E-Mail This Article to a Friend Dinosaur juniors Catch 22 evade ska-punk extinction with distinction BY SEAN RICHARDSON

Five years ago, New Jersey’s Catch 22 established themselves as one of the hottest new names in ska punk with their torrid Victory debut, Keasbey Nights. Not long after that, the backlash started at modern-rock radio, and these days, the genre is so far back underground that its surviving practitioners have little choice but to find humor in the situation. In a few months, Catch 22 will be headlining the "Ska Is Dead! And You’re Next! Tour." But next Sunday, they’ll be at Axis in Boston with fellow East Coast punks Bigwig and Punchline in support of their first new album in three years and third overall, the sarcastically titled Dinosaur Sounds (Victory).

Of course, Dinosaur Sounds also refers to what Catch 22 are trying to do with their music. "We regressed on this record," Kays explains over the phone from his home in New Jersey. "I think our first two records added a broader definition to ska punk. On this one, we kind of pulled back in a different direction, taking our influences from early-1990s and late-1980s ska. Rather than trying to add on top of what everyone has done, we pulled back and added influences like jazz. It was definitely progression through regression."

On Dinosaur Sounds, Catch 22’s line-up has evolved along with their sound. That’s nothing new for the band: original frontman Tomas Kalnoky was replaced by Jeff Davidson for 2000’s Alone in a Crowd (Victory), and founding horn players Ryan Eldred and Kevin Gunther recently took over on vocals when Davidson left, with Eldred writing most of the lyrics. Kalnoky’s new band, Streetlight Manifesto, just released their Victory debut, Everything Goes Numb, but Kays insists there’s no rivalry between the two camps. "We can really do nothing but help each other, especially with the direction that Catch 22 have moved now. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Jeff just up and left, and two weeks later, we were doing the Warped Tour for the first time. We were trying out new singers, but we ended up just having Ryan do it. It was really hectic — I don’t think our performance was necessarily up to par, but it worked out fine. On Alone in a Crowd, Kevin and Ryan were already singing together so much that they had the sense of harmony together."

Like all good ska-punk albums, Dinosaur Sounds is made for the dance floor: the band’s three-man horn section is lively and sophisticated, big melodies abound, and producer Steve Evetts (Hatebreed, Saves the Day) helps them pack a Mighty Mighty Bosstones–style hardcore punch. They’ve just finished shooting a video for "Wine Stained Lips," a driving anti-love song with a wistful chorus: "Nine miles to happiness/I got something to live for." And the buoyant "Good Times" conjures fond memories of one of Catch 22’s biggest influences, gone-too-soon pop crossover kings Sublime. "I could pick up a guitar and play just about any Sublime song," Kays gushes. "One time when we were in California, we actually met Wardo, who was almost like Sublime’s extra member. We went down and hung out near Long Beach with him and his dog. I felt like I really got the experience, at least for a day. We played wiffle ball, hung out with the dog, drank like a cooler full of beer, and went swimming in a creek. It was really cool."

Catch 22 perform next Sunday, December 28, at Axis, 13 Lansdowne Street in Boston. It’s a 6 p.m., all-ages show, and tickets are $12; call (617) 262-2437.