Josh Caterer (b. 1972) is an influential Chicago-area musician an songwriter. With his brothers, Eli Caterer (b. 1975) and Matt Caterer (b. 1968), he was a founding member in 1991 of the seminal Chicago rock band, The Smoking Popes, in which Josh plays lead guitar and sings. Many bands today such as Alkaline Trio, Bayside, Fall Out Boy, and blink-182 cite Josh and the Smoking Popes as major influences. The creative mastermind behind the Popes, Josh composed the majority of their repertoire of distinctive, pop-influenced punk-rock 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 Josh's lyrics, often focusing upon man's search for meaning. This aspect of Josh's songs is often overlooked by rock critics but is a powerful contributor to the songs' poignancy.