Culture Fiend

A Fiendish Conversation with Cheryl Waters

We talk tunes with the KEXP DJ and live-in-studio coordinator.

Posted by: Seth Sommerfeld on May 16, 2012 at 03:00PM 1 Comments

KEXP DJ Cheryl Waters is one of the tastemakers defining the Seattle sound. She’s been a fixture at the public radio station for the past 18 years, and though she currently hosts the uber-popular “Midday Show,” her other KEXP gig might be more important. As the on-air events coordinator, she’s responsible for bringing in all the bands who perform live on KEXP (you know, those YouTube videos you blow off work to watch). This Friday KEXP’s Hood-to-Hood celebration hits Ballard with live on-air performances in Bergen Place Park by a great lineup of rock, indie, and alt-country acts curated by Waters: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, The Maldives, My Goodness, Deep Sea Diver, and Ramona Falls.

We chatted with the veteran of the airwaves about what she looks for when bringing in artists to play KEXP and which up-and-coming Seattle bands she thinks could make it big.

What aspects of Hood-to-Hood are you looking forward to?

All the bands this year are local—one from Portland, the rest from Seattle. A number of the bands have new music out right now, so that makes it really interesting and relevant. The Maldives live shows are practically transcendent. You never know how many people will be on stage. There was a joke among my friends when they were starting out back in 2005 or 2006. We’d go to these shows at the Sunset and they could barely all fit on the stage and we’d be like, “It’s just nine really great-looking guys up there playing this great music.”

What do you look for in an act when you set up an on-air performance?

One of the things we like to do is feature up-and-coming bands—bands that resonate with our listeners, bands that we know they’ll get excited about. And they trust us to curate that music for them.

What new local artists excite you?

That’s one of the hardest questions for me to answer. It’s funny, you’ll run into someone—and of course I’m the perfect person to ask this of—but they’ll say, “What are you listening to right now?” And then I become a deer in the headlights. If I worked for a Top 40 radio station I would just say, “Oh, well I played this 100 times this week.” It would be at the top of my mind, but in any given week I’m playing hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of artists.

One of the bands I’m really excited about right now—I think they have so much talent—and I don’t know how huge, if they’re gonna be the next big Death Cab for Cutie, I don’t think so, but Absolute Monarchs is incredible.

What was your favorite live performance you’ve seen in the last year?

I just saw Father John Misty. He’s living in L.A. now, but we still consider him a local artist. I think he’s gonna be huge. I think he’s got the full package: His songs are great, his album’s great, but the live show is incredible. He’s really got some presence.

How are the plans for KEXP’s move to Seattle Center going?

We have signed a lease to be at the Seattle Center, so we’re in a multistage process right now where we’re assessing what our needs are. We are also in the early stages of fundraising. Being a nonprofit, of course, we have to do a capital campaign. So we’re at least a couple years away, but we’re really excited.

KEXP’s Hood-to-Hood 2012: Ballard Day
May 18, 10–6, Bergen Place Park, free

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Tags: KEXP, Outdoor Concert, Fiendish Conversation

A Fiendish Conversation with Lauren Weedman

We talk dolphins and drugs before the comic actress debuts her new one-woman show.

Posted by: Seth Sommerfeld on May 10, 2012 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

Seattle took Lauren Weedman’s theater virginity. Before she was a Daily Show correspondent or a randy depressive on HBO show Hung, the writer-actress was honing her comic timing at the Empty Space Theatre and on Almost Live!. She’s never forgotten her former home (no matter how hard she tries), and for the past few years, it has inspired more than a few anecdotes in her acclaimed one-woman shows.

Next week she’ll debut her new monologue, SRO: Single Room Occupancy at Northwest Film Forum, which delves into Weedman’s life in the early ‘90s in Seattle and Amsterdam, backed by film clips from her favorite movies at the time (lots of Tom Hanks, Daniel Day Lewis, and classic horror).

