There are several bands called Catch 22, including ones in the ska (1), met… Read Full Bio ↴There are several bands called Catch 22, including ones in the ska (1), metal (2), jazz, American alternative, and 1980s UK punk genres. German tech-house producers Daniel Girresser & Michael Erb also use the name.
1) Catch 22 (ska):

Catch 22 is a third-wave ska band based in New Jersey. The band was formed in 1995 by drummer Chris Greer and vocalist Tomas Kalnoky. They 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 Gainesville, Florida's Toybox Records (which 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, having decided to continue his education rather than tour. Catch 22 continued on with Pat Calpin moved 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. This was roughly the same time that 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. This was true, although 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 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.

Catch 22's fourth studio album, titled Permanent Revolution, was released on June 27, 2006. The album can be classified as a concept album, centering around the life of Leon Trotsky (1879 - 1940); the title represents a theorum called Permanent Revolution that Trotsky had been associated with.

2) CATCH 22 (metal):

GENRE:
US Power/Thrash Metal

ORIGIN:
USA (Marietta, Ohio), 1992

CURRENT LINE-UP:
T.J. Berry (vocals, lead and rhythm guitar)
Jesse Forrest (rhythm guitar, backing vocals)
Hank Ramage (bass, backing vocals)
Joe Bailey (drums, backing vocals)

BIOGRAPHY
CATCH 22 was formed by T.J. Berry (vocals, guitar) in 1992 in Marietta, Ohio. When grunge was hitting it big, CATCH 22 stayed true to their art form (metal) and treaded on.

In 1994 their first 6 song demo tape, "Crazier Than Life", was released. One song from this demo, "Fate Keeps On Happening", scored a spot on the Rodell Records compilation "Sounds From The Underground". That was a brave move from Rodell Records because at that time CATCH 22 were considered very uncool as anything metal was labeled uncool.

In 1995 they recorded a 3 song tape, that gained them some national exposure and encouraged them to record a full length CD entitled "Through Eyes Of Pain" in 1997. They scored distribution and a Metal Edge magazine ad from Perris Records, that is known for glam metal, but saw the potential of the band and couldn't resist it.

In 1998 CATCH 22 released their second album, "Time Reveals All", to rave reviews from all over the world. Songs such as "Burn" and "Think For Yourself" still pop up at the band's live shows. CATCH 22 played at the March Metal Meltdown in New Jersey. The year was 2000 and they were surrounded by death metal cookie monster vocals and the outcast once again, waving the flag of true metal loud and proud.

The following year saw the beginning of a great relationship for CATCH 22 with the Classic Metal Festival series. They went to Kalamazoo (Michigan) to play the first annual CMF. At CMF 2 they met J.B. Mestad which led to his label Molten Metal, releasing CATCH 22 third album, "Awaken", in 2003.

CATCH 22 played at Classic Metal Festivals 1, 2, 4 and 5 and have shared the stage with TESTAMENT, EXCITER, ANVIL, OMEN, ATTACKER, HALLOWS EVE, S.O.D., SEVEN WITCHES, CAGE, DORO and many other well known acts.

CATCH 22 were featured on four tribute CDs released by Dwell Records, performing songs of KING DIAMOND, TESTAMENT, WHITE ZOMBIE and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

In December 2006 CATCH 22 entered the studio again to record songs for the new album. The sessions resulted in 22 heavy and diverse power/thrash metal cuts, however due to the limited budget only half of these songs saw the light of day, being released by the band under the title "Soulreaper Vol. 1" in 2007. This CD got many great reviews from all over the globe, however it was more of a promo without the booklet, so Metal On Metal Records decided to release "Soulreaper" the way it was planned by the band in the first place: as a double CD with all the songs, lyrics plus a lot of additional artwork in the booklet.

3. Catch 22

Catch 22 is a UK Hip Hop artist signed to Sugar Free. Catch 22 released his debut feature length album "The Harlequins Monologue" in 2009 on Sugar Free.

The Spark
Catch 22 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Before the dawn is when it seems most cold
But as sure as the sun rises in the east, we know that
the stream of evolution is a constant flow,
and the current evolution says that I should really go

Don't you know that every seed wants to grow?
We can't stay underground forever
They can cut us off as soon as we begin to show

What they don't know is that the roots still grow

When the roots pop up... (x8)

They can try with all of their might to push us down to the ground,
but I know we'll be all right (right?)
They mean to break my spirit through this exile,
but I can use this time to further refine and fortify my style

Don't you know that every seed wants to grow?
We can't stay underground forever
They can cut us off as soon as we begin to show
What they don't know is that the roots still grow

When the roots pop up... (x8)
yeah...

The world that we're all living in
Is in need of a plan for the brotherhood of man
So I'm off and running fast as I can
And the antidote I'm bringing is the pen in my hand

Don't you know that every seed wants to grow?
We can't stay underground forever
They can cut us off as soon as we begin to show
What they don't know is that the roots still grow

We're finally doing all the things we were meant for!
We're finally saying all the things we should say!
(x2)

When the roots pop up... (x8)

Overall Meaning

The song "The Spark" by Catch 22 is about the struggle of being an artist and trying to find your place in the world. The lyrics speak to the idea that it can be hard to get started and to grow as an artist, but even if you are pushed down, the roots of your creativity will continue to grow until you can break through and reach your full potential. The chorus repeats the idea that every seed wants to grow and that while you might be pushed down, you can't stay underground forever.

The song also speaks to the larger idea of the need for a plan for the brotherhood of man. The artist sees the world as being in need of change and feels a sense of urgency to use their voice and their art to help bring about that change. The rapper sees the pen in their hand as an antidote, a way to bring healing and change to the world.

Overall, the song is about overcoming obstacles and pushing past limitations. It's about finding your voice and using it to bring about positive change in the world. The song is both inspiring and empowering, speaking to the power of creativity and the importance of using your voice to make a difference.

Line by Line Meaning

Before the dawn is when it seems most cold
Things often seem worse before they get better

But as sure as the sun rises in the east, we know that the stream of evolution is a constant flow, and the current evolution says that I should really go
Change is inevitable and necessary, and it's time for me to move forward

Don't you know that every seed wants to grow?
Everyone has the natural desire to grow and improve

We can't stay underground forever
We can't hide from the world or our problems forever

They can cut us off as soon as we begin to show, What they don't know is that the roots still grow
Others may try to stop our progress, but we will continue to grow and develop underneath the surface

They can try with all of their might to push us down to the ground, but I know we'll be all right (right?)
Others may try to bring us down, but we have the strength to persevere

They mean to break my spirit through this exile, but I can use this time to further refine and fortify my style
Difficult times may be an opportunity to improve and become stronger

The world that we're all living in Is in need of a plan for the brotherhood of man So I'm off and running fast as I can And the antidote I'm bringing is the pen in my hand
The world needs unity and cooperation, and I will do my part to spread this message through my writing

We're finally doing all the things we were meant for! We're finally saying all the things we should say!
We are fulfilling our purpose and expressing ourselves fully

When the roots pop up... (x8)
Our potential will be realized and we will grow to great heights

Contributed by Landon W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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TRACKS