THE DOUGHBOYS

Just when you thought rock’n’roll had run its course…along come The Doughboys, with their third studio album – Shakin’ Our Souls. Chock full of hooks, riffs, powerhouse performances & The Doughboys’ own brand of infectious & immediately immortal rock’n’roll, The Doughboys raise the bar for what new rock music can & should achieve in the 21st century. The Doughboys first reunited in 2000 after a break of several decades, releasing a brilliant debut disc in ’07 (Is It Now?), a spectacular sophomore effort in ’09 (Act Your Rage), a live performance/documentary DVD (Rock N’ Raw), no less, in ’11, & now – Shakin’ Our Souls! And you thought nobody out there was coming up with that nice warm analog sound anymore…The Doughboys (Mike Caruso, Gar Francis, Richie Heyman & Myke Scavone) offer up 14 brand new, all original tracks, showcasing their stellar songwriting chops & instrumental & vocal prowess, with guest appearances by such notables as Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere & The Raiders, who also wrote the album’s liner notes) & Ten Wheel Drive’s Genya Ravan. Remember how records used to sound? Like the band was playing in your living room!Well, this new Doughboys album was recorded live to 2” analog tape at the House of Vibes in The Doughboys’ home state of New Jersey, produced by the band & Kurt Reil. Those nice wide tracks imbue the sound with warmth that only real, non-digitized sound waves can achieve, grooves that massage your eardrums, not assault them! The songs have one foot planted firmly in the garage music of the 60's & the other in the concerns & issues of the 21st century, just like The Doughboys, who got their start in 1963 but are firmly rooted & relevant in 2012. And they’re an amazing live band! In the meantime, The Doughboys take their live act all over the eastern seaboard, from Atlanta, Georgia to Portland, Maine, doing festivals like Musikfest & The Drive Invasion, opening for The Pretenders, The Yardbirds, Robin Trower, The Electric Prunes & many others, playing at the historic “Who Shot Rock’n’Roll?” exhibition at the Allentown Museum, appearing at prestigious venues like B.B. King’s, the Sellersville Theater, the Stone Pony & the Starland Ballroom. Theirs is a live show that pulls you in, envelops you in a vortex of pure rock’n’roll joy, & leaves you begging for more! Fervent fans of The Doughboys know the whole history, detailed on the Rock N’ Raw DVD – they first got together in 1963 and played in various permutations through the rest of the 60’s. They gigged incessantly, won a battle-of-the-bands on Zacherle’s Disc-o-Teen TV show, opened for every act you can name from that era including The Beach Boys, and released two 45’s, Rhoda Mendelbaum and Everybody Knows My Name, on Bell Records before splitting up for what they thought was for good. The band members go their separate and interesting ways – Myke Scavone fronts hard rock ensemble Ram Jam who score an international hit with Black Betty; Richie Heyman plays drums for the likes of Link Wray, Brian Wilson and Jonathan Richman while simultaneously pursuing an acclaimed career as a singer/songwriter (under his full moniker Richard X. Heyman); Mike Caruso lands session work, including a stint with Jimi Hendrix. Fast forward to the year 2000, when Richie Heyman’s wife organizes a surprise reunion of The Doughboys for his birthday that summer, which goes so well that they keep on playing. Enter guitarist Gar Francis (of Stones tribute band Sticky Fingers fame, as well as recording with Billy Idol) in 2005 after the untimely passing of founding member Willy Kirchofer. 2007’s Is It Now? presents original tunes by Gar and by Richie, along with a slew of cool covers - staples of the live show - recorded with Willy shortly before his passing. Opening track Black Sheep catches the ear of Little Steven Van Zandt, who crowns it one of his “coolest songs in the world”, guaranteeing heavy airplay on the Underground Garage radio station on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. More coolest songs in the world follow – I’m Not Your Man, Why Can’t She See Me? and The Doughboys’ ultra-hip cover of Moody Blues chestnut Tuesday Afternoon. Give Shakin' Our Souls a listen & you will agree that rock’n’roll is back in a BIG & soul-shakin’ way!