For our latest Fiendish Conversation we talked to one-woman force about drugs, dolphins, and Seattle’s ability to kill one’s soul. (Kidding.)

What should people expect from SRO?

It’s a brand new work, so I don’t even know what I expect. It’s a new story that I’ve wanted to tell for a while and I’m doing it in a whole new style, for myself. The classic solo theater style is to just stand there and tell people a story and I’ve really resented that my entire career. I never wanted to do that. I wanted to be different. And now, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. But I’m using film clips, which is awesome. To have access to film to help tell a story is the best. And I’m going to do a lot of improv with this show. It’s comedy, it’s personal, it’s always a little out there. I’m trying to think of another word besides “bitchy.”

Do you have any specific preshow routines?

I shoot up heroin. And then I throw up. And then I do yoga. No. That’s not true—need to make sure I’m clear. I don’t have a set thing every time because each show needs a different kind of approach. Here’s one thing: Every time I do a show, before I go on stage I always say to myself, “I am not going to walk off stage with any regrets.”

What impact did Seattle have on you and your writing style?

Well, I think it killed my soul. [Laughs.] I’m just kidding. There’s been a lot of overcoming that I think is really inspiring when you’re working. Just getting over that huge wound of having ever lived in Seattle. Totally joking.

Coming to Seattle and finding the Empty Space was gigantic. It changed everything. It was the exact right fit of a theater that was a little off the beaten path. It was equity, but not mainstream. And that’s the theme of all of my work; I’m always second stage-y. I’m forever spoiled by starting working in Seattle, because I’m always still striving. It’s like if I actually had a really good first lover I lost my virginity to—which I didn’t, but let’s say I did—it would be hard to get back to those glory days. Seattle is like that in the sense of the audiences, and the support for new work—for more non-mainstream work, more experimental stuff. [It’s] just so much more open. That is a bummer because it’s hard to find that in the rest of the country.

If you weren’t an entertainer, what would you do?

I like the idea of being a high school counselor… or a dolphin expert. I feel like in college there were always girls that were like, “I think I just want to work with dolphins.” Who would be, like, “I hate dolphins! I wouldn’t want to work with them!”

Are there any post-show routines?

I shoot up heroin. And then I throw up. And then I do yoga.

Lauren Weedman’s SRO: Single Room Occupancy
May 17–19, Northwest Film Forum, $12–$15

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Tags: Theater, Northwest Film Forum, Fiendish Conversation

A Fiendish Conversation with Kenny G

We chat with the smoothest of sax men before his string of Jazz Alley shows.

Posted by: Seth Sommerfeld on Apr 23, 2012 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

It’s a rare thing to hear a multiplatinum musician play an intimate club show—then again, Kenny G’s career has been anything but typical. The man brought smooth jazz to the masses and became an indelible (and recognizable, thanks to his curly ‘do) pop culture figure. He even popped up playing with Foster the People on Saturday Night Live last year. Thirty years and 23 albums into his solo career, the Seattle native remains driven (despite some vocal critics.) He still practices saxophone three hours a day to hone his craft and he’ll put that practice to use this week when he comes home to play eight shows over four nights at Jazz Alley.

For our latest Fiendish Conversation we chatted with the contemporary sax man about his continued passion for music, being a punch line, and (of course) golf.

After all your success, what about playing a smaller venue like Jazz Alley appeals to you?

We just got through doing [clubs shows at] Blue Note in New York in November and it was really fun, so that’s kind of opened up the door to doing more. And Seattle’s my hometown, so why not? You feel that connection between people that like your music and yourself, and that’s really important. That’s how it started.

Do you have any preshow routine?

No, not really. If I’ve got friends there, I probably end up hanging out with them. If I’ve got no friends there, I probably practice more. Neither one of those situations necessarily lends itself to a better show. It’s so organic. It’s like a professional golfer; you know you’re good, you know you can do it, but you’re not necessarily going to hit all the good shots that night. You never know.

If you weren’t a musician, what would you do?

