In 1998, Catch 22's first, and defining album, Keasbey Nights was released by Victory Records. The release was a departure for the label, as they were known at the time for releasing mainly hardcore records. Earth Crisis, Integrity, Snapcase; these were bands Victory was known for releasing landmark records from. Catch 22 shifted the momentum of the label, as a Ska/Punk band, and the label eventually began releasing much more diverse music as a result.
Years later, Catch 22 frontman Tomas Kalnoky resurfaced with a new band, Streetlight Manifesto. The band released a demo, and signed with Victory, again. Following the release of the band's debut full length, Everything Goes Numb the band toured relentlessly before taking a well-deserved break from the road.
In late 2004 to 2005, rumors began to surface of Streetlight Manifesto releasing something called Keasbey Nights II.This title surfaced on various release lists, at one point, even appearing on the website amazon.com. The band vehemently denied these claims, stating that they would eventually enter the studio to work on a full length of new material, and that the record would NOT be Keasbey Nights II.
Well, on March 7th, 2006, Victory Records released.....well, Keasbey Nights, performed by.....you guessed it, Streetlight Manifesto.
The beauty of Catch 22's Keasbey Nights is that it was a record made from a group of teenagers from New Jersey with a love for music, and lots of heart. The record blended absurdly fast drums with ska upstrokes, a rock solid horn section, and Kalnoky's mile-a-minute vocal delivery. The band could break things down to a heartfelt ballad, or speed things up to a breakneck, punk rock pace.
The idea for Streetlight Manifesto to rework this classic album stems from Kalnoky's own disdain for the original recording of the album. He had explained in multiple interviews that he felt that the original album never met his expectations. Victory was planning on re-issuing the album, and I know it sounds crazy, Victory re-issuing an album which is more than a year old. Kalnoky felt if it was to be released again, that it should be done the way it was intended. Please, don't think of him in the same vein as George Lucas.
Streetlight Manifesto's interpretation of this record is not so dramatic, as many people had thought it would be. More of a cleaner produced record, it features subtle nuances that any fan of the original record will pick up on right away. Extended horn parts here, added lyrics there, and in many cases, vocals slowed down, to where you can actually understand what Tomas says, without having to use the liner notes.
Love it or hate it, this is Keasbey Nights as Kalnoky felt it should have sounded to begin with. I've heard lots of negative personal reviews, people feel that this wasn't necessary, or it's pointless, and that's fine. If it's any consolation, this record means as much to me as it does to him, and I feel like it's quite an accomplishment.
