Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker

Ever wonder what the sugar plum fairies do on their night off? They get together with the Snow Queen, the King of Rats and Charles Drosselmigus, to name a few, to prance, frolic and play in a twirl of glitzy spender on The Triple Door's Mainstage Theater!

Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker is a spectacle of ecdysiastic pageantry that will delight holiday revelers and give the classic ballet a bawdy makeover!

List of show dates and times:

Wednesday, December 14

7:00 PM (17+) AND 10:00 PM (21+)

$30 advance/ $35 day of

Thursday, December 15

7:00 PM (17+) AND 10:00 PM (21+)

$30 advance/ $35 day of

Friday, December 16

7:00 PM (17+) AND 10:00 PM (21+)

$40 advance/ $45 day of

Saturday, December 17

7:00 PM (17+) AND 10:00 PM (21+)

$40 advance/ $45 day of

Sunday, December 18

7:00 PM (17+) AND 10:00 PM (21+)

$35 advance/ $40 day of

Tuesday, December 20

7:00 PM (17+) AND 10:00 PM (21+)

$28 advance/ $32 day of

Wednesday, December 21

7:00 PM (17+) AND 10:00 PM (21+)

$30 advance/ $35 day of

Thursday, December 22

7:00 PM (17+) AND 10:00 PM (21+)

$30 advance/ $35 day of

Friday, December 23

7:00 PM (17+) AND 10:00 PM (21+)

$40 advance/ $45 day of

Saturday, December 24

7:00 PM (17+) AND 10:00 PM (21+)

$40 advance/ $45 day of

To purchase tickets call the box office at 206.838.4333 , open everyday from 12pm-8pm, or follow the link here>>

Rick's Picks of the Week: Stacey Kent

Rick's Picks of the Week is jazz vocalist, Stacey Kent, on Monday, December 12th, at 7:30 on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

Stacey Kent's voice has a delicate, dreamlike way of carrying you through each note and cadence leaving you feeling like you're soaking in a ray of sunshine.

Kent's Raconte Moi album features twelve songs sung entirely in French, including La Venue de Mélo. As a listener you would never guess French is Kent's second language, her voice is crystalline with a tender vulnerability, yet posses a certain intensity the French lyrics brings out.

"Making this record reminded me all over again why I became a musician," says Stacey Kent.

Growing up in New Jersey and Colorado, Kent learned french from her Russian-born grandfather who, after fleeing Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution, lived in Paris for several years before moving to the United States. Her grandfather has been a key inspiration behind her French influence, yet her newest discography addition, Dreamer in Concert, features more English sung songs. Released in October 2011, Dreamer in Concert manages to capture the emotionally direct, yet naive qualities unique to Kent's sound.

To purchase tickets to Stacey Kent's upcoming show on December 12 at 7:30 on the Mainstage follow this link here>>

Rick's Picks: The Round's Holiday Show

Rick's Picks of the Week is the The Round's Holiday Show on Sunday, December 4th at 7:30 pm on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

Holiday tunes from some of Seattle's favorite performers configuring into one holiday supergroup!

Matt Bishop of Hey Marseilles:

Kaylee Cole:

Joshua Morrison:

Hot Bodies In Motion:

Shelby Earl:

Daniel Blue of Motopony:

Hannalee + more!

If music wasn't enough, expect slam poet, Shelby Handler, from Seattle Poetry Slam, Youthspeaks, painter Fritha Strand-Davern, and maybe even some ugly sweaters.

Proceeds for The Round's Holiday Show benefit The Abbey and their mission to support artistic and social development through new collaborative arts & cultural experiences. The Abbey focuses on music, dance, visual, literary and culinary arts in formats including multi-arts performances, group classes and workshops, individual lessons, and exhibits.

To purchase tickets click here>> The Round's Holiday Show or call the box office at 206.838.4333.

Rick's Picks of the Week: Nearly Dan

Rick's Picks of the Week is Nearly Dan on Wednesday, November 23rd at 7pm and 9:30pm on the Mainstage at The Triple Door. For the first show, Nearly Dan will play Steely Dan's fifth album, The Royal Scam, and for the second show they will play Steely Dan's sixth album, Aja.

