Live review: Catch 22 and Shutdown live at Debonair Music Hall

Teaneck, NJ – 17 Jan 2025

This scene is a true family affair

When I was young, I spent years jumping in a dog pile to singalong about the hardcore family or the ska family or the punk family. I meant it every time. So when I had the opportunity to share that magic, that family with my oldest daughter, why the fuck wouldn’t I jump at it?  Then she offered to help write my review… so introducing Maddy and her first foray into live show reviews. (Her words in italics)

This wouldn’t be her first concert, having already seen stadium tours with Taylor Swift, Paramore and Queen. This wouldn’t even be her first show after joining me for a day at Camp Punksylvania this Summer, but this was her first proper show.. and with Keep Flying, Tokyo Rose, Shutdown and Catch 22 on the bill, what a great show it was! 

Up until about 6pm the night before the show, I didn’t even know these bands existed. However, I very much enjoyed my time at Camp Punksylvania day 2 with my dad, so I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to do it again. 

Tasked with the always daunting task of kicking off a nostalgia heavy night was rising pop-punk/ska outfit Keep Flying.

I was very intrigued with the first band, Keep Flying, and their energy the entire set, as well as the singer’s absolutely majestic hair. As a kid in marching band, I could tell that some of them were former band kids as well.

After having seen the homegrown 6-piece at Camp, I had very high expectations, those expectations were not high enough as the band came out swinging immediately bringing their relatability, musicianship, charisma and great fucking hair into our ears with bombast as they celebrated their last show in support of the 2023 EP Daylight.  The Jersey sextet are a tour de force, even with a short opening set… I can not wait to hear what’s next and see them in a longer headliner slot next time.

As great as the performance was, and let me remind you, it was goddammed great, it was even better watching Maddy fall in love with a local punk band. The sparkle in her eyes by the third song was enough to make this one of the most special moments of my life. 

The next to take the stage was Tokyo Rose, a mainstay of the early-aughts NJPP scene and fixtures in firehouses and VFWs across the Garden State. The band, currently experiencing a Renaissance of sorts after 20 years of mostly inactivity.  

Tokyo Rose was up next. They were very energetic and overall amazing. Their music, unfortunately, just wasnt exactly my thing, but it was still incredible. 

The band showed no signs of rust, performing with the energy and passion of a group of teenagers. The crowd that Tokyo Rose brought with them matched the stage energy and added to the experience for all of us in the crowd.  The audience proved they’ve been waiting with open arms for this homecoming, and Tokyo Rose’s performance this evening earned that welcoming reception.

The headliner tonight was Catch 22, and I love me the C22 crew, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t here mainly for Shutdown.  The NYHC outfit just dropped their new EP, By Your Side, and I was beyond stoked to celebrate the release party with the Brooklyn 4-piece. And sweet baby Jesus did these dudes bring it full force tonight.  

I was 17-years old the first time I saw Shutdown, tonight our daughter is 16 and got to see them… and beyond a few grey hairs and a few new songs, I think she experienced the same level of passion, energy and unity I witnessed in ’98. Yeah, it was awesome seeing Shutdown tear it up in 2025, but it was EVERYTHING to see Maddy up against the stage while they did it. I hope this means as much to her as it does to me.

I was very excited for Shutdown, as my dad had mentioned how hardcore their music was. I found the messages of the songs about suicide prevention and autism awareness very nice. This set might just have been my favorite of the entire night. 

With 30 years of brotherhood behind them, its no surprise that these dudes were tight as hell and while not at all surprising with their experience, it was still really impressive to watch the way Mark Scondotto ricocheted all over the stage without ever once impeding the movements and dancing of bassist Dion Denardo or guitarist Steve Della Croce.  Filling the room with dogpiles and PMA, Shutdown proved they are still the shepherds of unity and positivity they were in 1999 and still as sincere as ever.  

In the midst of a Shutdown song, I noticed somebody in a hotdog costume dancing in a circle and riding on somebody’s shoulders. I was informed that this wasnt an uncommon sight at local shows.

With a mix of new and old tracks, combined with a rabble rousing performance of my personal favorite Shutdown track, “Few and Far Between” the band closed out the night the way they have for so long… with a cover of Warzone’s “Don’t Forget The Struggle, Don’t Forget The Streets.”  After the last few years of division, solitude and culture wars, THIS is what we need, hopefully with a new record to support, we will get more and more of it very soon.

Catch 22 came on to close out the evening… and I need to start with a complaint here.  How the hell does Catch play on 1/17 (98 or 25) and not perform their stalker-esque classic “Kristina, She Don’t Know I Exist”  That omission is something I’ve grown to hate… but everything else about C22’s performance was perfection!  

As I mentioned earlier with Keep Flying, I felt a lot of band kid energy from Catch 22. Again, the music just wasn’t for me but their energy levels were through the roof. I very much enjoyed their jokes about their dad-like shoes and how old they were getting. I also found it very interesting that the trombonists were a father-son duo.

I’ve always loved Catch, I always will.  I don’t care if its Tomas Catch, Jeff Catch or Ryan and Kevin Catch… Catch 22 is easily my favorite ska band, and Alone In The Crowd and Keasbey Nights are both in my top 5 ska records of all time.  Catch 22 wasn’t just the proverbial feather in the 3rd wave of ska’s pork pie hat. 

They opened the door to the 4th wave and while ska never actually went away, the C22 crew has proven influential to the current trends.  The current slate of ska acts owe a debt to Catch 22. As this current rejuvenation of ska continue to paint the musical landscape in checkerboard hues, Catch 22 helped craft the canvas they are painting on.  But the question begs, how do they hold up now? Short answer: very well. 

That being said, the audience mood for Catch 22 was drenched in antici … pation, as old-heads like us were getting ready to relive our 20s and crammed ourselves tightly enough against the stage to feel the blasts of air from father-son trombonists Jamie and Conor Egan. 

The set kicked off “Sounds Good But I Don’t Know” and the not listed on the setlist  “Leaving” before sax/vocalist Ryan Eldred announced he made a long setlist to torture his band mates. 

By the time Catch finished up the fifth track, “Dear Sergio,” Ryan looked to be regretting his decision, needing a moment to catch his breath while the band participated in their signature stage banter and goofiness, specifically Kevin Gunther commenting on the dad-ness of his bandmates shoes.

Interspersing jokes, commentary and crowd counting exercises into performances of classics like “Wine Stained Lips,” “What Goes Around Comes Around” and “9mm And A Three Piece Suit” the band gave the crowd everything and got that passion back sevenfold culminating in the explosion of voices while the band closed things out with “Keasbey Nights” and “It Takes Some Time” before an encore performance of the crowd request “Hard To Impress” and actual closer “1234,1234.” We were spent, exhausted and completely elated to still have had these moments.

Overall, the show and the night in general were very fun, and I cant wait for another opportunity to go to a show with my dad again.

I think after tonight she really gets it when I try to explain how much this community meant to me and how I hope she gets as much out of a scene when things aren’t going her way as I did from this one when I was in high school and college, because god dammit were these songs there for me. Tonight served as a beautiful reminder that these songs, these artists and this community still are, and can be for generations to come.