If I was good enough in golf, I would’ve loved to be a professional golfer. [Kenny G is a scratch golfer.] That’s pretty much the thing that gets me excited. I like flying. I’m a pilot, so maybe some sort of a job as a pilot might be fun, too. I like building things. Maybe I would build furniture, houses, or something like that.

At times, especially in the ’90s, you were often used as a pop culture punchline. Did that ever get under your skin?

You gotta look at the big picture. What you said is true, but how many people actually wrote or said things like that? Could it be handful? And then how many people like my music and went to my concerts? When you look at the difference between a handful to millions—it’s absolutely meaningless. So that’s how you have to look at it. Unfortunately, a lot of artists get too bent out of shape if they read something in the paper that’s not complimentary.

How has Seattle impacted and shaped your sound and career?

In the ‘70s when I was in high school [at and doing my thing, we had a big R&B/funk scene in Seattle. Everybody was gigging and there were clubs all over the place. It was a very vibrant scene. At a time when Earth, Wind, and Fire was the band to be like, there were plenty of gigs for sax players and horn players. There was a lot of action. It really got me excited and motivated and got me on my way to be playing music all the time. If that wasn’t the case, I don’t know what would’ve happened. I would’ve been in high school, playing in the high school band, and that would’ve been it. But I was out there playing shows, and playing in bands, and playing clubs. It was a huge, huge plus. It launched me.

How does it feel to still be in the mainstream consciousness after all these years?

I’m grateful that I’ve managed to stay current enough to still be doing what I’m doing after [all these] years; where people haven’t gotten sick of me, or my music, or my sound, or whatever else. Maybe they’re sick of my hair.

Kenny G
Apr 26–29, Jazz Alley, $55

Note: Video contains mild profanity.

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Tags: Jazz Alley, Seattle Music, Fiendish Conversation

A Fiendish Conversation with Lucien Postlewaite

The Pacific Northwest Ballet star just gave his notice—find out what’s in his future.

Posted by: Laura Dannen and Seth Sommerfeld on Apr 12, 2012 at 09:00AM 1 Comments

Can you do that? Lucien Postlewaite holds a pose in Mark Morris’s Pacific. Photo courtesy Angela Sterling.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Can you do that? Lucien Postlewaite holds a pose in Mark Morris’s Pacific. Photo courtesy Angela Sterling.

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Postlewaite and Noelani Pantastico in Romeo et Juliette. Photo courtesy Angela Sterling.

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A perfect pair Kaori Nakamura (right) and Lucien Postlewaite dance Jiri Kylian’s Petite Mort, part of Director’s Choice. Photo courtesy Angela Sterling.

Seattle’s dance community let out a collective groan last week when PNB principal Lucien Postlewaite announced that this his final season with the ballet. In August he’ll leave Seattle to join Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, home of director-choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot, who worked with Postlewaite on a life-changing production of Roméo et Juliette in 2008. We’ve come to rely on Postlewaite to turn in emotionally charged, technically dazzling performances like clockwork, whether as a Balanchine prince or in a daring new modern commission. After nine years on stage at McCaw Hall—and two years dancing in husband Olivier Wevers’s company, Whim W’Him—his absence will be felt.

For now, Postlewaite is prepping for PNB’s double bill of Apollo and Carmina Burana, which opens on Friday (April 13), and his grande finale, June 10’s Season Encore. For our latest Fiendish Conversation, Seth Sommerfeld chatted with the dancer, who insists that this isn’t goodbye.

What roles are you dancing in Apollo and Carmina Burana?

I’m dancing Apollo, so that’s a highlight for me. In Carmina Burana, I’m dancing the Cour d’Amours, the sort of lead finale section. That’s a role I used to watch when I first joined the company and the dancers would give me chills every time. Now I’m kind of coming full circle and getting to dance this role that, when I got into the company nine years ago, I always dreamed of dancing.

How did you end up deciding to take a job with Les Ballets de Monte Carlo?