Nearly Dan captures the distinctive, rich in character, quirky, alternately exuberant and tormented lead vocals of Steely Dan, a legacy of the great jazz-pop duo Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, in there own vibrantly unique way.

Based out of Seattle, Nearly Dan is made up of 14 local and national musicians who share a passion for the distinctive music of Steely Dan- revered for inventive music-making, jazz- infected lush harmonies and their own mysterious lyrics that can make one glad to be alive or want to mope in bed. The individual Nearly Dan members come from across genres- from rock, R&B and country to fusion, swing and jazz- and have received training at institutions from Berkelee College of Music in Boston, to University of Washington and Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.

More than just a tribute band, this group's musicians have performed with greats such as Ray Charles, George Benson, Diane Schuur, Lou Rawls, Basia, Huey Lewis, Towere of Power, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and Gladys Knight. Anyone who knows the music of Steely Dan, also know that only fabulous musicians can pull it off! A challenge this group is energized by, and rises to!

Tickets are $20 per show or $29.50 for both shows. Call The Triple Door box office for package deal 206.838.4333 or purchase online here>>

Rick's Picks of the Week: Over the Rhine

Rick's Picks of the Week is the roots rock, americana-esque, folk band, Over the Rhine; with three chances to catch smoldering vocals and cinematic melodies, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 7:30 pm, at The Triple Door.

The Southern Ohio-based husband-and-wife team of multi-instrumentalists Linford Detweiler (keyboards, electric bass, vocals) and Karin Bergquist (vocals acoustic guitar, piano), otherwise known as Over the Rhine, has a poetic way of harmonizing earnest and raw lyrics with enduring melodies.

The Long Surrender, the newest addition to the band's discography, is titled as a response to the lifelong desire to let go of certain expectations in order to remain open and curious; as Karin explains, "it seems like many of our friends are currently wrestling with various forms of 'letting go,' so hopefully, the ideas conjured by the title feel somewhat universal." The album was released nationally in February on OtR's own Great Speckled Dog label, named after their great dane Elroy, and was recorded by Grammy-award winning producer, Joe Henry and features a duet with artist Lucinda Williams.

See a Triple Door favorite, Over the Rhine, this upcoming weekend, Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th at 8pm, and Sunday the 20th at 7:30 pm on the Mainstage. Tickets are $30 advance/$35 day of show/$40 VIP {front Row Seating} and can be purchased online, click here>>

Rick's Picks of the Week: Curtis Salgado

Rick's Picks of the Week- blues extraordinaire, Curtis Salgado on November 11 at 8pm at The Triple Door.

Born in the Pacific Northwest in 1954, Curtis Salgado grew up listening to jazz and his father, an aspirating singer of classical music. With music in his blood, Salgado's ambitions to become a musician began to formulate in 1972 with a band called Three-Fingered Jack. He then became a large part of the flourishing Northwest blues scene, which lead him to join guitarist/vocalist Robert Cray to record the album "Who's Been Talking." The next 6 years of his musical career with Cray, enabled a higher lever visibility plus sit-ins with the likes of Muddy Waters, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Albert Collins and Bonnie Raitt.

One fateful day in 1979, John Belushi was in Eugene filming Animal House, and he caught Curtis' act and was astounded. Belushi's experience triggered a blues and R &B tutorial, with Salgado the teacher and Belushi the dedicated student. Filled with new found knowledge, Belushi used Salgado's show as the basis for the Blues Brothers act he and Dan Akroyd put together. The first Blues Brothers album was dedicated to Curtis Salagado.

Salgado left the Cray band before it broke through nationally in the mid-80's. Since then he has fronted Boston's Grammy-Winning Roomful of Blues before returning to the Pacific Northwest where he formed The Stilettos, who toured nationally with Steve Miller and The Doobie Brothers. Salgado's most recent solo album, Clean Getaway, was the breakthrough he'd been waiting for and gave him a new perspective on his musical odyssey.

"I'm playing music with the most incredible people," says Salgado. "I've got everything to be grateful for. To me, I've won the lottery, I've won all the Grammys. It makes me humber. So I'm just trying to stick to my guns, perfect my craft and make great music."

