Catch 22 (band)
Encyclopedia
Catch 22 is an American
ska punk
band from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey
.
The band was formed by guitar
ist/vocalist/songwriter Tomas Kalnoky
and drum
mer Chris Greer who recruited trumpet
er Kevin Gunther, who was working in a local record store. Bass
ist Josh Ansley
, saxophonist
Ryan Eldred, and trombonist
Jamie Egan
, who was also Kevin Gunther's first music teacher, rounded out the original lineup.
, Florida
's Toybox Records (who had previously released a 7" by Less Than Jake
). Toybox was owned and operated by Sean Bonner, who had recently moved to Chicago
, Illinois
to work at Victory Records
. Sean brought the tape to the Victory office and suggested the band be signed.
The band then signed to Victory and produced their first studio album, 1998's Keasbey Nights
. Ansley left and was replaced by Pat Calpin. Kalnoky
left the band shortly thereafter, deciding to continue his education rather than tour. Catch 22 continued on with Pat Calpin moving to guitar, Pat "Mingus" Kays on bass, and Jeff Davidson on vocals. After recording the Washed UP! EP, Egan left the band to continue his teaching career and focus on family life. Alone in a Crowd
followed in 2000 with Mike Soprano on trombone. After this release, the band began touring heavily on a national scale, appearing with Mustard Plug
, Reel Big Fish
, and other third-wave ska, hardcore, and punk acts.
Davidson and Soprano left the band in 2001 to pursue other projects, and for a while the band actively courted new vocalists, even putting an advertisement on their website. The group also recruited Ian McKenzie, formerly of Long Island
, New York
ska band Edna's Goldfish
on trombone/vocals.
After a fruitless search, the band decided to continue on as it was, with Ryan Eldred and Kevin Gunther sharing vocal duties. Washed Up and Through the Ringer
, an expansion of the Washed Up! EP, was released in 2001, featuring two new songs, three rarities from the Alone In A Crowd era, and a handful of live tracks recorded in October, 2000 at Club Laga in Pittsburgh
and Euclid Tavern in Ohio
.
The band released its third full-length album, Dinosaur Sounds
in 2003, roughly the same time as Streetlight Manifesto
, a band founded by former Catch 22 frontman Tomas Kalnoky
, and featuring Josh Ansley, Jamie Egan, and Jim Conti as well as former members of the NJ ska band One Cool Guy, released their debut, Everything Goes Numb
. Both albums featured supposed veiled attacks on each other, suggesting to many fans that there was some sort of disagreement or heat between Catch 22 and Streetlight Manifesto. While there was a disagreement, the two parties have since reconciled their differences. Given that Catch 22's Kevin Gunther was in charge of Streetlight Manifesto's tour booking for many years, and members of both bands have said in conversations with fans that there is no "beef" between the two, it is safe to assume that any disagreement is firmly behind them.
In 2004, Catch 22 released Live
, a combination CD and DVD recording of a show performed at The Downtown
in Farmingdale, New York
, earlier that year.
In 2006 they released their fourth studio album, Permanent Revolution
.
Several bands who opened for Catch 22 in the past have gone on to find fame on the mainstream, including Sum 41
, Bowling for Soup
, Taking Back Sunday
, and The Homecoming Queens.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ska punk
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
band from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey
East Brunswick Township, New Jersey
The town is located southwest of New York City and 48 miles northeast of Philadelphia.Lawrence Brook, a tributary of the Raritan River, runs along the western border of the township...
.
The band was formed by 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...
ist/vocalist/songwriter Tomas Kalnoky
Tomas Kalnoky
Tomas Kalnoky is a Czech-born American musician. He is the lead singer/guitarist and songwriter of the bands Streetlight Manifesto and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, and goes by the pseudonym Toh Kay as a solo performer...
and drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
mer Chris Greer who recruited trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
er Kevin Gunther, who was working in a local record store. Bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist Josh Ansley
Josh Ansley
Joshua David Ansley was the bass player for the band HURT and the ska bands Catch 22 and Streetlight Manifesto. Raised in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, United States, Ansley was a Ford model and an actor as a child/pre-teen. He then was in Social Butterfly, an alternative band which also...
, saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Ryan Eldred, and trombonist
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
Jamie Egan
Jamie Egan
James "Jamie" Egan is a high school band teacher and professional musician who resides in New Jersey. He has taught at Spotswood High School and E.R. Appleby Elementary School in Spotswood. He currently teaches at North Brunswick Township High School, in North Brunswick, New Jersey...
, who was also Kevin Gunther's first music teacher, rounded out the original lineup.
Biography
Catch 22 released a self-produced demo tape, Rules of the Game, in 1996. All 2000 copies of the tape quickly sold out. The band mailed several copies to labels they were interested in working with including GainesvilleGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
's Toybox Records (who had previously released a 7" by Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...
