Having arrived an hour late, yet still seeing a line of kids awaiting admittance, it was apparent this was a show that people on Long Island were extremely excited to catch. Was it for Long Island natives The Goodwill, who "haven't been home in a long time," as the band would say later onstage? Or was all the commotion possibly for New Jersey's Catch 22, those more than able purveyors of third wave ska who have a new record coming out? Who's to say, the only thing that's for sure is that The Downtown was packed for the entire show and we weren't let down.

First up was actually another hometown band High School Football Heroes, but I missed their entire set. So next up came Worthless United, a New Jersey band that's been around for ten years now. They play a riotous brand of punk that really has a great late-'70s/early '80s feel to it, reminiscent of the mighty Clash as well as newer bands like Plan A Project, who also add a bit of reggae to the mix. Rancid comes to mind as well. In any case, make no bones about it, there is nothing pop or emo about these guys. Their set comprised a bunch of tough rockers from their 2002 album Which Side Are You On, including "God, the Devil, and the Worthless" and their most recent release A Nation Under like "I Am Nothing", the first track off the record and "Say Goodbye". Their set was full of infectious energy and the songs were great, yet unfortunately it seems the crowd at the show wasn't having it - not that Worthless United had a bad reception, just that after seeing how crazy the kids got for the next three acts, it's apparent streetpunk isn't a majority of these kids' forte. Eh, no matter. These guys blew away the other supporting acts - The Goodwill and Boys Night Out…

And so it was time for Long Island pop-punk/emo heroes The Goodwill to take the stage. The kids were going wild during the entire set, and there was even a bit of the old crowd surfing going on. But these guys seem to be really caring and protective of their legions of fans - more than once various band members told the crowd to help each other out if anyone was in trouble or anything. But still, they demanded more movement amongst the crowd when they declared they wanted the kids to start the "biggest mosh pit The Downtown has ever seen." In any case, The Goodwill's set consisted of songs from their debut LP That Was A Moment, which came out earlier this year. Some songs included "The Boyscout", "Let It Go", and they ended on "Sometimes the Radio". Not a bad set, but not too memorable either. I think a couple of days after this show the band is slated to play with The Ataris at The Continental in NYC, a tiny bar, which is a change from the bigger venues The Ataris are used to. This place must hold 200 or so people max, which should be cool as the atmosphere will be real intimate.

Screamo five-piece Boys Night Out were up second to last. They mix the melody of pop with the harder-edge of metalcore, and bring to mind bands like Taking Back Sunday or Thursday. We were treated to cuts off their latest record, Make Yourself Sick, which actually came out at the end of September like the intriguingly titled "The Subtleties That Make Mass Murderers Out of Otherwise Decent Human Beings" (these long, elaborate song titles are all the rage these days. See Saosin and This Day Forward for examples…), and "The Anatomy of the Journey". The band utilizes complex song structures, dueling guitars, and a dual vocal onslaught. The frontman's vocals that are mostly sung mesh nicely with the guitarist's well-timed screams. Other songs BNO played were off their 2002 six-song EP entitled Broken Bones And Bloody Kisses, including "A Torrid Love Affair" and "Sketch Artist Composite". The titles alone hint at the dark subject matter. The band was entertaining; they had some good energy going, and the crowd seemed into it.

Finally it was time for Catch 22. It was an early show, doors opening at 5pm; the band went on around 8:25 and had to get off by 9:30 when doors were supposed to open for the second show of the night (not with the same bands). During their hour-long set, Catch 22 unveiled some new offerings - which sound really good, by the way - off their album due for release November 4th called Dinosaur Sounds, the band's third full-length over all. They actually opened with a new one as well as others called "Motown Cinderella", "Chin Up", which they deemed "kinda new" as it will appear on the upcoming record, and "Good Times", to name a few. This last song was a bit slower than the others. And of course we got to hear classics off their brilliant 1998 album Keasbey Nights like "On and On and On", "9mm and a Three Piece Suit", and towards the end the great tour de force "Dear Sergio", which was timely as kids were chanting the title, and they ended on the title track, another fan favorite. They came back for an encore, playing two songs, concluding with "12341234" also off Keasbey.

But before they finished up, the guys played numerous songs off 2000's Alone In A Crowd, including the powerful one-two punch of "Intro" which went directly into "Point the Blame", plus "It Takes Some Time", which came second in the set, "Arm to Arm", and, among others, "Bloomfield Ave.", a song that starts out mellower then gets extremely quick. This offering was a true standout with its extraordinary three-part harmonies toward the end. The shared vocals from saxophonist Ryan Eldred and trumpet player Kevin Gunther sounded great, while the exceptional horn section (of which Ryan and Kevin are a part along with trombone player Mike Soprano) really stood out. The last time these guys played around here was in June with Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Pietasters, and Victory label-mates Voodoo Glow Skulls and that was just a fun show that proved how cool ska was and STILL is. And Catch 22's set just reinforced that even more.

More Catch 22 and Boys Night Out photos here.