See the man behind the inspiration of The Blues Brothers, the talented blues and soul musician, Curtis Salgado, on November 11th at 8pm on the Mainstage!

Rick's Picks of the Week: Tribute to Jim Knapp

Rick's Picks of the Week is a Tribute to Jim Knapp on Wednesday, November 2nd, at 7:30 on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

The Seattle jazz community will come together to celebrate Jim Knapp, a trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who founded the Cornish College's jazz program in the late 70's. Presented by Earshot Jazz Festival, the tribute will include the Jim Knapp Orchestra, the Cornish big band, and surprise musical guests.

Born in Chicago, Knapp received B.A. and M.A. degrees in Music Composition from the University of Illinois where he studied with Kenneth Gaburo and Salvatore Martirano, among others. For the past thirty-eight years he has made Seattle his home, where he has led the Composers and Improvisors Orchestra, various small jazz ensembles, and more recently, the Jim Knapp Orchestra. Currently, he continues to teach and serves as a professor of music at Cornish College of the Arts.

Presented by Earshot Jazz Festival, the tribute will include the Jim Knapp Orchestra, a 15-piece orchestra featuring many of the finest jazz soloists in the Northwest, the Cornish big band, and surprise musical guests.

The Tale of the Backstage Ale

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, a brewmaster for the brewery affectionately known throughout the realm as being the best in the region, realized something was missing. On this particular day, he ardently stumbled into a sophisticated yet dungeons rathskeller.

Once inside, he met the jovial operations controller and his group of eagerly helpful workmen. Impressed with their dedication, he asked the the group if they would like to join him on an adventure- a voyage to find the missing ale. The operations controller and his workmen were beyond honored to help the brewmaster find what the kingdom was missing.

In order to find the absent ale, they embarked on a journey in search of the finest juniper greens, and the matchless Citra and Sorachi Ace hops. Along the way they faced obstacles and trials, but met them head on, and successfully found the ale the kingdom had been missing. Upon their return, they rejoiced and celebrated their triumph by inviting everyone in the royal domain to taste the new found ale. The whole kingdom loved it and the brewmaster, the operations controller and his workmen lived happily ever after.

Ok, maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously, it went a little something like that.

This past summer, Dick Cantwell, Head Brewer and Co-Owner of Elysian Brewing Company, and Brian McKay, Operations Manager at The Triple Door, met to design a new pale ale exclusively labeled for The Triple Door. With the help of Steve Luke, brewmaster at Elysian Brewing Company, Jason Lock, General Manager at The Triple Door, and Byron Fenske and Andy Snyder, head bartenders at The Triple Door, they created the Backstage Ale.

"I was honored to participate in this project," says McKay. "I've always been an Elysian fan, and being able to work with some of the best brewmasters in the nation was an experience I will never forget."

Designed to complement the sweet and spicy notes of Southeast Asian cuisine, the Backstage Ale is a pale ale with a generous portion of Sorachi Ace hops, Citra hops and fresh juniper greens.

"The finished product is exceedingly well balanced, with just a hint of the juniper on the nose and maybe another tiny hint on the finish," says Kendall Jones, Washington Beer Blog. "The hops are lively but not overbearing. The citrus notes will help this beer pair widely and beautifully with The Triple Door's Pan-Asian menu."

The first batch, of 16 kegs, completely sold out after a soft launch party celebrating The Triple Door's 8th anniversary on September 23rd in the Musicquarium. The public was invited to participate in the celebratory cask tapping by Dick Cantwell and Brian McKay at The Backstage Ale Launch Party on October, 13th. Since then, an average of 850 pints are being sold per week and batches are constantly being brewed to meet demand.

Rick's Picks of the Week: The Campbell Brothers ~ Sacred Steel

Rick's Picks of the Week is The Campbell Brothers ~ Sacred Steel on Sunday, October 23rd at 7:30, on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

Earshot Jazz Festival presents The Campbell Brothers, a sizzling band that delivers a devoutly rocking Holiness-Pentecostal repertoire with growling, wailing, swinging steel.

