The first time I heard of Catch 22 was back in November of 2000, when I found out they were opening for Reel Big Fish. I wasn't expecting much; after all, most of the ska bands I had been hearing for the first time really weren't very good at all, mostly because everything they were playing sounded like it had been done before. However, Catch 22 completely and utterly blew me away with their hour plus opening set for Reel Big Fish, and the album search was on.

This, their debut album, Keasbey Nights, was actually the last album I picked up by them as I worked in reverse order. Keasbey Nights took a few listens to grow on me, but now, I have to say this is one of the finest ska releases my ears have ever heard.

Founded in the fall of 1996 by guitarist/vocalist Tomas Kalnoky, drummer Chris Greer, and trumpet player Kevin Gunther, the band toured for over a year before hardcore record label Victory Records signed the band in late 1997, and released this record in late 1998. Within a year, it was one of the top ten selling releases in Victory's history, and with good reason.

While the band punks things up here and there (be it for a song or for just the chorus or verse), this album's biggest success lies in the tightness of the band while playing their breezy, infectious blend of ska. There is no doubt that the tightness of the band was only honed with the year plus they spent on the road before recording the album.

The vocal delivery tends to be very fast with this band, and many times very hard to understand. However, the band shows a knack for coming up with phrases and lyrics that are irresistibly catchy, even if you have to refer to the liner notes constantly.

Standout Songs:

There are more than a few standout songs on this record. Every song will scream for you to hit repeat on your CD player. However, there are three or four that are just a little bit of a cut above the rest.

Keasbey Nights: Opening with dueling acoustic guitars, the song very quickly takes it's shape as a full on ska anthem. Particularly notable is the band's great restraint in making the chorus a punk rave up, and instead sticking to their "ska guns" so to speak. The song deals with suicide, and is incredibly catchy thanks to the horn section and the particularly noble work of drummer Greer.

Giving Up, Giving In: One of the more straight punk/hardcore songs on the record, Giving Up, Giving In is a fabulous anthem that surely has kids raising their fists in unison at shows. Don't let the very melodic acoustic guitar intro fool you, this song is very fast, with the bridge being the highlight of the entire album.

9mm and a Three Piece Suit: About three seconds of thrashing punk introduces this song that goes from punk to ska and back again three or four times. The horn section shines here, beautifully mixed into the forefront ahead of the punk music.

Kristina She Don't Know I Exist: Quite frankly, this may be the best ska song I have ever heard. The lyrics are simplistic but surely can be related to by just about anyone. The music is wonderful. The verses remain quite mid-tempo, picking up a bit for the chorus. It is seemingly endless, with solos by almost everyone in the band, all of which are wonderful, especially the horn section, which completely blows you away. I have seen the future of ska music, and this song is it.

Other songs not to be skipped over: Supernothing, 12341234, and On&On&On.

Weak Links:

There is really only one weak link to this entire album, and that would be the opening track, Dear Sergio, a somewhat catchy but very weak ska song that would have been better off left off.

There really are very few ska albums that I have heard that come close to the breadth of material and technical aspects that this album does. It is truly a remarkable album, and one that belongs in any true ska fans' collection.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out