Asymmetric Memory ::: Emily Joesph

We're pleased to extend the experience beyond music-and into the realm of visual art- with Asymmetric Memory: An Exhibit by Emily Joesph, in the Musicquarium, for the month of January. Emily Joesph captures the recollections of her past, and their environments, through intricate geometric grids and colors schemes based on hues of hair, eyes and flesh. 

We interviewed Emily to skim the surface of her experience as an artist. 

The Triple Door: What inspires you to create?
Emily Joesph: That is one of the hardest questions to answer, because I really believe that the inspiration to create comes from something innate, a need to create. I am so inspired by people, places, objects, and experiences everyday. I enjoy looking at the works of other artists to inspire me to develop my own visual language, yet looking at old photographs, walking around the city, or listening to memorable music can inspire me to draw, paint or design new works.

TD: Who's artwork are you diggin' right now?
EJ: I have been influenced by so many amazing artists, but I am really loving the work of Francesca DiMattio and local painter, Mary Iverson, at the moment.

TD: How long does it take for you to complete a piece?
EJ: Completion of a piece varies widely between my work. The larger the work, the longer it takes, definitely. There are a few paintings I have spent several months working on, layering, until I get to the point that I think the piece can exist on its own for a while. I like to let the work rest and step away for a while before I really decide if it is complete. Most of the smaller pieces, including the printmaking, develop more as a fluid experiment with new ideas.

TD: Do you listen to music while you create? Do you choose music to fit your artistic mood, or do you choose music to create an artistic mood?
EJ: I do listen to music while I am working. I usually pick something to fit whatever mood I'm in when I get to the studio, but generally, if I want to get a lot of work done, I have to pick a long and cohesive playlist. I don't like stopping to change the song because it is something that has pulled me out of the moment.

TD: What is your favorite gallery/museum in Seattle? The world? Why?
EJ: In the Seattle art scene, I am really loving the Henry Gallery. They have had some really great contemporary work come through, usually intermingled with more classic work through a common theme. I thought the Jeffrey Mitchell show was fantastic! Out of the museums and galleries in the world, that might be an impossible task to pick a favorite... Going to museums and galleries is one of the best feelings, spending time quietly by yourself or discussing the experience with a friend. I am really lucky to have traveled quite a bit- visiting a lot of the big museums and galleries- I have a soft spot for Mass Moca, because it is one of the first contemporary museums I ever experienced as a young girl.

Join us for our First Thursday Art Opening w/ Asymmetric Memory: An Exhibit by Emily Joesph on January 3 at 5PM, with extended happy hour specials until 9PM {21+}. RSVP here>> 

A note from Emily: "Windows are used as a means of observation, a way of looking in or out of a space in a specific place and time. The foundation for my work is built upon a succession of windows formed through fragmented portraiture and recollections of the past. Each image is an intricate geometric grid based on hues of hair, eye, and flesh. The grid itself forms an abstracted visual system for displaying memories from the past that have been fractured and re-remembered over time. Figures and their environments are pared down and woven into a lattice of tonal color. Formally, through the systematic de-construction of images and the layering of the basic chromatic components, I aim to pull selected hues from the body and its environment out into columns in space. Geometric grids developed out of his practice form stratified windows that systematically frame the memories form my personal history."

A lil' Q&A ~ Barbie Anaka

With a clear, fresh voice, jazz vocalist Barbie Anaka will bring sophisticated songwriting, deep emotions and smooth jazz to The Triple Door this January. Joining Barbie Anaka will be a 10 piece band, including former Kenny G percussionist Tony Gable, for a night of solid grooves, seductive soul and pure Northwest contemporary jazz perfection. We interviewed Barbie, via email, to ask the light-hearted questions not all are prepared to answer. 

The Triple Door: Who are you currently listening to?

Barbie Anaka: I'm listening to Donyea Goodman's "Groovin' at Sunrise". He's a gifted producer/multi-instrumentalist/composer like George Duke.

TD: Name your biggest guilty pleasure, musically?

BA: Teena Marie

TD: Nina Simone of Ella Fitzgerald? 

BA: Easy one. Ella. She's influenced me a lot.

TD: What's the song to your life's soundtrack this year?

BA: "Win" by Brian McKnight.

TD: If you could play with any musician, living or dead, who would it be?

BA: Prince!

TD: Who would play you in a movie about your life?

BA: I would like to see J.Lo play me.

TD: How would you describe the perfect day?

BA: Having no agenda and no schedule, no interruptions... with sunshine through the windows and a view of the ocean... being free to create.

