Tranzac Club

Come hear the songs and poems of MAX LAYTON and experience the musical wizardry of BOB COHEN, ED ROTH and MARY HANSON. There's beer on tap and no cover but please PWYC..This month our special guests will be COLLETTE SAVARD, REBECCA CAMPBELL, AND ARDENE SHAPIRO

COLLETTE SAVARD sings in a sultry country blues style that somehow also betrays her love of Edith Piaf. Backed by her band, The Savants, Savard’s just-released fourth album, “Collette Savard and The Savants,” features songs of love and loss and self-empowerment. Drawn in by her poignant lyrics and soulful melodies, Savard’s audiences are charmed by her authentic stage presence and by the whimsical array of the folk instruments she plays.

Originally from North Bay, Savard is now based in Toronto where she performs regularly at the Tranzac and Grossman’s and where she has been president of Tranzac’s board of directors for the past three years. For more info: collettesavard.com

REBECCA CAMPBELL is an acclaimed singer and songwriter. She also plays percussion, guitar, and melodica. But mostly she sings. Raised in the Maritimes and Ottawa, and educated in Montreal, Rebecca has been making music and helping others do the same since her teens. Based in Toronto since the late-nineties, she has performed on stages across Canada, the USA, Europe, South Africa, South Korea, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. Rebecca's voice has graced both the big and small screen, and she has sung on over 100 recordings accompanying such notable artists as Jane Siberry, Paul Quarrington, Jim Cuddy, Dan Hill, Parachute Club, and Ken Whiteley.

ARDENE SHAPIRO picked up the guitar at age 12 and wrote her first song by the time she was 15. After busking on Yonge St. and hi-tailing it down Hwy 61, Ardene landed her first professional gig at Club 544 on Bourbon St., New Orleans. “It was a once in a lifetime chance,” she says. “New Orleans seeped into my pores, where it's been ever since.” Involved with various bands since the early 80s, Ardene has worked with a who's who of Canadian talent, sharing stages with Mary Margaret O'Hara, Ron Sexsmith, Jeff Healey (who did a three hour early 20th century jazz special with her), and her mentor, Townes Van Zandt. Ardene’s songs, while rootsy and deeply influenced by her childhood love of rock ‘n roll, have a certain Tin Pan Alley sensibility which makes them unique and unforgettable.
. MAX LAYTON'S most recent CD, TRUE THE NORTH, is an album of Max's original songs entirely devoted to Canadian stories and themes. About Max's previous album, LEONARD COHEN said: "This is a terrific record! Can't praise it highly enough!" Max also reads from LIKE, his latest book of poems. Dennis
Lee called Max’s first book of poetry “a genuine pleasure to read” while, according to Joe Rosenblatt, Max “is the wittiest and most experientially sublime poet around in Canadian poetry!” More about Max at www.maxlayton.com

BOB COHEN began his career as a professional musician in 1972 in London, U.K., where he learned his craft in recording studios and on stage. Before moving to Toronto, Bob worked mostly as a guitarist while recording and touring with major artists such as Tim Hardin, André Gagnon, and Jesse Winchester...

ED ROTH is a self-styled “musician” who likes to brag about his “Yorkville roots” and his years in LA. He claims to have worked with Rick James, Raffi and Daniel Lanois and is personally to blame for tons of jingles and TV music. He owns a digital accordion and will play it if provoked. Be warned: His playing only sounds like music.

MARY HANSON arrived in Toronto from Australia in the mid 1980s and debuted her keyboard skills with the Pukka Orchestra at the Bamboo. That's when she fell in with a gang of "Queen street" musicians including Robert Priest, with whom she still plays some thirty years later...