Josh Caterer is a Chicago-area musician, best known as the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter of punk band The Smoking Popes, which he founded in 1991 along with his brothers, Eli Caterer and Matt Caterer. Caterer has also written and recorded a considerable body of Christian and gospel music. In addition to the Smoking Popes, he founded the blues band Jackson Mud.
Early life
Caterer's father was a successful businessman and his mother, the salutatorian of her high-school class, was a homemaker. Although his parents were of a spiritual bent, they were not overtly religious, and the family never went to church and rarely discussed religion when Caterer was growing up. Caterer graduated in 1990 from Harry D. Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Illinois, a city neighboring his hometown, Lake in the Hills, Illinois, a far northwest suburb of Chicago. After graduation, Caterer held several menial jobs such as a job as a machine operator at a plastics company. Caterer wrote his first song around 11 years old. During junior high he formed his first band, Slavedriver. His early musical influences included Fugazi, The Smiths, Elvis Costello, Mel Tormé, and Frank Sinatra. As a senior in high school, Caterer formed Speedstick along with his brothers Eli and Matt. This band was the forerunner to the Smoking Popes.
Career
Smoking Popes formed in 1991 and in early 1994 the band opened for Green Day. Caterer referred to his early songs, half-jokingly, as "pop nuggets". His singing voice changed from a punk shout to a vibrato when he tried to imitate the crooning of Frank Sinatra, initially as a joke. His singing is sometimes compared by journalists to that of Morrissey. The creative mastermind behind the Popes, Caterer composed the majority of their repertoire of distinctive, pop-influenced punk songs, many of which have an intensely melancholy air underneath their driving beat. Lyrics of his early songs evoke feelings of fear, failure, intense despair, purposelessness, and romantic love as a redeeming agent. His later songs are marked by a more positive outlook, and many center upon the uplifting nature of religious faith and upon the importance of examining one's spiritual path. Consistent among both early and later songs is the allusive and metaphorical nature of Caterer's lyrics, often focusing upon man's search for meaning. Caterer became a Christian in 1998. A collapse due to a cocaine overdose at an all-night party and C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity helped lead him to Christianity. He renounced his rock lifestyle, and began trying to introduce Jesus into the band's songs. Shortly after his conversion the Smoking Popes broke up, after Caterer became disillusioned when seeing Morrissey on tour with them. "I was realizing that he had a bigger budget than we did, but he was basically on the same treadmill that we were on," Caterer said. "It became a reality to us that this was going to be us, this was going to be me. It didn't seem any more fulfilling for him than it was for me." Caterer became heavily involved in his church, working at World Relief, a charitable, non-profit organization. He released a five-song EP of gospel music, Why Me, featuring solo guitar music. In 2001 he returned to the rock scene, founding a Christian rock band, Duvall, which included other former members of the Smoking Popes. In November 2005 the Smoking Popes reunited for a sell-out show at the Chicago club The Metro. They embarked on a U.S. tour in early 2006 with the band Bayside. Several older, pre-1999 songs were not played due to their expression of views incongruent with Caterer's Christian beliefs. They released a new album in July 2008. Caterer performed alongside Bayside for the acoustic version of "Megan" on their record "Acoustic."
Early Years 1991-1998: Monaco Yellow American Made Telecaster – Marshall ½ stack Black Fender Acoustic Electric After Break 2005–Present: Inca Silver “Double Fat Strat” American Made Stratocaster – Marshal ½ stack and volume pedal Jet Black “Double Fat Strat” American Made Stratocaster Wine Red Gibson SG
Songs
Lift Up The Name 2008 has become a contemporary American church favorite with an upbeat pop-rock worship style.
