About The Kats

Bring Your Dancin' Shoes!

The Valley Kats are a five piece Rockabilly, Jump Blues and Rock-n-Roll band with a set list that bridges over fifty years of American and International hits.

The Kats cover the pioneers of the genre such as Patsy Cline, Rosemary Clooney, Wanda Jackson, LaVern Baker, Nancy Sinatra, Dusty Springfield, Ricky Nelson, Buddy Holly, Elvis, Gene Vincent and The Collins Kids as well as the post 1970's and current revivalists like Robert Gordon, The Stray Cats, Brian Setzer, Hillbilly Moon Explosion, the Wise Guyz and Imelda May.

The band has been a feature act for the Stanley Park Summer Concert Series, The Brimfield Auction Vendor Appreciation Night and have performed at various car shows and private events throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts.

You better bring your dancin' shoes!

Meet The Kats!

Kathy

Kathy Elias is the Director of Creative Arts for the Christ Lutheran Church in Southwick, MA. For more than 15 years Kathy has written, arranged and performed music for services and special events at the Church. Kathy was also the singer for the Connecticut based rock band Turnabout and has performed with Shea and Co. since 2012.

Mark

Kathy

Mark Vocca is from Cleveland and during the hey day of the ClePunk scene (79-81) was in the punk/psychobilly band The Generics/The Offbeats. After a 4-year hitch in the Air Force, and a few years after enjoying civilian life in South Texas, he moved to Hartford in 1987. He then began a decade long run with the Celtic band Morrigu. The band appeared at venues and festivals from NYC to Boston and Ireland. After Morrigu he joined the Celt Punk band The Butcher Boys. They released an EP on Smog Veil Records, collaborating with Cheetah Chrome from the seminal punk band The Dead Boys. Mark then fronted and wrote songs for the Alt-Country band Bold Ruckus before co-founding The Valley Kats with Bill Bates.

Bill

Kathy

Jeremy

Bill Bates has been performing with Shea and Co. since 2012 at spots such as The Luthier’s Coop, The Daily Grind and Fort Hill Brewery. Among Bill’s guitar influences are Brian Setzer, Danny Gatton, Darrel Higham, and Scotty Moore. Bill, co-founder of the Valley Kats, also plays harmonica for the band, and although adept at the clawhammerbanjo, he leaves that at home.

Jeremy

Jeremy Skiba’s fascination with music began at an early age watching and listening to his father sing and play guitar. Jeremy earned his BA in Jazz Performance at UMass Amherst.

After a 2 year stint as a drum teacher, he moved to San Diego where he co-founded psych rock group Ocelot. In the band’s three year run they recorded at Big Fish Studios and performed at The Casbah, The Belly Up, The Lost Highway Festival, DIO Fest, and many other venues.

Since his return to Massachusetts in 2016, Jeremy has been performing with Shea and Co. at The Daily Grind, Luthier's Co-op, Ft Hill Brewery, Chester Common Table, and more.

He's more than just a drummer, he's a vocalist, guitarist, arranger and most importantly; A VALLEY KAT!

Sal

Jeremy

Sal

Sal Casola is a seasoned bass and guitar player around the Hartford scene. Sal graduated from Berklee School of Music in Boston, and as a lifelong educator, brings his passion for performing arts to his classroom every day. He also brings that same passion whenever he grabs that doghouse bass.