TD: What's your most embarrassing on stage experience? 

BA: I don't have very good spatial ability or depth perception, so in tight spaces on stage with my band I've been known to knock over or run into things (I always warn my band members I flail sometimes... meaning I sing with my hands, too). One night while playing at The Edgewater Hotel, I bent down to pick up my water glass, which was on the ground... not realizing the drummer's cymbal stand was sticking out, and it virtually stabbed me in the backside! It was incredibly painful, but the song had already started, so I had to grin and bear it. It became a serious purple and black bruise later on.

TD: What inspires you to play music?

BA: God definitely inspires me and keep me going on this path. I'm inspired by people who enjoy my music and come see us play live, too.

TD: What is your superpower? 

BA: My intuition. Sometimes I know what people will say before they say it.

TD: Who is your musician crush?

BA: Besides Prince?? ADAM LEVINE! 

See Barbie Anaka on January 6 at 7:30. Tickets here>> 

A lil' Q&A ~ Dudley Manlove Quartet

The Triple Door welcomes back an all time favorite, and one of the most universal cover bands in the Northwest, Dudley Manlove Quartet for an evening of funky-pop fun this New Years Eve! We interviewed all 5 members of the quartet, (yes, a 5 member quartet- this only opens the door to their off-the-wall humor) in hopes to find out what goes on behind their song selection. Take a gander...

What are your favorite songs to play in Dudley Manlove Quartet and why?
Stefan Mitchell (vocals): I don't really have a favorite song, but what I love is the variety. It is fun to watch people respond to us playing Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow and the Ah-Ha. And that is all about playing with a group of fantastic musicians.
Jeff Mosier (drums): More Than This by Roxy Music and Don't Change by INXS are a couple of my favorites right now. We've been doing Suspicious Minds by Elvis for many years, but I never get tired of playing it because it has such a great energy and it's a lot of fun to sing. We did a bunch of Elton John songs for our Halloween show, so we'll probably play a couple of those on New Year's Eve. That's the stuff I grew up playing, so it's a treat to do songs like Philadelphia Freedom and Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting.
Steve Okimoto (bass): Copacabana is the one song that has lasted from the beginning that we still play to this day! It is great to see that some are still surprised and shocked that we do it. Try as they might they can't resist and hit the dance floor every time! I also really like Video Killed the Radio Star; brings back fond  memories of watching MTV for hours and hours when they actually played music videos. Also, I love that the arrangement and the tempo is great for parading around onstage! :)
John Hendow (guitar and vocals): More Than This by Roxy Music. I love the texture of this song with the classic 80's guitar and keyboard tones and it really shows off Stefan's voice. Don't Change by INXS. New wave synth rock is a blast to play and this one is always a crowd pleaser. Piano Man by Billy Joel. I had to learn to play harmonica when we added this to the set list. DMQ throws some musical curve balls and I love it that we take on challenges with humor and musicality. I Wish by Stevie Wonder. This song has a wicked funky bass line and Steve Okimoto delivers it in a big way.
Chris Joss (keyboards) **: Anything that features me on the keyboards. I try to stay humble  but it's not easy when you combine the virtuosity of a Rick Wakeman with the fashion sense and showmanship of a Liberace. I've taken to wearing a glittery cape onstage and have recently purchased a large and very attractive candelabra, which I have to duct-tape to my synthesizer to keep it from falling off.

What contemporary song or songs are you into right now?
SM: I generally don't listen to what is popular on the radio. My tastes are a little more in the area of IDM or Glitch music. Some of my favorite artists currently are Alva Noto and Lackluster.
JM: Although they're both a couple of years old, I guess Kissing Strangers by Cherry Ghost and Everybody Needs Love by Findlay Brown would qualify. I'm a sucker for sad songs with a great melody and melodramatic strings.
SO: Oooooh well I get most of mine from going to the gym. Have to say that Move like Jagger was stuck in my head for weeks on end! Love those catchy numbers!
JH: I am a big fan of Tony Levin. His recent album with the band Stick Men is terrific. The Aquabats album Charge!! is brilliant, silly fun. Tom Waits Bad as Me is great. Tom Waits paints a dark playful picture with his music. Ok, I'll let you in on a well-kept secret: I love rock music. The latest Rush album Clockwork Angels is a winner. The return of Soundgarden is a thrill. And, for the record, my mom was wrong all those years ago when she told me I'd grow out of my teenage love of KISS and Led Zeppelin.
CJ: I'm a big fan of Austin Moon from the Disney Channel hit series Austin and Ally. His energy is infectious, and I think his hair is really cute. My friends tell me it's kind of unusual for a single 40-something male to watch a show like his that's geared more towards, let's say, a younger, more female demographic, but they just don't understand. No one understands Austin the way I do, not even Ally.