Pedal-steel guitar ace Chuck Campbell joins his brother's, lap-steel playing Darick and electric guitarist Phil, along with Phil's son, Carlton on the drums, and Katie Jackson with her soul-curing vocals. The Campbell Brothers create a lively and bluesy twist to the traditional sound of African-American gospel music.

See The Campbell Brothers ~ Sacred Steel live October 23rd at 7:30 on the Mainstage.

Rick's Picks of the Week: Robben Ford Trio

This week, Rick's Picks of the Week is five-time Grammy nominee, blues guitarist Robben Ford and his newly formed band, Robben Ford Trio, on October 18th and 19th, at 7:30 pm on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

Within the past few years, Ford formed the group Robben Ford Trio with friends and talented musicians, Mike Landau (guitar) Jimmy Haslip (bass), and Gary Novak (drums). Most recently, the group collaborated to release "Renegade Creation," a project recorded for Mike Varney's Shrapnel label.

Ford is one of the premier electric guitarists today, known for his blues playing as well as his ability to be comfortable in a variety of musical contexts. Joining him is session musician and guitarist, Mike Landau, as well as pioneering electric bassist, Jimmy Haslip, and innovative drummer, Gary Novak, whom triumphantly create- Robben Ford Trio. See Robben Ford Trio live 10/18 and 10/19 at 7:30 pm on the Mainstage.

Rick's Picks of the Week: Tales from the Sahel: An Evening with Baaba Maal

This week's Rick's Picks of the Week will be a unique event filled with music and discussion from Tales from the Sahel: An Evening with Baaba Maal on Tuesday, October 11th, at 7pm on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

During the course of the evening, Baaba will be playing songs with LA musician Mermans Mosengo, from Playing for Change, as well as talking about his personal experience growing up in Africa and his views on issues facing the continent today with acclaimed music journalist and author, Chris Salewicz.

Known for his fiery vocal performances and his musical fusion of western sounds with the traditional beats and melodies of West Africa, Baaba Mall has earned immense critical acclaim and has continually reinforced his role as a innovative artist in the world music arena. His work has also extended beyond music and into the realms of humanitarianism through his role as emissary for the United Nation's Development Program. People gather to support his continual outspoken stances on HIV/AIDS in Africa, the growing role of women on the continent and his support of youth-based initiatives to help Africa move into the new millennium.

"I think the musician's role is to give advice, to warn people, and to make them aware of what they might not have thought of themselves. We use melodies and harmonies to make songs enter your mind." So declares the celebrated Senegalese master-musician, Baabe Maal, of the songs on Television, his new multi-lingual album which was released in June.

To purchase tickets to see Baaba Maal, following this link: Tales from the Sahel: An Evening with Baaba Maal.

Rick's Picks of the week: Hindi Zahra

Rick's Picks of the Week: Hindi Zahra on October 4th at 7:30 on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

Hindi Zahra's gently flowing sense of melody is accompanied by subtle, understated, with a dash of gypsy, guitar and a hint of blues between the lines. With sonically intense, intimate, poetic vibrations, and a velvety feline quality, her music speaks her story. Being a self taught multi-instrumentalist, music is the story of her life. A story of a Beber girl born in Morocco.

See the beautiful and talented Hindi Zahra with opener J Wong on October 4th at 7:30 on the Mainstage.

Rick's Picks of the Week: Jolie Holland w/ Ali Marcus

Rick's Picks of the Week is Texas native, singer-songwriter Jolie Holland with Ali Marcus on Wednesday, September 28th, at 7:30 on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

Holland's raspy, bluesy yet sincerely delicate vocals, and her multi-faceted, blues-folk melodies speak of the lives and breathes of her traveling memories through unconcealed reflection. Her music erases the space between ancient and modern with a sound that is as emotionally rich as it is timeless. Holland conveys the notion, "if something speaks to you and is meaningful, dates can become irrelevant" through a palatte of dirty guitar chords, drums, percussion, bass, synthesizers and gritty vocals.

The newest discography addition, Pint of Blood, which was released in June, is grounded in true experience and evokes memories of moonlit fields, past lovers, and the childhood dream of summer.

