Catch 22 (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Catch 22


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Origin = East Brunswick
New Jersey
USA
Genre = Ska punk
Third wave ska
Years_active = 1996–present
Label = Victory, RISC
Associated_acts = Streetlight Manifesto, HURT
URL = http://www.njcatch22.com/
Current_members = Ryan Eldred
Pat Calpin
Kevin "K.G" Gunther
Pat "Mingus" Kays
Ian McKenzie
Chris Greer
Past_members = Josh Ansley
Tomas Kalnoky
James Egan
Brady Mitchell
Jeff Davidson
Mike Soprano

Catch 22 is a ska punk [ [http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=9990 Catch 22 - Permanent Revolution Review - sputnikmusic ] ] band from East Brunswick, New Jersey. The band was formed by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tomas Kalnoky and drummer Chris Greer who recruited trumpeter Kevin Gunther, who was working in a local record store. Bassist Josh Ansley, saxophonist Ryan Eldred, and trombonist Jamie Egan, who also was the group's high school band director, 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.Fact|date=March 2007 The band mailed several copies to labels they were interested in working with including Gainesville, 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. The band tested out their new lineup with the 1999 EP "Washed Up!". Egan left to continue teaching. "Alone in a Crowd" followed in 2000 with Mike Soprano on trombone. During this time, 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 is in charge of Streetlight Manifesto's tour booking, 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.

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, and Taking Back Sunday and AFI.

Members

Current

*Pat Calpin - Guitar (Formerly Bass Guitar)
*Ryan Eldred - Tenor Saxophone/Vocals/Song Writer
*Chris Greer - Drums
*Kevin Gunther - Trumpet/Vocals
*Pat "Mingus" Kays - Bass Guitar
*Ian McKenzie - Trombone

Former

*Josh Ansley - Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals
*Tomas Kalnoky - Guitar/Vocals/Song Writer
*Jamie Egan - Trombone/Flute/French Horn/Irish Tin Whistle/Backing Vocals
*Jeff Davidson - Vocals/Song Writer
*Mike Soprano - Trombone

Discography

Albums

*"Keasbey Nights" (1998)
*"Alone in a Crowd" (2000)
*"Washed Up and Through the Ringer" (2001)
*"Dinosaur Sounds" (2003)
*"Permanent Revolution" (2006)

Live Records

*"Live" (2004)

EPs

*"Rules of the Game" (1996)
*"Washed Up!" (1999)

ingles

*"Party Song" (2006)

References

External links

* [http://www.njcatch22.com Official Website]
* [http://www.victoryrecords.com Record Label]
* [http://www.myspace.com/catch22 Band Myspace]
* [http://www.purevolume.com/catch22 Catch 22] at purevolume.com