Streetlight Manifesto is an American ska punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, formed in 2002. They released their first album, Everything Goes Numb, which was distributed by Victory Records, on August 26, 2003. The band headlined and sold out their first concert at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey on December 9, 2003. Several of Streetlight Manifesto's members were well known in the New Jersey third wave ska community for their roles in past ska punk bands from that area, primarily Kalnoky's Catch 22 and fellow New Jersey band One Cool Guy.
Catch 22 is an American ska punk band from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey. The band was formed in 1996 by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tomas Kalnoky, who left the band in 1998 and later formed Streetlight Manifesto. Founding members still in the band are vocalist/saxophonist Ryan Eldred, trumpeter Kevin Gunther and drummer Chris Greer. While largely inactive since 2012, the band announced a spate of shows in 2015.
Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, or BOTAR, is a musical collective including influences from ska, punk, classical, and eastern European music, entirely in an acoustic format including classically trained musicians. It is composed of former Catch 22 members Tomas Kalnoky and Jamie Egan, in addition to Nick Afflitto, Marcy Ciuffreda, Matt Dannenberg, Rachel Goldstein, Layton Hayes, John Paul Jones, Achilles Kalnoky, Paul Lowndes, Chris Paszik, Mark Rendeiro, Dan Ross, Pete Sibilia, Shane Thomson, and Natalia Ushak.
Tomas Kalnoky is a Czech-born American musician. He is the lead singer/guitarist and songwriter of the bands Streetlight Manifesto and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, and goes by the pseudonym Toh Kay as a solo performer. He is the former lead singer/guitarist for 3rd-wave ska band Catch 22, but left the band after making only one album to attend Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia, for visual art. According to the booklet of Somewhere in the Between, Kalnoky attended Rutgers University. He is the owner of Pentimento Music Company, a record company.
Everything Goes Numb is the debut studio album by American ska punk band Streetlight Manifesto, released on August 26, 2003. It garnered critical acclaim, with critics commenting on the quality of the band's lyrics and their powerful energy. The album has since acquired a cult following among fans of the Third Wave Ska movement. This is the first full-length album frontman and vocalist Tomas Kalnoky participated in since leaving the ska-punk band Catch 22. The track "If and When We Rise Again" quotes the melody of Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms.
A Call to Arms is the 2001 debut EP by Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, a musical collective headed by Tomas Kalnoky. It was released by Kalnoky's record label, Pentimento Music Company, in 2001, and quickly garnered critical acclaim.
Keasbey Nights is the debut album by the East Brunswick, New Jersey ska punk band Catch 22, released on March 24, 1998 by Victory Records. It is the only album by the band's original lineup, as singer/songwriter/guitarist Tomas Kalnoky, bassist Josh Ansley, and horn player James Egan all left the group later that year. Kalnoky re-recorded the entire album in 2006 with his new band Streetlight Manifesto in response to Victory's plan to re-release it. The album's title references Keasbey, New Jersey, an unincorporated area within the Woodbridge Township of Middlesex County.
Dinosaur Sounds is a 2003 Catch 22 album and shows the band finally emerging from the shadow of former frontman Tomas Kalnoky. The album is a radical departure from previous work; while the band maintains its trademark aggression and inquisitive nature, the topics have steered back to rock and roll staples like relationship woes and alcohol, occasionally dabbling into the dark themes that made the band so distinctive compared to its ska contemporaries. "Beguile the Time" features a brief but powerful anti-war message, while "So Cold" sounds like a salvo being fired towards Kalnoky and his new outfit, Streetlight Manifesto.
Victory Records is a Chicago-based independent record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a private company which operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels. It has featured many prominent post-hardcore and metalcore artists, and such bands as Thursday, Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, Taking Back Sunday, Bayside, Streetlight Manifesto, and A Day to Remember.
Sycamore Smith is the stage name of Marc Smith, a musician from Marquette, Michigan. Smith, formerly of The Muldoons, has toured the United States with his comic brand of folk music, complete with derby hat, guitar, and gold-plated resonator kazoo. He is signed to the Pentimento Music Company.
Somewhere in the Between is the third studio album by American ska punk band Streetlight Manifesto.
99 Songs of Revolution: Vol. 1 is the fourth studio album by the American ska punk band Streetlight Manifesto, released March 16, 2010. It is part of a multi-album cover songs project by several associated acts including Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution.
Crab Rangoon is the third studio album by American ska punk band MU330, released on Asian Man Records in 1997.
Winter Wonderland! is a Christmas album, the fifth studio album by American ska punk band MU330, released on Asian Man Records in 1999. According to Dan Potthast, the album came about when MU330 was asked to contribute a Christmas song to a Japanese ska compilation. Rather than just record one song, the band decided to write their own holiday-themed music, which explains why most of the album consists of original songs.
Ultra Panic is the sixth studio album by American ska punk band MU330, released on Asian Man Records in 2002. As of 2018, it is MU330's last studio album, although the band has not officially dismissed any plans to record a follow-up in the future.
Chumps on Parade is the second studio album by American ska punk band MU330, released on Dill Records in 1996 and subsequently re-issued by Asian Man Records in 1997.
Pentimento Music Company is an American independent record label founded by Streetlight Manifesto frontman Tomas Kalnoky. Pentimento was launched in 2007 to re-release A Call to Arms, the 2002 debut EP from Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution. Pentimento has since released albums related to Dan Potthast and Tomas Kalnoky and their respective bands. While Streetlight Manifesto was signed to Victory Records, Pentimento was responsible for the vinyl release of the band's 2010 album, 99 Songs of Revolution: Volume 1, which is possibly due to a deal in which Pentimento and Victory "co-release project-type records." In 2011, Pentimento signed Indiana-based indie rock band Rodeo Ruby Love. In 2017, after legal disputes with Victory Records were settled, Streetlight Manifesto is now fully signed to Pentimento.
Streetlight Lullabies is a full-length studio album by Toh Kay, released November 22, 2011. The album features 10 acoustic solo versions of Streetlight Manifesto songs.
The Hands That Thieve is the fifth studio album by the American ska-punk band Streetlight Manifesto. It was their first studio album since 2010's 99 Songs of Revolution: Vol. 1, and their first album of original material since 2007's Somewhere in the Between. In addition to the Streetlight album, an acoustic version of the album was intended to be released by Toh Kay, but was cancelled. The album was originally set to be released in the summer of 2012, but was pushed back several times due to label problems and rewrites, to its eventual release date of April 30, 2013. The album has received generally favorable critical response.
Lionize is an American rock band based in Montgomery County, Maryland. The sound of the band is rooted in hard rock and heavy metal, but they frequently experiment with varying sounds, such as reggae, dub music, go-go, and funk. The band line-up consists of Chris Brooks, Nathan Bergman, and Henry Upton.
