Catch 22 is a ska-punk band based in New Jersey. The band was formed by trumpeter Kevin Gunther , who recruited guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tomas Kalnoky and drummer Chris Greer while 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. Catch 22 released a self-produced demo tape, Rules Of The Game in 1996. The tape quickly sold out, although a copy made it to the offices of Chicago, Illinois record label Victory Records .

The band then signed to Victory and produced their first studio album, 1998's Keasbey Nights. Kalnoky left the band shortly thereafter, deciding to continue his education rather than touring. Egan and Ansley left shortly thereafter. Catch 22 continued on, adding Pat Calpin on guitar, Pat "Mingus" Kays on bass, Mike Soprano on trombone, and Jeff Davidson on vocals. The band tested out their new lineup with the 1999 e.p. Washed Up!. Alone In A Crowd followed in 2000. During this time period, the band began touring heavily on a national scale, appearing with Mustard Plug, Reel Big Fish, and other third-wave ska 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.

After a fruitless search, the band decided to continue on as it was, with Eldred and 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 Pennsylvania 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 and Jamie Egan, as well as former members of the NJ ska band One Cool Guy, released their debut, Everything Goes Numb. Both albums featured veiled attacks on each other, suggesting to many fans that there was some sort of disagreement or heat between Catch 22 and Streetlight Manifesto.

In 2004, Catch 22 released Live, a combination CD and DVD recording of a show performed 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, Thursday, and Taking Back Sunday.

Members

Current

• Pat Calpin - Guitar (Formerly Bass Guitar)
• Ryan Eldred - Saxophone/Vocals
• 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
• Jamie Egan - Trombone/Flute/French Horn/Irish Tin Whistle/Backing Vocals
• Jeff Davidson - Vocals
• Mike Soprano - Trombone

Discography

Albums

• Keasbey Nights (1998)
• Alone in a Crowd (2000)
• Washed Up! and Through the Ringer (2001)
• Dinosaur Sounds (2003)
• Live (2004)

Cassettes

• Rules of the Game (1996)

EPs

• Washed Up! (1999)

External Links

• Official Website
• Record Label