by Brian O'NeillJeff Davidson decided to leave Catch 22 in March of 2001. The band made their search for a replacement quite public, but toured with the same lineup except for Davidson in spite of not finding a suitable suitor for some time. It is unclear who, if anyone, would replace him in the band at the time of the release of Washed up and Through the Ringer, which made for perfect timing. This disc (originally titled Washed Out) is an odds-and-sods compilation that includes a previously released yet hard-to-find 7" EP, Washed Up, and a thee-song CD, Alone in a Crowd, which was used as a freebie giveaway which is even rarer. Filling out the disc are a slew of live cuts and two new songs recorded after Davidson left the band, with saxophonist Ryan Eldred and trumpeter Kevin Gunther handling lead vocal chores. Adding to the disc's slapped-together feel are several covers, from Bob Marley to Don McLean to a snippet of "Blowing in the Wind" during one of the three unlisted live tracks at the disc's conclusion, and "No Love for the Roadie," an atypical seven-and-a-half-minute hip-hop track that gets old after three. Such inconsistencies are bound to come with such a release. For what it is (and with helpful liner notes and a low list price, it never claims otherwise) Washed up and Through the Ringer is a nice transitional record for the New Jersey ska-punks. It allows fans to hear past material of limited original distribution while moving into a new phase for the future.