ghoul”
“Lovers of '60s-style garage rock will find it to be an excellent and thoroughly rewarding reunion album for The Doughboys.”
-Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
"This CD, a combination of originals and covers, retains all the excitement of a live performance, and with its "less is more" approach (too often lacking in many rock bands) gets the point across in song after song. All lean, no fat. With a solid, dynamic rhythm section, short sharp solos and strong vocals, they rock from start to finish. I love it."
-John Hawken, Strawbs, Nashville Teens, Renaissance
“Some things do get better with age and this band is one of them.”
-Bob Makin, Courier News
“The Doughboys’ bluesy Stones-Animals tunes have an authenticity that would be missing if played by high schoolers…This is no slavish imitation of a period and a sound. The Doughboys were present at the creation, and they remember a thing or two about real rock‘n’roll.”
-Post-Herald, Rochester, MN
“The Doughboys play a very exciting raw mixture of R&B, soul and garage rock. The album starts with amazing tracks: Black Sheep (Francis/Scavone) and Out of the Night (Heyman). Authentic but yet it's now. How long ago has it been that the Stones made an album like this...?”
-Hanx, The Netherlands
“Straight outta Plainfield, New Jersey’s Doughboys still have their mojo after 43 years of gigging. These four boyhood pals have remained musical kindred spirits. You can’t plan the seamless melding on songs like Black Sheep, Hear Me Moan and Too Little Too Late. They reveal their inspirations by covering Bobby Troup’s Route 66 and the Animals’ I’m Cryin’. You’ll cry too when you realize these guys never became the stars they shoulda been.”
-Alan Bisbort, Hartford Advocate, CT
“This has quickly become my favorite CD. Every track is a winner. I highly recommend this CD to anyone. Great job Doughboys.”
- Tony Stanislao, CD Baby customer
“Passion is indeed found in abundance throughout this labor of love...Is It Now? is hopefully the first of many such timeless treasures to come.”
-Mike McDowell, Blitz Magazine
“This is the sound of the garage, wide open in the sweltering summer; guitars raging from overheated amplifiers; the singer bulleting sweat against the microphone; the bass and drums digging in deep, one passionate thump at a time. This is it, the returning sound of Plainfield, New Jersey's favorite sons, the Doughboys, ripping at their axes and skins for a whole new generation of beat fanatics. And a welcome return it is. Is It Now? is a stone-cold gas. Just remember to keep the garage doors open, ventilation being a thing and all.”
-Alan Haber, Buhdge
“This great and gutsy a - n/a
Discography
"Rhoda Mendelbaum"/"You're a Pip Mr. Hip" - single, 1966, Bell Records
"Everybody Knows My Name"/"Candy Candy" - single, 1967, Bell Records
"Is It Now?" - CD, 2007, Ram Records
Several tunes from "Is It Now?" are getting extensive airplay on Little Steven's Underground Garage show on Sirius Satellite Radio and commercial rock stations all over the world. The lead-off track "Black Sheep" was picked by Little Steven to be "coolest song in the world" several weeks ago. Also getting a lot of airplay on triple-A stations around the country.
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Bio
Maybe it was in the water. Scratch the surface of anyone who was a teenager in Plainfield, New Jersey during the 60s and youll find yourself regaled with tales of wonder. The Doughboys played a role in this collective memory. What set them apart from the competition was an authentic passion for the music and presentation. The band was formed in the fall of 1964 when Mike Caruso asked Richie Heyman if he wanted to get together with a couple of guys from Hubbard Junior High (the school they all attended). Mike and Richie clicked right away, and Mike recruited two other guitarists, one of whom was Willy Kirchofer, with his big Gibson acoustic/electric a rarity in those days who blew them away with his playing. They called themselves The Ascots. A year later they merged with two members from a rival group The Apollos, guitarist Mike Farina and singer Myke Scavone.
The Ascots changed their name to The Doughboys in 1966 and won a recording contract with Bell Records as part of their first prize winning of a year-long battle-of-the-bands on Zacherles Disc-o-teen TV show. They put out two singles Rhoda Mendelbaum and Everybody Knows My Name, which received airplay on WMCA in New York City in exchange for the band playing the weekly Good Guys shows, which were live package performances at various venues in the tri-state area. They were the house band at the Café Wha? in Greenwich Village during the summer of 68.
They stayed together until the end of the decade, but as the 60s faded into memory, so did The Doughboys and the founding members went their separate ways. Myke Scavone led the band Ram Jam, who scored a hit with Black Betty, Willy Kirchofer played with Jake & The Family Jewels and fronted his own band, Richie Heyman (a/k/a Richard X. Heyman) has played drums with legends like Brian Wilson and Link Wray and embarked on a solo singer/songwriter career, Mike Farina got into TV production and moved to L.A. and Mike Caruso went into session work and even jammed with Hendrix!
But in the year 2000, Richies wife Nancy decided she wanted to see the band for herself and organized a reunion gig. The moment they set foot onstage together, the years melted away and they were the tight, rockin unit they were back in Plainfield. Sadly, Willy passed away in 2005. The Doughboys have welcomed Gar Francis into the fold as their guitarist (Gars worked with Stones tribute band Sticky Fingers, done session work with Billy Idol and released solo recordings as Plainfield Slim). The next logical step was to get The Doughboys down on tape (or hard drive, as the case may be). The result, Is It Now? is a record (pardon the pun) of who they are and how they sound, doing both great obscure songs from the past as well as their own instantly classic originals. It took a while to get from Rhoda Mendelbaum to Is It Now?, but dont let any more time go by get groovin to The Doughboys today!
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