Catch 22 ,Edna's Goldfish, Shutdown, Professor Plum
October 15, 1999 @The Birch Hill
I honestly didn't know what to expect from this show. Professor Plum and Catch 22, both of whom i've seen numerous times before, Shutdown, a Brooklyn hardcore band, and Edna's Goldfish, who were at the top of my list of "bands i never saw but i want to" along with Get Up Kids, Stubborn All Stars, and the Slackers. Doors were at 7, but when i got there at 7:30, the line stretched almost all the way around the building. This worried me, as i'd heard stories about Dropkick Murphy's playing at the Birch Hill a few weeks before, and the line being so long that many simply didn't get in to the place, or ended up missing most of the show. Much to my dismay, there was no one i know that i could jump into line with, so i ended up standing in the freezing cold for a good 20 minutes. Luckily, i had my black Stubborn All-Stars sweatshirt, which i think i'm gonna refer to as Franklin from now on. Me and Franklin got in and did all the usual Birch Hill crap. I bought a Professor Plum cd and got some complimentary patches/stickers/buttons. Professor Plum played first, and did a good job of getting the gigantic crowd into their stuff. They played basically everything off the new cd. It was way too crowded in that place, so i chilled in the back (damn i'm smooth) and just watched stuff happen. Professor Plum has progressed quite a bit, and are definately one of the most talanted bands in New Jersey. Next came Shutdown. Give these guys some credit for coming into a total ska show, playing brutal new school type hardcore, and not caring what anyone thought. I actually liked them alot, the singer was real cool the way he made sure to tell everyone from the start that they weren't some tough-guy hardcore band who was gonna bitch and moan if the ska kids didn't like them, i think that was probably the best possible thing they could've done. They got a pretty good response, and their was definately a small segment of the crowd who came specifically to see them. I honestly couldnt tell you what songs they played, as i dont own any of their recordings, i'll look into it though, as i have some powerful friends in the hardcore scene [coughcoughvinnystigmacoughcough]. Anyway, i was all hyped up for Ednas Goldfish, and i was not disappointed. Though i owned both of their cds and knew every song like the back of my hand, i had never had the chance to see them before. They started off with Avoiding the Swerve, from their newest album, The Elements Of Transition. They are definately one of the most energetic and talanted bands i've ever had the privalage to see. Their songs are so much more than just the same old generic ska-punk songs you hear so much, Edna's Goldfish has substance, a trait missing all too often in today's ska. They continued on with a nice mix of old and new songs, including "I'm Your Density", "This Is Not Here" (my favorite), "4 Days In November", and "Everyone I Know Is From Lindenhurst". These are just the tip of the iceberg. Edna's finished the set with the crowd fave "Veronica Sawyer". If you ever see this video on MTV (its not shown often, but it should be..) watch it! I'm not in it per se, but friends of friends of friends of mine are. Heck, now that i think about it, Edna's Goldfish are friends of friends of friends of mine. Therein lies the beauty of the ska scene...but thats a whole article unto itself. Edna's Goldfish was all i expected and more, and though their new album has more of a straight-ahead rock sound to it, it translates remarkably well to a live setting. (Note: the next person who asks "who or what is Edna's Goldfish?" when i wear my Before You Knew Better...shirt to school is being severely beaten. severely. ) Then Catch 22 played and i totally forgot that there was any other band or any other place in the world other than the Birch Hill that night. This was probably the single best set i've seen by one band in my entire show-going lifetime (a good 2-3 years, unless the flyers on my wall lie.) Whoever it was that said Catch 22 is no good now that Tomas is gone is an astoundingly large idiot. I don't even have any concept at all of what order the songs were played in, or even what songs were played that night. Just pull out the Keasbey Nights cd. See those names on the back? They played all of them, except for maybe Walking Away and Riding the 4th Wave. This was the release party for Catch 22's new ep, Washed Up, and though i didnt have the necessary funds to purchase it, the songs from it that they played were fantastic. Another treat was that they brought back some of the old skool songs from waaaaaay back in the Gimp/ROTG days, if any of you are old enough to remember that (jeez, i'm not..by the time i really discovered C22 Keasbey Nights had already been out for a while..). Though almost no one knew the words to "Better Than You" it was awesome for those who recognized it for what it was. As the end of the set rolled around they went into American Pie, doing the chorus about 15-20 times just to make sure they got their point across. After Catch 22 left the stage to a gigantic ovation (this was the largest crowd i ever saw at the birch hill, i think..) they were induced to come back up for a few more, largely due to the chants of "CATCH 22! CATCH 22!" from the kids. For an encore they did Sick and Sad, then went into the song we all know and love, 1234 1234. Like the last time i saw them, about half the kids ended up onstage during the song, singing their hearts out with the band. It was unbelievable. Catch 22 and this one show, and all the awesome people i hung out with at it has totally reaffirmed my faith in the NJ ska scene. Praise Catch 22.
