BOYS WILL BE BOYS

She heard the stories, and she saw the photos, too.

Curious to really know what The Doughboys were all about, Nancy Heyman decided to surprise husband Richard X. Heyman in 2000 by reuniting him with his band mates from the late 1960s.

"She lured me over to a club in the East Village under some pretense, and when I walked in, there were Myke (Scavone), Willy (Kirchofer) and Mike (Caruso) ready to take the stage," Richard tells Sounding Off. "We had such a good time that we've been playing together ever since."

The Doughboys released two singles on Bell Records in the 1960s, and the Central Jersey band shared concert stages with the likes of The Beach Boys and Neil Diamond. After The Doughboys split, they remained good friends and pursued other musical endeavors. (Skavone was the singer for the band Ram Jam, best known for the 1977 pop hit "Black Betty.")

When they finally reunited, The Doughboys decided to make up for lost time.

"It was only natural for us to want to record,” says Heyman, the band's drummer. "We had plenty of original material to choose from, but we also were interested in laying down some of the cover songs we started doing in the mid-'60s."

The result: Is It Now?, the first Doughboys album, recorded at the House of Vibes in Highland Park and available on Ram Records. The cover songs, taken from a 2003 session, feature the original lineup. Gar Francis, the replacement for Kirchofer, who died in 2005, later overdubbed guitar parts on the cover songs. Skavone, Francis and Heyman all contributed original material to the 12-song album.

The Doughboys will perform a record release party Friday (Nov. 9) at Crossroads, 78 North Ave. in Garwood. Call (908) 232-5666 or visit www.xxroads.com.



WORKING TOGETHER

Family Force 5 wants its music to mean something, says Chap Stique, a.k.a. Derek Mount, and the same goes for its merchandise.

Case in point: a series of special-edition T-shirts that's part of a FF5 partnership with Jedidiah Clothing and the Hope Collection. Five bucks from each shirt sold will benefit various humanitarian causes.

"There are plenty of organizations with whom we would love to work," says Mount, "but the Hope Collection seemed like a fantastic fit for us because they are associated with fine arts, and because they are particular about working with causes that actually achieve something."

These special shirts are being sold on the Atlanta-area rock/rap band's current Dance Rawr Dance tour, which makes a stop Friday (Nov. 9) at the Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St. in Manhattan. Visit www.knittingfactory.com for more details.

FF5 has been performing a "greasy, ridiculous hip-hop song" called "Whatcha Gonna Do With It?" as an encore, says Mount.

"(We) wrote this tune for the 'Diamond Edition' of Business Up Front/Party in the Back," he explains, "but decided to keep it as a delicious treat to keep our fans happy between records."

Visit www.familyforce5.com/ for more about Family Force 5.



HAPPY 500TH

It began in December 2004, and at 8 p.m. ET Thursday (Nov. 8) on Fuse, Steven's Untitled Rock Show will celebrate its 500th episode with special guests the Foo Fighters.

"It's huge for us," says show host Steven. "We've interviewed them before, but never in our studio, so this is a huge deal. They're a band with such history, and they typify everything our show is about, so it's a good fit. That, and they're really good-looking."

For more about the show, visit www.myspace.com/surs.