Catch 22 - CD collection

[01-08-2026]

Catch 22 are a ska punk band from New Jersey with a tumultuous history. 3 different singers over the course of just 4 albums, one of which became such a cult classic under such unfortunate circumstances it appears to be a curse hanging over their entire existence. The three constant members are trumpet player and singer Kevin Gunther, tenor saxophonist and singer Ryan Eldred, and drummer Chris Greer, along with long-time contributions from Pat Calpin and Pat Kays on guitar and bass respectively, along with an array of other members who have been with the band at various times.

Still, the single person that most people probably know from this band is founding member, original songwriter, singer and guitarist Tomas Kalnoky. After an early demo, the band signed to the now notoriously sketchy hardcore label Victory Records, where they released their debut album Keasbey Nights in 1998. The impact this album ended up having on the ska punk scene is hard to overstate. Keasbey Nights came at the peak of the third wave ska boom and is to this day cited as one of the most influential and universally beloved albums of this scene, showcasing Kalnoky's personal storytelling, rapidfire, yet emotive vocals, infectious shouts, and memorable, inventive compositions on iconic song after iconic song. This album captures both a folky down-to-earthedness and a theatrical flair of the dramatic. This is the kind of music that shows you what it means to be human. I personally don't have a super close connection to this album as I came to this music much later and latched on to other albums. But still, I can't deny how iconic and masterfully crafted this album is, and to anyone who says this is their favourite, yes, I get it.

Shortly after the release of Keasbey Nights though, Kalnoky left the band to pursue further education, and the frontman and songwriter was now gone. I can't say I have a particularly good grasp of the relationship between Kalnoky and the rest of Catch 22. Kalnoky's reason for departure was a peaceful one, but, it seems, the attributions of Keasbey Nights to the Catch 22 name that Kalnoky no longer was a part of despite being the songwriter is what lead to tensions. This culminated in in the much cited line "If you hate me so much, then stop singing my songs" from A Moment of Silence of Kalnoky's later band Streetlight Manifesto and a complete re-recording of Keasbey Nights with the new band in 2006 (the Streetlight Manifesto post will come with the release of the new album. Any day now...). Take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, but this is the best reconstruction of events I can come up with. Reportedly though, the two bands are on good terms now.

Regardless, Catch 22 continued with new singer Jeff Davidson, playing Keasbey Nights songs, and writing new material, now with a much more collaborative songwriting process. With Davidson, they recorded the EP Washed Up!, which would later be repackaged with rarities and live recordings and re-released as part of the compilation album Washed Up and Through the Ringer!. This album is a very messy listen as compilations of this nature tend to be, but it's a good document of this phase of the band's career. The first full album recorded with Davidson is Alone in a Crowd. This album is an extremely mixed bag for me, as it seems to bounce back and forth between acceptable mediocrity, and some of the most intense, frenzied and infectious skacore I have ever heard. Seriously, some individual tracks on this record are absolutely mindblowing. Particularly Sounds Good But I Don't Know feels like such a gut punch of a panic attack it reliably leaves me out of breath, and Hard to Impress is so chaotic and shreds so hard you'll have a hard time finding any match in this genre. Alone in a Crowd is an essential album for me in the sense that it features a couple of favourites that I play frequently, but the album as a whole unfortunately falls a little flat for me.

After Alone in the Crowd, Davidson exits the band, leaving the band once again without a singer. They eventually resort to giving the lead vocal duties primarily to Eldred, a setup with which they record their third album Dinosaur Sounds. I've seen this album being considered a pivot away from ska. I don't think this is true, there's still plenty of ska rhythms and horns on here, but I suppose, in the time directly following the third wave ska boom, many ska bands shifted to a more alt rock and indie sound, so I think it's conceivable that many ska fans might have been oversensitive to any perceived move in this direction, no matter how small. Imagined ska betrayal aside, while Dinosaur Sounds is a lot less flashy than its predecessors, I think it does a significantly better job at finding a cohesive sound it comfortably sits in and has a fair share of personal highlights, especially the opener Rocky. Finally with a stable lineup, the band eventually returns to the studio to record their fourth album Permanent Revolution, a concept album following the life of Leon Trotsky. As eyebrow raising and subject to occasional ridicule as this choice is, this album is a fantastic listen. While certainly not reinventing the wheel, the music on this album has an absolutely wonderful sense of narrative flow, with plenty of infectious and dynamic songs along the way.

It seems that with the last two albums, Catch 22 finally found their lineup and sound, ready for a consistent, long-lived career. Unfortunately, 2006's Permanent Revolution would be their final release to date, a mere 8 years after their debut. They never broke up, continuing with sporadic touring, but they never recorded any new music. To this day, this band appears to exist in the cultural memory simply as Kalnoky's original band that might as well could have broken up after Keasbey Nights. I hardly ever hear anyone bring up any of those other albums, which is a shame, because not only do I think that they're very good and very much worth listening to, but also they represent a very interesting history of a band completely restructuring itself and finding a new identity. While Catch 22 are nowhere near a favourite band of mine, I can't deny they're fascinating, and would be very interested to see a continuation of their arc.