It just felt like the timing was right. Everything in my life was kind of pointing in this direction. I need a chance to reinvent myself artistically and to push myself. I have a relationship with the company over there and they were looking for dancers like me, so, of course, being wanted by another place and being asked to join is always a bit of an incentive. I’m ready for the next adventure.

What are the stylistic differences between Les Ballets de Monte Carlo and PNB that get you excited?

The director there, we mostly do his work. He’s a choreographer-director. I’m looking forward to that, because having a choreographer-director gives a really strong, clear vision for everyone and the look of a company. I’ve been really fortunate at PNB to dance all different kinds of roles—that’s one of the benefits of having a non-choreographer-director. [PNB] director Peter Boal brings in all different types of things. But I’m looking forward to having just a single, unified voice and learning how to work and dance in his style.

What is your most memorable performance during your time at PNB?

Because it’s kind of what has led me to this decision, I would say Roméo et Juliette. When we performed that, it really changed the way I danced. It changed the way I look at dance. It gave me a way to completely express every range of my emotion on stage.

You’ve also danced extensively with Whim W’Him. Do you plan to come back to dance with the company in the future?

Yeah, I’m working on that. It’s going to be a challenge to coordinate, but the director [at Monte Carlo] is trying to be flexible with letting me potentially come do some stuff with PNB as well.

Are there any up-and-coming Seattle dancers we should keep an eye on?

Andrew Bartee. He is a dancer at PNB, but also dances for Whim W’Him. He’s young—I think he’s been in the company a few years—and has an amazing maturity as an artist for his age.

What will you miss most about Seattle?

Well, everything. I’m not planning really on missing it too much though because I still feel like I will be connected to the city and I’m going to be coming back quite often. …[I’ll miss] the summers—not the winters.

Apollo and Carmina Burana
Apr 13–22, McCaw Hall, $28–$168

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Tags: PNB, Dance, McCaw Hall, Fiendish Conversation

A Fiendish Conversation with Kaylee Cole

In our new Q&A series, we chat with local artists and performers about their craft. Up next: a Seattle songwriter who loves to hug.

Posted by: Seth Sommerfeld on Mar 08, 2012 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

Image courtesy Ben Blood.

Since moving across the state from Spokane in September 2009, Kaylee Cole has become a fixture in the Seattle music scene with her powerful voice and piano skills. When she’s not working on her second LP with TV on the Radio’s guitarist/producer Dave Sitek—a three-year project that may (finally) see the light of day—she pops up everywhere. This Friday, she’ll play the late-night art party at Bellevue Arts Museum, and on March 29, she joins the Bushwick Book Club Seattle for its homage to graphic novel Watchmen. And once a month, she mans the grand piano in the back corner of Vito’s on First Hill, playing Tom Waits covers and trying out new material. People aren’t coming for the cannelloni those nights; they’re there to see Kaylee Cole.

For our latest Fiendish Conversation, we chatted with the singer-songwriter, who apologized for being a bit out of sorts because she hadn’t had her coffee yet… at 1:30 pm. (Insert jealousy of musician lifestyle here.)

You’re playing in really diverse settings of late. Is there a reason for that?

I’ve been playing with the same setup for the last four years. Playing shows like Vito’s, or playing a museum or with the Seattle Rock Orchestra, it’s more for me and the people that keep coming back to see me—so things don’t get stale. And I’m waiting on this record I’ve been working on to get done. The record is so dynamic and spacey with so many sounds—bass, drum, all that stuff I’ve never had in my music before—so until the record is done and I can begin to play those kind of shows, I’m kind of open to anything that is a non-traditional space.

What’s the status on the new record?

We’re, like, 95.7 percent finished. It’s just in the process of being mixed and mastered. Ideally, I’d like it to be out for the world by fall, before 2012 is over, because the world is going to end and CD record sales are going to go down once it’s all over.

What would you do if you weren’t a musician?