). Toybox was owned and operated by Sean Bonner, who had recently moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
to work at Victory Records
Victory Records
Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
. Sean brought the tape to the Victory office and suggested the band be signed.
The band then signed to Victory and produced their first studio album, 1998's Keasbey Nights
Keasbey Nights
Keasbey Nights is the debut album by the East Brunswick, New Jersey ska punk band Catch 22, released on March 24, 1998 by Victory Records. It is the only album by the band's original lineup, as singer/songwriter/guitarist Tomas Kalnoky, bassist Josh Ansley, and horn player James Egan all left the...
. Ansley left and was replaced by Pat Calpin. Kalnoky
Tomas Kalnoky
Tomas Kalnoky is a Czech-born American musician. He is the lead singer/guitarist and songwriter of the bands Streetlight Manifesto and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, and goes by the pseudonym Toh Kay as a solo performer...
left the band shortly thereafter, deciding to continue his education rather than tour. Catch 22 continued on with Pat Calpin moving to guitar, Pat "Mingus" Kays on bass, and Jeff Davidson on vocals. After recording the Washed UP! EP, Egan left the band to continue his teaching career and focus on family life. Alone in a Crowd
Alone in a Crowd
Alone in a Crowd was the first full-length Catch 22 release featuring the band's second lineup. The album features a song trilogy, "What Goes Around Comes Around" ,"Bloomfield Avenue" and "Neverending Story", which follows two young lovers who commit multiple acts of homicide on a cross-country...
followed in 2000 with Mike Soprano on trombone. After this release, the band began touring heavily on a national scale, appearing with Mustard Plug
Mustard Plug
Mustard Plug is a ska punk band from Grand Rapids, Michigan.Formed in 1991, the band's original members were Dave Kirchgessner, Mike McKendrick, Colin Clive, and Anthony Vilchez. Currently the band consists of Dave , Brandon Jenison , Jim Hofer , Nate Cohn , Colin Clive , and Rick Johnson...
, Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...
, and other third-wave ska, hardcore, and punk acts.
Davidson and Soprano left the band in 2001 to pursue other projects, and for a while the band actively courted new vocalists, even putting an advertisement on their website. The group also recruited Ian McKenzie, formerly of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
ska band Edna's Goldfish
Edna's Goldfish
Edna's Goldfish was a ska punk band from Long Island.Together from 1997 to 2000, their studio albums include Before You Knew Better and "The Elements of Transition" , both released on Moon Ska Records. The video for their song "Veronica Sawyer" received some airplay on the MTV show 120 Minutes...
on trombone/vocals.
After a fruitless search, the band decided to continue on as it was, with Ryan Eldred and Kevin Gunther sharing vocal duties. Washed Up and Through the Ringer
Washed Up and Through the Ringer
-Personnel:*Pat Kays - bass guitar*Mike Soprano - trombone, vocals*Ryan Eldred - saxophone, vocals*Chris Greer - drum kit*Kevin Gunther - trumpet, vocals*Pat Calpin - guitar*Jeff Davidson - vocals, tracks 3-18...
, an expansion of the Washed Up! EP, was released in 2001, featuring two new songs, three rarities from the Alone In A Crowd era, and a handful of live tracks recorded in October, 2000 at Club Laga in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and Euclid Tavern in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
The band released its third full-length album, Dinosaur Sounds
Dinosaur Sounds
Dinosaur Sounds is a 2003 Catch 22 album and shows the band finally emerging from the shadow of former frontman Tomas Kalnoky. The album is a radical departure from previous work; while the band maintains its trademark aggression and inquisitive nature, the topics have steered back to rock and roll...
in 2003, roughly the same time as Streetlight Manifesto
Streetlight Manifesto
Streetlight Manifesto is an American punk band with many influences from different genres including ska, from New Brunswick, New Jersey fronted by Tomas Kalnoky....
, a band founded by former Catch 22 frontman Tomas Kalnoky
Tomas Kalnoky
Tomas Kalnoky is a Czech-born American musician. He is the lead singer/guitarist and songwriter of the bands Streetlight Manifesto and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, and goes by the pseudonym Toh Kay as a solo performer...
, and featuring Josh Ansley, Jamie Egan, and Jim Conti as well as former members of the NJ ska band One Cool Guy, released their debut, Everything Goes Numb
Everything Goes Numb
Everything Goes Numb is the debut album by American ska punk band Streetlight Manifesto.-Track listing:All songs written by Tomas Kalnoky-Personnel:*Josh Ansley - Bass Guitar*Jim Conti - Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone...
