Club Soda

Club Soda is a Montreal live-music venue whose history dates to 1982. It was founded by Joseph Martellino, Guy Gosselin, André Gagnon, and Martin Després, and began operations at 5240 Park Avenue. The venue's first performance was by Boule Noire on November 18, 1982, followed by an appearance from the comedy group Ding et Dong. From its beginning, Club Soda functioned as a performance space rather than a consumer-goods brand, presenting music and other stage entertainment to Montreal audiences. The venue's ownership and business relationships developed during its first decade. Montreal concert promoter Rubin Fogel became a part owner in 1985, connecting Club Soda more closely with the city's concert-promotion community. The original Park Avenue location closed in July 1999. Club Soda subsequently moved to its current premises at 1225 Saint Laurent Boulevard and reopened on March 21, 2000, after extensive renovations. The current building has its own entertainment history. Constructed in 1908, it was known as the Crystal Palace and later operated as a cabaret during the 1940s. The conversion and renovation gave Club Soda a permanent presence in the Quartier des spectacles, Montreal's major cultural and entertainment district, within the Ville-Marie borough. The venue's present ownership is identified as Martin Després, Rubin Fogel, and Michel Sabourin, the latter being Fogel's longtime concert-promotion partner. Club Soda's core offering is a physical platform for live performances, including concerts and stage events. Its identity is therefore based on venue programming, location, atmosphere, and its continuity within Montreal's nightlife and cultural infrastructure rather than on a packaged product portfolio or a multinational brand system. Publicly available reference material confirms its founding, relocations, ownership history, landmark performances, and current address, but does not provide enough information to document a broader corporate structure, detailed programming history, financial performance, or international operations.

Club Soda was founded in Montreal in 1982 by Joseph Martellino, Guy Gosselin, André Gagnon, and Martin Després. The original venue operated at 5240 Park Avenue, in a location that is now associated with Théâtre Fairmount. Its inaugural performance was given by Boule Noire on November 18, 1982, and the opening sequence also included Ding et Dong. These events established Club Soda as a live-entertainment venue serving Montreal's music and performance scene. In 1985, concert promoter Rubin Fogel became a part owner. His involvement linked the venue to the wider Montreal concert-promotion business and continued as part of Club Soda's ownership history. The original premises remained in use until July 1999, when the Park Avenue location closed. Club Soda returned on March 21, 2000, at 1225 Saint Laurent Boulevard. The move followed extensive renovations and placed the venue in the Quartier des spectacles, within Montreal's Ville-Marie borough. The building occupied by the reopened venue was constructed in 1908. Before Club Soda's arrival, it had been known as the Crystal Palace and had operated as a cabaret during the 1940s, giving the site an entertainment history that preceded the current venue. The owners identified for the current Club Soda operation are Martin Després, Rubin Fogel, and Michel Sabourin. Sabourin is described as Fogel's longtime concert-promotion partner. Club Soda's continuing role is that of a Montreal performance venue, offering a place for concerts and other live stage events. The available reference material does not establish a separate parent company, public listing, international branch network, or detailed product business. Its principal historical significance is local: the venue has maintained the Club Soda name across a relocation and renovation while remaining part of Montreal's live-performance infrastructure.

• 2000

  Reopening at Saint Laurent Boulevard

  [1]Club Soda (Montreal)en.wikipedia.org

  Club Soda reopens on March 21 at 1225 Saint Laurent Boulevard after extensive renovations.

• 1999

  Park Avenue venue closes

  [1]Club Soda (Montreal)en.wikipedia.org

  The original Club Soda location closes in July.

• 1985

  Rubin Fogel joins ownership

  [1]Club Soda (Montreal)en.wikipedia.org

  Montreal concert promoter Rubin Fogel becomes a part owner of Club Soda.

• 1982

  Club Soda is established

  [1]Club Soda (Montreal)en.wikipedia.org

  Joseph Martellino, Guy Gosselin, André Gagnon, and Martin Després establish Club Soda at 5240 Park Avenue in Montreal.

• 1982

  First performance

  [1]Club Soda (Montreal)en.wikipedia.org

  Boule Noire performs the first act at Club Soda on November 18, followed by Ding et Dong.

A Montreal live-performance venue with a long local history, positioned around concert and stage-event programming in the Quartier des spectacles.

• Live entertainment · 1982

  Live music performances

  Club Soda's central offering is access to live music presented at its Montreal venue. The venue's documented opening with Boule Noire and Ding et Dong places concert and stage programming at the heart of its identity. The available sources do not provide a complete historical list of performers or recurring music series.

• Venue services · 2000

  Concert and stage-event venue

  The Club Soda site provides a physical setting for concerts and other live stage events. Its current location occupies a renovated historic building on Saint Laurent Boulevard in Montreal's Quartier des spectacles. Specific capacities, rental terms, and event-service details are not established by the supplied reference material.

• 1999

  Relocation from Park AvenueStrategy

  Background

  The original Club Soda venue at 5240 Park Avenue closed in July 1999, ending the first phase of the venue's operation.

  Action taken

  Club Soda moved to a different building at 1225 Saint Laurent Boulevard and undertook extensive renovations before reopening.

  Aftermath

  The venue resumed operations on March 21, 2000, in Montreal's Quartier des spectacles.

  Source

1. 1Club Soda (Montreal)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Club Soda official websiteclubsoda.ca