If you could add one song to the DMQ repertoire, what would it be, and why?
SM: Freebird... because I get so tired of hearing people ask for it. In all honesty, the great thing about this band is that few things are off limits. We generally make an effort to let everyone have input into what we learn. I am leaning more and more towards songs like After The Lovin, because you just get that extra slice of cheese with your entree.
JM: It's hard to choose one, so I'd have to say either Breakfast in America or The Logical Song by Supertramp- flip a coin. I can't believe that in almost 18 years we've never done a Supertramp song.
SO: Hey Ya by Outkast. Fun, funny, funky, danceable and catchy as hell! I've also been known on occasion to shake it like a Polaroid picture!
JH: Tear the Roof off the Sucker by Parliment. Just listen to that groove! Steve and Jeff would put the hammer down on that percolating funk. Plus, I favor any excuse to wear platform shoes.
CJ: Anything by Austin Moon would be dreamy. Musically speaking, that is. Gosh, I'm sounding like a broken record aren't I? Let's move on.

Dudley Manlove Quartet is all about guilty pleasures, but are there any songs that you love that are too far over the line for you?
SM: Freebird, Brick House, Stairway to Heaven.... we really must have some standards even if they are quite low.
JM: Both the songs I just mentioned (Breakfast in America or The Logical Song by Supertramp) probably straddle that line, but part of the joy of being in this band is allowing yourself, and the audience, the freedom to surrender your cool to the allure of cheesy pop songs.
SO: Give it to me Baby by Rick James. Awesome hom sections, slamming bass line, funky as hell! Rick James talking dirty could be seen as over the line, but I'm ready to dance right over it baby!
JH: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. It's a silly joyful song, which is very much in the DMQ spirit. Unfortunately, I don't think we could pull it off without some professional wardrobe consultation.
CJ: I keep telling the other guys in the band that nothing is too far over the line; that certain artists have a much wider appeal than one might think, just because they're on the Disney Channel. But do they listen? No. No, they don't.

Join us and quintessential party band, the Dudley Manlove Quartet,  in bringing in 2013! 

TWO SHOWS 

7:00PM (all ages) $100 Dinner Package - includes cover charge, a sparkling wine toast, and $49 in food and beverage credit, tax and gratuity.

10:30 PM (21+) $70 Dessert Package - include cover charge, a sparkling wine toast, and $27 in food and beverage credit, tax and gratuity.

Tickets here>>

** Note from Jeff Mosier- Keyboardist, Chris Joss, was too slammed with other obligations to answer these interview questions, so I generously offered to supply his answers for him. 

The Early Years

The Embassy Theatre originally opened its doors, during the roaring 20's, in the basement of the historic Mann building on the corner of Third and Union in downtown Seattle.

The guys and dolls of Seattle spent their evenings out at the ritzy Embassy Theatre during the last few years of the Vaudeville era. In the late 20's, with the rise of motion pictures, the theatre was transformed to showcase projected films. It maintained the title as an A-list theatre well into the fifties, but slowly lost popularity in the sixties when the Embassy became an adult film theater. In 1983, as business dwindled, one of Seattle's last venues for projected adult film closed its doors.

For over a decade, the venue that once was the house of Seattle's hotsy-totsy entertainment stood vacant. In 1999, Rick and Ann Yoder, of Wild Ginger, bought the space to fulfill their dream of creating a music dinner theater. Renovations to improve the quality of the space began three years late, in the fall of 2002. 

With the simple goal of creating an intimate, comfortable space that would connect performers to their audience, every effort was taken to preserve the ornate qualities of the old theatre. The original stage proscenium and ceiling fixtures were restored.

Rich fabrics, plush seating, and state of the art sound completed the renovation process, and embellished the grand vintage space for a new generation of entertainment. 

In September 2003, The Triple Door opened its doors as a premier music venue in Seattle with the goal of providing the best in sound, lighting, atmosphere and hospitality. Today, our venue hosts numerous national, regional and international artists showcasing an eclectic mix of live music and performances hearkening back to the original years as The Embassy Theatre.

Bridging the gap between the artist and the audience, each performance is unique in nature. Join us to venture beyond the familiar and to share in the thrill of discovery.