Doughboys (band)
Encyclopedia
Doughboys were a Canadian
alternative rock
band that were active in the late 1980s and early/mid 1990s. The band was renowned for its musical blend of punk
and pop
-style melodies.
by John Kastner
in 1987 following his departure from The Asexuals
. That year the Doughboys released their debut album Whatever on the Pipeline Records label although the original lineup of musicians shortly disbanded save for Kastner on vocals and guitar
. In 1996 and 2000 Chart Magazine
ranked Whatever as the 28th greatest Canadian album of all time.
Throughout their existence the band was characterized by frequent lineup changes. Original guitarist Scott McCullough went on to form Rusty
, so Kastner recruited Jonathan Cummins
from the punk band Circus Lupus after Cummins had moved to Montreal
from Toronto
. Jon Asencio (aka John Bondhead) played bass
and Brock Pytel was the band's drummer. The band began working with Manager/Producer Dan McConomy who was working for a film by producer Robin Spry
that needed a song for a skateboard scene. McConomy asked the band to re-record the guitar solos with Jonathan Cummins. Even though the original label Restless Records had gone bankrupt a deal was arranged so that Electric Distribution in Canada
and Malaco
in the United States
could release the album. The band opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers
on their Canadian tour after attaining the #1 spot on Independent Retail Sales and College Radio Chart.
Their second album Home Again was released in 1988 on Restless Records.
Pytel left the band in 1990 and moved to India
to study meditation. He was replaced by Paul Newman on the band's third album, Happy Accidents. After that album's release and tour Asencio left and was replaced by bassist John Deslaurier, who appeared on the subsequent 5-song EP When Up Turns to Down that features a cover of The B-52s "Private Idaho." The EP was released without the band's consent by Enigma/Restless.
. The band subsequently signed to A&M Records
and used their $10,000 advance from A&M to buy out their contract with Enigma.
They then recruited Daniel Rey
and Dave Ogilvie
to produce their major label debut, Crush
, which was released in August 1993. "Shine" was that album's lead single and became the band's biggest Top 40 hit. "Neighbourhood Villain" and "Fix Me" were also notable singles from the album. Crush went gold in Canada. "Shine" meanwhile was voted in 2000 as the 26th "Top Canadian Single of All Time" by Chart Magazine, and was used by Canadian music video channel Much Music as the theme song for their alternative rock show called "The Wedge."
Their next album was 1996's Turn Me On. It was coproduced by Ted Niceley and Daniel Rey
and spawned the singles "I Never Liked You" and "Everything and After". The album furthered the band's pop punk
style and Cummins subsequently left the band, citing the band's "lack of edge" and commercial sellout. He was replaced for the remainder of the band's tour by Wiz, the former singer/guitarist for Mega City Four
. Wiz co-wrote two songs each on Turn Me On and Crush, including "Shine". However, following the end of that tour (as the opening act for The Offspring
) the band broke up before releasing another album, save for the 2003 re-issue of their first demo La Majeure.
with Marc Arnold and Frank Daly of Big Drill Car
. He is married to Nicole de Boer
and lives in Silverlake, California
. They have a daughter, Summer Lee. His first solo album entitled Have You Seen Lucky was released in June 2006. He has also composed a number of film and TV soundtracks, including work on Phil the Alien
, Universal Soldier
and B.R.A.T.S of the Lost Nebula
. In 2000 Kastner along with Jon Bond Head made a guest appearance on Brock Pytel's second album Second Choice. In 2008 Kastner toured with Bran Van 3000
and recorded an album with them.
Cummins formed the band Bionic. He also produced a number of albums, and also spent a six-month stint playing with the Besnard Lakes. He writes a music column for The Montreal Mirror.
Wiz formed Serpico and Ipanema
, but died in London, England on December 6, 2006 from a blood clot on the brain.
Paul Newman worked as a road manager after the Doughboys broke up. Later he joined The Forgotten Rebels
. He currently plays in Big Rude Jake's
band Blue Mercury Coupe.
tour. No plans exist to extend the reunion beyond the tour or to create new music.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band that were active in the late 1980s and early/mid 1990s. The band was renowned for its musical blend of punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-style melodies.
Early Years
The band was formed in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
by John Kastner
John Kastner
John Kastner is a Canadian musician and composer born in Beaconsfield, Quebec. He is well known as the singer for Montreal hardcore punk band the Asexuals as well as singer-guitarist for Montreal alternative band Doughboys and alternative band All Systems Go!....
in 1987 following his departure from The Asexuals
Asexuals (band)
The Asexuals is a hardcore punk band from Beaconsfield that was a mainstay of the Montreal punk scene in the '80s before evolving into an alternative band following the departure of singer John Kastner, who went to form the Doughboys and, later, All Systems Go!.-History:The Asexuals formed in 1983...
. That year the Doughboys released their debut album Whatever on the Pipeline Records label although the original lineup of musicians shortly disbanded save for Kastner on vocals and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. In 1996 and 2000 Chart Magazine
Chart (magazine)
ChartAttack is a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine called Chart, which was published from 1991 to 2009, the web version continues operation....
ranked Whatever as the 28th greatest Canadian album of all time.