. Both albums featured supposed veiled attacks on each other, suggesting to many fans that there was some sort of disagreement or heat between Catch 22 and Streetlight Manifesto. While there was a disagreement, the two parties have since reconciled their differences. Given that Catch 22's Kevin Gunther was in charge of Streetlight Manifesto's tour booking for many years, and members of both bands have said in conversations with fans that there is no "beef" between the two, it is safe to assume that any disagreement is firmly behind them.
In 2004, Catch 22 released Live
Live (Catch 22 album)
-DVD Features:*Footage of August 30, 2004 concert.*Embarrassing Photos *On the Road *At the Show...
, a combination CD and DVD recording of a show performed at The Downtown
The Downtown
The Downtown was a music venue in Farmingdale, New York. The venue opened on December 21, 2001.On September 19, 2005, the Downtown sent an email to their mailing list announcing their closing, thanking the fans and bands for support, and offering refunds for the upcoming shows. No reason was cited...
in Farmingdale, New York
Farmingdale, New York
The Village of Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York in the United States...
, earlier that year.
In 2006 they released their fourth studio album, Permanent Revolution
Permanent Revolution (album)
-Personnel:*Pat Kays - bass guitar, chimes, vocals*Pat Calpin - guitar*Ian McKenzie - trombone, vocals, keys, vibraphone*Ryan Eldred - tenor saxophone, lead vocals, guitar*Kevin Gunther - trumpet, vocals*Chris Greer - percussion-External links:***...
.
Several bands who opened for Catch 22 in the past have gone on to find fame on the mainstream, including Sum 41
Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of members Deryck Whibley , Tom Thacker , Jason McCaslin and Steve Jocz .In 1999, the band signed an international record deal with Island Records...
, Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...
, Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
, and The Homecoming Queens.
Current
- Pat Calpin - guitar (formerly bass guitar)
- Ryan Eldred - tenor saxophone/vocals
- Chris Greer - drums
- Kevin Gunther - trumpet/vocals
- Pat "Mingus" Kays - bass guitar
- Ian McKenzie - trombone
Former
- Josh AnsleyJosh AnsleyJoshua David Ansley was the bass player for the band HURT and the ska bands Catch 22 and Streetlight Manifesto. Raised in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, United States, Ansley was a Ford model and an actor as a child/pre-teen. He then was in Social Butterfly, an alternative band which also...
- bass guitar/backing vocals - Tomas KalnokyTomas KalnokyTomas Kalnoky is a Czech-born American musician. He is the lead singer/guitarist and songwriter of the bands Streetlight Manifesto and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, and goes by the pseudonym Toh Kay as a solo performer...
- guitar/vocals - Jamie EganJamie EganJames "Jamie" Egan is a high school band teacher and professional musician who resides in New Jersey. He has taught at Spotswood High School and E.R. Appleby Elementary School in Spotswood. He currently teaches at North Brunswick Township High School, in North Brunswick, New Jersey...
- trombone/flute/French horn/Irish tin whistle/backing vocals - Jeff Davidson - vocals
- Mike Soprano - trombone
Albums
- Keasbey NightsKeasbey NightsKeasbey Nights is the debut album by the East Brunswick, New Jersey ska punk band Catch 22, released on March 24, 1998 by Victory Records. It is the only album by the band's original lineup, as singer/songwriter/guitarist Tomas Kalnoky, bassist Josh Ansley, and horn player James Egan all left the...
(1998) - Alone in a CrowdAlone in a CrowdAlone in a Crowd was the first full-length Catch 22 release featuring the band's second lineup. The album features a song trilogy, "What Goes Around Comes Around" ,"Bloomfield Avenue" and "Neverending Story", which follows two young lovers who commit multiple acts of homicide on a cross-country...
(2000) - Washed Up and Through the RingerWashed Up and Through the Ringer-Personnel:*Pat Kays - bass guitar*Mike Soprano - trombone, vocals*Ryan Eldred - saxophone, vocals*Chris Greer - drum kit*Kevin Gunther - trumpet, vocals*Pat Calpin - guitar*Jeff Davidson - vocals, tracks 3-18...
(2001) - Dinosaur SoundsDinosaur SoundsDinosaur Sounds is a 2003 Catch 22 album and shows the band finally emerging from the shadow of former frontman Tomas Kalnoky. The album is a radical departure from previous work; while the band maintains its trademark aggression and inquisitive nature, the topics have steered back to rock and roll...
(2003) - Permanent RevolutionPermanent Revolution (album)-Personnel:*Pat Kays - bass guitar, chimes, vocals*Pat Calpin - guitar*Ian McKenzie - trombone, vocals, keys, vibraphone*Ryan Eldred - tenor saxophone, lead vocals, guitar*Kevin Gunther - trumpet, vocals*Chris Greer - percussion-External links:***...
(2006)
External links
- Official website
- Record label
- Band Myspace
- Catch 22 at purevolume.com