The Allez Cats

The Allez Cats typically perform 3 tight sets of danceable rock and roll, sometimes starting with lighter material for dinner crowds, or jumping right into their high-energy songs, depending on the venue, time, and audience.

Their repertoire is constantly growing, and is currently at around 60 songs, including favourites from The Beatles, Stray Cats, Great Big Sea, Tragically Hip, Bruno Mars, and many other top artists. Special requests for songs not in the current repertoire will be considered but must be made 2 weeks in advance to give time for rehearsal.

The band style is casual rockabilly, with vintage instrumentation such as hollow-body Gretsch guitars, Rickenbacker bass, and upright bass, and a unique small-footprint "standing" drum set.

Clients are welcome to use the band PA system for announcements, or to play recorded music before the main performance and during breaks.

All band members arrive early with plenty of time to set up their instrumentation, PA system, and lighting and go through sound checks. The standard PA system provided by the band can be used for audiences of up to 200 people, with larger PA setups available if needed.

The Allez Cats are a trio of seasoned performers based in Ottawa and formed in the summer of 2021. They started performing their unique brand of rockabilly-inspired danceable favorites in clubs in December 2021 and started playing private performances in mid-2022.

Lead singer and guitarist Gene Clayton was born and raised on Cape Breton Island. He started playing guitar and bass at 14 years old. Heavily influenced in his teens by British Invasion bands of the 60s, his interests grew over the years from hard rock to blues, country and traditional music. He lived all over Canada and the US, and now calls Ottawa his home.

Bass player and backing vocalist Steve Kornachuk has been playing bass and singing in various party bands for about 3 decades – originally in Ottawa, and more recently in San Jose, California. He’s back again in Ottawa and on a mission to lay down those grooves that’ll pack the dance floor!

Drummer Neil Saungikar grew up in Brampton, Ontario and took up drumming at age 12 after being impressed with the military drummers he saw in a parade. After moving to Ottawa in 1990 to pursue a career in the local technology sector, he found time to play in a wide variety of bands, on a number of recordings and for theatre performances. During this time, his interests expanded beyond the drum kit and into hand drums from around the world.

Fee for a standard PA suitable for an audience of 200 is $50. This is waived if powered main speakers and subwoofer(s) are provided by the client.

Fee for the regular lighting system is $50. This fee is waived if lighting is provided by the client.

Thanks to the small footprint drum set option, a minimum stage size is 2m x 4m is possible, but larger floorspace is preferred.

Outdoor performance areas must be covered.