The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • G25

WAYNE VALDEZFILE The Del Fuegos in the '80s (from left): Dan Zanes, Warren Zanes, Tom Lloyd, Woody Giessmann. The band's reunion shows benefit Giessmann's nonprofit agency. REKINDLING THE FLAME Despite having busy post-band careers, the Del Fuegos return for a pair of shows THE DEL FUEGOS At: Paradise Rock Club, 967 Commonwealth Boston, next Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m. Tickets: $20. 617-562-8800, www.thedise.com.

you'll be hearing a few tasty soul tunes from our past, or our version of those tasty soul tunes. Q. Are you planning to have any special guests? A. Both nights. But that's something I don't want to let out of the bag.

People are really coming out of the woodwork; they're flying in from all over the place. Q. How are rehearsals for the shows going? A. Rehearse? Why would we do that? Seriously, we'll be in total lockdown, rehearsing the week prior to the shows. Q.

What kind of crowd are you expecting? A. As quickly as the first show sold out, we certainly expect that we'll be seeing all of our old friends and long-time fans. But I also get the feeling that there'll be some young people who have heard about us, so we hope to make some new young rocker friends out there. By Stuart Munro GLOBE CORRESPONDENT For a while, a quarter century ago, the Del Fuegos were as hot as the name they'd taken (Spanish, loosely speaking, for "the Their tough mix of garage and roots sounds and their incendiary live shows had not only caught on in Boston, but carried them to a contract with national label Slash, a handful of hit songs, and tours opening for the likes of Tom Petty and ZZ Top. Alas, it took but five years for the band to flame out.

Its first record appeared in 1984; by the time of the mixed reviews that greeted the group's third album in 1987 and the hipster disapproval that greeted its appearance in (horrors!) a national beer ad, the band was on its way to being done, and the end arrived shortly after their fourth album in 1989. A comment band member Dan Zanes made in a recent article provides a suitable epitaph: "The '80s were over, and we were over." Its members moved on to diverse but remarkably successful pursuits. Dan Zanes has forged a career playing family music and released 10 albums, one of which won a Grammy. His brother Warren earned a doctorate in visual and cultural studies, has also made a couple of solo records, and has served as a vice president at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bassist Tom Lloyd earned his PhD in environmental engineering science, and has mapped a career with a dizzying array of stops, including executive director of a Los Angeles center for homeless youth and investment analyst.

And Woody Giessmann put training in human services to work in founding Right Turn, an innovative addiction recovery program based in Arlington that combines treatment with an emphasis on the arts and creativity. In light of that subsequent history, it's not surprising that the band remained over, with only a single one-off reunion since. Now they're coming together again for a pair of shows to raise funds for Giessmann's nonprofit agency. We spoke to Giessmann about how the reunion came about, and what we can expect next week. The band members know the work that I've been doing, that I run a nonprofit and we're in a terrible economy, so the nonprofit is keeping up, but just managing to keep up.

I think we all just had this itch to get together and play and wanted to make sure we were doing it for the right reasons. Q. Apart from that last benefit you did, has the band ever considered getting back together? A. There's always been offers, but one of the biggest barriers is Dan's career playing family music. He's nonstop busy.

It's really a matter of having the time for all of us. Q. Obviously we'll be hearing a lot of Del Fuegos music at the shows next week. But are you planning to do anything unusual or unexpected? Do you have anything up your sleeves, or will you simply be trying to re-create what a typical Del Fuegos show was 25 years ago? A. We're going to play all the hits.

We've always managed to include all our favorite Del Fuegos songs along with the music that influenced us. So I imagine Q. So, 20-some years after the breakup of the Del Fuegos, this comes along. A. Some people would say it's long overdue.

We did perform together about 15 years ago, and the proceeds went to a soup kitchen in New Hampshire that Dan and Warren Zanes's mother was affiliated with. So I guess we get together once every decade. Q. And you're getting together this time for a similar reason in support of a cause. How did this decade's version come about? A.

I got a text last October on my birthday from Dan, saying "Happy birthday, and why don't we do that fund-raiser for your nonprofit?" Both Warren and Tom got on board right away. Interview was edited and condensed. Stuart Munro can be reached at sj. munro verizon.net. JUNE 1 7, 20 1 1 THE BOSTON GLOBE 25.