Throughout their existence the band was characterized by frequent lineup changes. Original guitarist Scott McCullough went on to form Rusty
Rusty (band)
Rusty is a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The band earned a 1996 Juno Award nomination in the category Best Alternative Album for Fluke.-History:...
, so Kastner recruited Jonathan Cummins
Jonathan Cummins
Jonathan "Johnson" Cummins is a Canadian musician and record producer originally from Toronto, now based out of Montreal. He has played in Circus Lupus, the Doughboys, Treble Charger, Bionic, Goddo, The Parachute Club, The Headpins, and The Besnard Lakes...
from the punk band Circus Lupus after Cummins had moved to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Jon Asencio (aka John Bondhead) played bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Brock Pytel was the band's drummer. The band began working with Manager/Producer Dan McConomy who was working for a film by producer Robin Spry
Robin Spry
Robin Spry was a Canadian filmmaker and television producer best known for his documentary film Action: The October Crisis of 1970 about Quebec's October Crisis.-Profile:...
that needed a song for a skateboard scene. McConomy asked the band to re-record the guitar solos with Jonathan Cummins. Even though the original label Restless Records had gone bankrupt a deal was arranged so that Electric Distribution in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Malaco
Malaco
Malaco is a brand of confectionery products owned by Leaf, their products are sold in Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland as well as Sweden....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
could release the album. The band opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
on their Canadian tour after attaining the #1 spot on Independent Retail Sales and College Radio Chart.
Their second album Home Again was released in 1988 on Restless Records.
Pytel left the band in 1990 and moved to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to study meditation. He was replaced by Paul Newman on the band's third album, Happy Accidents. After that album's release and tour Asencio left and was replaced by bassist John Deslaurier, who appeared on the subsequent 5-song EP When Up Turns to Down that features a cover of The B-52s "Private Idaho." The EP was released without the band's consent by Enigma/Restless.
Major Label Signing and Mainstream Success
Deslaurier left in 1992 and was replaced by Peter Arsenault, formerly of the band JellyfishbabiesJellyfishbabies
Jellyfishbabies were an alternative rock band in Canada, active from 1986 to 1991. Although the band never attained mainstream success, they were one of the major influences on the Halifax Pop Explosion scene of the early 1990s....
. The band subsequently signed to A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
and used their $10,000 advance from A&M to buy out their contract with Enigma.
They then recruited Daniel Rey
Daniel Rey
Daniel Rey is an American musician, music producer and songwriter from New York City best known for his work with the Ramones....
and Dave Ogilvie
Dave Ogilvie
Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer and musician. He is a producer of industrial music and has been associated with bands such as Skinny Puppy , Doughboys, The Birthday Massacre , Marilyn Manson, Jakalope , Killing Joke, Queensrÿche, Alexz Johnson, Fake Shark...
to produce their major label debut, Crush
Crush (Doughboys album)
Crush is a 1993 album by Montreal pop-punk band Doughboys. Crush was released on A&M records and was produced by Daniel Rey and mixed by Dave Ogilvie. The album earned a number of critical accolades. In 1994 it was nominated for a Juno Award for Best Hard Rock Album. Toronto radio station CFNY-FM...
, which was released in August 1993. "Shine" was that album's lead single and became the band's biggest Top 40 hit. "Neighbourhood Villain" and "Fix Me" were also notable singles from the album. Crush went gold in Canada. "Shine" meanwhile was voted in 2000 as the 26th "Top Canadian Single of All Time" by Chart Magazine, and was used by Canadian music video channel Much Music as the theme song for their alternative rock show called "The Wedge."
Their next album was 1996's Turn Me On. It was coproduced by Ted Niceley and Daniel Rey
Daniel Rey
Daniel Rey is an American musician, music producer and songwriter from New York City best known for his work with the Ramones....
and spawned the singles "I Never Liked You" and "Everything and After". The album furthered the band's pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
style and Cummins subsequently left the band, citing the band's "lack of edge" and commercial sellout. He was replaced for the remainder of the band's tour by Wiz, the former singer/guitarist for Mega City Four
Mega City Four
Mega City Four were an English indie/pop punk band who were popular in the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Mega City Four consisted of guitarist/vocalist Wiz, his brother and rhythm guitarist/vocalist Danny Brown, bassist/vocalist Gerry Bryant and drummer Chris Jones...
. Wiz co-wrote two songs each on Turn Me On and Crush, including "Shine". However, following the end of that tour (as the opening act for The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
) the band broke up before releasing another album, save for the 2003 re-issue of their first demo La Majeure.
Post Doughboys
Kastner subsequently formed All Systems Go!All Systems Go!
All Systems Go! is a Canadian punk rock group, and features members of Big Drill Car, Doughboys, the Asexuals and The Carnations. The band was formed after Frank Daly and Mark Arnold's previous band Big Drill Car broke up in 1995 and John Kastner's and Peter Arsenault's previous band The Doughboys...
with Marc Arnold and Frank Daly of Big Drill Car
Big Drill Car
Big Drill Car was a pop punk/melodic hardcore group from Huntington Beach, California, who were active from the late 1980s to mid-1990s and briefly again in the mid-2000s...
