The Venue Bar and Grill will welcome the debut show of Calgary rock and roll cover band called The Sindicats on July 13. The five-man band is led by bass guitar player and lead vocals Johnnie Sinclair. Starting on the Piano he moved on to Bass at 13, then French Horn. He has also toured the United Kingdom twice with different symphonies, and played bass and sang with a Beatles Tribute called 8 Days a week, that played in Liverpool at the Famous Cave three years ago. He began singing professionally in nightclubs at 19 and also teaches guitar, bass, piano, theory, and vocal training as well at various music studios in Calgary for the last 15 years or so. Recently Sinclair has played bass, sang, and recorded with Manny Charlton, one of the founding members of Nazareth, and has numerous musical acts that he plays with today. Sinclair is also joined by guitar and back up vocalist Steve Skoratko, drums and vocals Alan Bull on drums and vocals, guitar and vocalist Chad Holtzman as well as sax, harp and vocal Rick McLeod.
Skoratko has been playing and recording music around Canada with bands such as Shurlocke, tThe Space Between, Cockapoo (as Cash McGillicutty) and Big Yellow Van just to name a few. A Calgarian, born and raised, he's been playing music his whole life. You can trace his beginning as a guitarist back to when he first heard Stevie Ray Vaughan. Heavily influenced by the blues, he's spent most of his life trying to match the wizardry of SRV's riffs. Other influences include Slash, Zakk Wylde and Ian Thornley. Skoratko is a full time music instructor teaching lessons around the city on guitar, mandolin, bass and drums. Also, he played in the Yamaha all-star band and the Mount Royal Jazz Orchestra on lead trumpet. His search continues for the perfect riff playing with The Sindicats.
Bull started playing drums at age 11. He studied music at the University of Calgary and began playing professionally in 1989 with local musicians John Thiel, Phil Hall, Steve Pineo, Bob Foster, Shirley Lang and Doug Charters. Since then, Bull has played with many bands including Full Moon, Big Yellow Van and now The Sindicats. Chad Holtzman is a guitarist and singer based in Calgary. In 1998, he got his start around town with a jump and swing band called The Jump Daddies. He then enjoyed a short stint with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines in the Eastern Caribbean. Holtzman then joined with the world-renowned ABBA tribute Bjorn Again touring extensively throughout North America for 10 years. He is currently freelancing in and around Calgary with several bands and is also actively writing and recording music as well. McLeod has been playing the sax and harp for almost his whole life and has just recently joined the Sindicats. The free show will begin at 9 p.m.