Accompanying Holland, is Seattle-based songwriter Ali Marcus whose lighthearted music sounds like a summer road trip through Eastern Washington with the windows down and the sun kissing the air.

See Jolie Holland w/ Ali Marcus on Wednesday, September 28th, at 7:30 on the Mainstage!

Rick's Picks: Shawn Colvin

Rick's Picks of the Week is three time Grammy Award winner, Shawn Colvin on September 19th and 20th at 7:30 on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

Colvin's confessionally intimate songs explore the beauty in the satirical happenings of the human condition. She sings about personal struggle and healing in a unique way that creates melodic imagery that powerfully resonates. When she's not singing her own folk-pop songs, Colvin is performing equally intriguing covers of short stories refined into absorbing songs.

In the 19 years since the release of her debut album, Colvin has produced a remarkable cannon of work. She has won three Grammy Awards, released eight albums, maintained a non-stop national and international touring schedule, appeared on countless television and radio programs and had her songs featured in major motion pictures.

See Shawn Colvin live on September 19th and 20th at 7:30 on the Mainstage.

Rick's Pick: Rhett Miller and Joe Doria

Rick's Picks of the Week, the front man and main songwriter of the hard-charging rock 'n' roll quartet the Old 97's, as well as an accomplished solo artist, Rhett Miller, will be performing live on Saturday, September 10th at 8pm on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

In addition to his seven records with the 97's, Miller released two highly regarded solo albums, The Instigator (2002) and The Believer (2006). Rhett continues to balance his solo endeavors with his membership in the Old 97's. The still-active quartet released their full-length studio album, Blame it On Gravity, on May 13, 2008.

This week, in addition to the Mainstage act, Rick picked Hammond organist Joe Doria live on Friday, September 9th in the Musicquarium. Joe Doria has been making big waves on the music scene and is the most sought after organist in the area, dazzling audiences with his ability to tightly weave both the bass lines and the chordal structure of a song, yet, at the same time, adding depth and dimension to every song he performs.

Rick's Picks: Charlie Musselwhite and Groove for Thought

This week's Rick's Picks of the Week is Square Peg Concerts and Western Arts Alliance presents Charlie Musselwhite and Groove for Thought on September 2 at 7:30 at The Triple Door.

The harmonica master, Charlie Musselwhite, was born in Mississippi, raised in Memphis and schooled on the South Side of Chicago where he began his musical career in the '60s. Since then he has been trailblazing the music scene with his deep country guitar work and melodic harmonica that is flawlessly rooted in blues. He's released over 30 albums and won numerous awards, including, most recently, two coveted Blues Music Awards from The Blues Foundation.

Accompanying Charlie Musselwhite is Seattle based Groove for Thought, a seven member band full of infectious grooves, stunning arrangements and electrifying solos blended into jazz infused R&B tunes.

See Square Peg Concerts and Western Arts Alliance presents Charlie Musselwhite and Groove for Thought on September 2 at 7:30 on the Mainstage!

Rick's Picks of the Week: Sean Hutchinson's STILL LIFE

Rick's Picks of the Week is Sean Hutchinson's STILL LIFE CD Release Concert on Wednesday, August 24th at 7:30, on the Mainstage at The Triple Door.

Sean Hutchinson's STILL LIFE blends acoustic with electronic ambience to create a sonic world where machine-like drum beats, melodic bass lines and piano textures develop singable melodies and improvisational displays. STILL LIFE encompasses influences by the giants of rock including the Beatles and Wilco, but also incorporates the great jazz trio units of Brad Mehldau, Bill Evans and Ahmad Jamal, yet somehow works in the emotional intensity and electronic edge of Radiohead.

The members involved in STILL LIFE all share the unique perspective of individually being both in-demand sidemen as well as bandleaders, and drawing form this experience, each player serves the collective sound, but does so in their own highly personalized way. All songs are originally composed by the band members, apart from a few choice covers by the likes of David Bowie, Radiohead and the Beatles.

Listen to Sean Hutchinson's STILL LIFE and attend the CD Release show August 24th at 7:30 on the Mainstage!