. He is married to Nicole de Boer
Nicole de Boer
Nicole de Boer is a Canadian actress, perhaps best known for her roles as Ezri Dax on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from 1998 to 1999 and as Sarah Bannerman on The Dead Zone from 2002 to 2007.-Career:...
and lives in Silverlake, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. They have a daughter, Summer Lee. His first solo album entitled Have You Seen Lucky was released in June 2006. He has also composed a number of film and TV soundtracks, including work on Phil the Alien
Phil the Alien
Phil the Alien is a Canadian comedy film, released in 2004. It was written and directed by Rob Stefaniuk, who also starred as the titular Phil.Phil is an extraterrestrial who crash-lands in a small town in Northern Ontario...
, Universal Soldier
Universal Soldier (1992 film)
Universal Soldier is a 1992 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam but are reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead...
and B.R.A.T.S of the Lost Nebula
Brats of the Lost Nebula
Brats of the Lost Nebula is a puppet and computer animated series originally broadcast on the Kids' WB block of Saturday morning programming in 1998. Created by Dan Clark, the sci-fi series for kids used puppets from Jim Henson's Creature Shop and state of the art computer graphics from C.O.R.E....
. In 2000 Kastner along with Jon Bond Head made a guest appearance on Brock Pytel's second album Second Choice. In 2008 Kastner toured with Bran Van 3000
Bran Van 3000
Bran Van 3000 is an electronica collective from Manhattan, New York City, New York and Montreal, Quebec. Founded by DJ James Di Salvio and E.P...
and recorded an album with them.
Cummins formed the band Bionic. He also produced a number of albums, and also spent a six-month stint playing with the Besnard Lakes. He writes a music column for The Montreal Mirror.
Wiz formed Serpico and Ipanema
Ipanema (band)
Ipanema were a British three piece rock band from Farnborough, Hampshire. They released two singles, one mini album and one full length album. The band finished and released its final recording in January 2008.-Early days:...
, but died in London, England on December 6, 2006 from a blood clot on the brain.
Paul Newman worked as a road manager after the Doughboys broke up. Later he joined The Forgotten Rebels
Forgotten Rebels
The Forgotten Rebels are a punk rock band from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. With roots dating back to 1977 to the present day, the Forgotten Rebels have left a discography of seven albums and a collection of EPs and singles that have influenced many other Canadian and international bands forming in...
. He currently plays in Big Rude Jake's
Big Rude Jake
Big Rude Jake is a singer, songwriter and jazz musician based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He recorded several albums with different jazz ensembles and musicians, mixing rock, jump blues, blues, ragtime, swing, rhythm and blues and punk rock together...
band Blue Mercury Coupe.
Reunion
Doughboys reunited briefly in the summer of 2011 as support for the Canadian leg of a Foo FightersFoo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
tour. No plans exist to extend the reunion beyond the tour or to create new music.
Albums
- Whatever LP (MTL Records, 1987)
- Home Again LP (Restless RecordsRestless RecordsRestless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1981 by Enigma Records and primarly released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records...
, 1989) - Happy Accidents! LP (Restless RecordsRestless RecordsRestless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1981 by Enigma Records and primarly released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records...
, 1990) - When up turns to down EP (Restless RecordsRestless RecordsRestless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1981 by Enigma Records and primarly released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records...
/Emergo, 1991) - Blanche EP (A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, 1993) - CrushCrush (Doughboys album)Crush is a 1993 album by Montreal pop-punk band Doughboys. Crush was released on A&M records and was produced by Daniel Rey and mixed by Dave Ogilvie. The album earned a number of critical accolades. In 1994 it was nominated for a Juno Award for Best Hard Rock Album. Toronto radio station CFNY-FM...
LP (A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, 1993) - Turn me On LP (A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, 1996)
Singles
- You're Related/Stranger from Within/Forecast 7" (No Label, 1988) (Promo, limited to 500 copies)
- Home Again Live 7" (Black Box Records, 1991)
- Disposable Single (A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, 1993) - Shine Single (A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, 1993) - Shine Maxi (A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, 1993) - La Majeure 1987 7" (Boss Tuneage Records, 2003)
Compilations
- More than a State of Mind LP (Restless RecordsRestless RecordsRestless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1981 by Enigma Records and primarly released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records...
, 1990) - features the track I won't write you a letter - Black Box Compilation LP (Black Box Records, 1992) - features the track Stole yer love (live)
- Something's gone wrong again: The Buzzcocks Covers Compilations LP (C/Z RecordsC/Z RecordsC/Z Records is a Seattle-based record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale with the release of the now-legendary, Deep Six LP, which collected the earliest recordings of the real pro-genitors of what later came to be known as grunge...
, 1992) - features the track Why she's a girl from the Chainstore - A Tribute to Hard Core Logo LP (BMG Music, 1996) - features the track Something's Gonna Die Tonight)