I would probably go to school to become an esthetician, which is a person that gives other people facials. I also want to learn how to be a doula, which is like a midwife but not. You don’t deliver the baby, but you’re pretty much like a midwife. I’d like to be a doula regardless of whether or not music is my job for the rest of my life, but I’d want to have kids first before I coached somebody on how to give birth to one.

What’s your preshow routine?

I always have to take a shower. I usually drink a glass of red wine. Always warm up my voice in the bathroom or greenroom beforehand. I usually keep a couple of crystals or gemstones that I like nearby and I always smudge before the show. Smudging is what Native American shamans do; it’s burning sage. ‘Cause I am one of those girls that are into that ’Shit New Age Girls Say’ phase.

How do you unwind after a show?

I hug a lot of people. I am open for compliments.

Kaylee Cole
Mar 9 after 8, BAMignite, Bellevue Arts Museum
Mar 20 & Apr 12 @ 9, Vito’s
Mar 29 with Bushwick Book Club @ 8, Chop Suey

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Tags: Bellevue Arts Museum, Seattle Music, Vito's, Fiendish Conversation

A Fiendish Conversation with Damien Jurado

In our new Q&A series, we chat with local artists and performers about their craft. Up next: Seattle’s “folk-boom godfather.”

Posted by: Seth Sommerfeld on Feb 15, 2012 at 01:00PM 0 Comments

Damien Jurado moves into psychedelic territory with new album Maraqopa.

In many ways, Seattle’s indie folk boom started with Damien Jurado. Since the mid-’90s, he’s been turning out record after record of delicate, understated folk ballads. But he’s done with that sonic realm now. His latest album, Maraqopa, acts both as a farewell to his singer-songwriter past and a step toward psychedelic fare and a fuller rock sound.

We talked to Jurado as he prepares for the Maraqopa record release show on Friday at the Neptune Theatre.

Maraqopa’s opening track (“Nothing is the News”) has such a massive sound—with psychedelic guitar reminiscent of Pink Floyd—compared to your typical work. Where did it come from?
I think the new record is progression. The first song definitely makes that known. It’s sort of a signal for a new direction I’ll be taking from here on out. I think side B is my goodbye to the whole singer-songwriter genre. I’m done with it now… [I’m] never looking back.

For years I was being lumped in with so many other singer-songwriter types. I don’t even listen to that kind of music, so why in the hell am I making records like that? It’s not that those records weren’t heartfelt, it just wasn’t really who I was. There’s no telling what kind of record I’ll make next; I think it will just surprise people. I think it’s gonna surprise me.

What’s the significance behind the album title?
Maraqopa is the name of a fictional town. I had a dream where I was seeing someone else who came upon a town in the middle of nowhere; the terrain looked like anywhere between northern Arizona and Wyoming. It’s a fictitious setting.

Do you have any pre-show routines?
The only routine I really have is to find my wife, give her a kiss, take two deep breaths and I walk on stage. Anything else would just be overthinking.

Are there any up-and-coming Seattle musicians you’re taking note of?
Bryan John Appleby, who is opening up the show for me, is a great songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Pickwick is a great band I think you’re gonna hear a lot from this year. Obviously the Head and the Heart. Kaylee Cole is another really talented songwriter. Kevin Long, he writes these lyrics that I feel are just like hurled daggers being shoved into your chest.

That’s kind of what I mean when I say I’m over the whole singer-songwriter thing. In some ways I feel like I’m passing the torch. If anything, I want to set an example. It’s not money or fame, but having a chance to inspire somebody—that’s priceless.

Damien Jurado’s Album Release Show
Special guests Gold Leaves and Bryan John Appleby
Feb 17 @ 9pm, Neptune Theatre, $15

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Tags: Concert, Neptune Theatre, Seattle Music, Fiendish Conversation

A Fiendish Conversation with Mark Siano

In our new Q&A series, we chat with local artists and performers about their craft. Up next: the Soft Rock Kid.

Posted by: Allie Oosta on Jan 17, 2012 at 12:30PM 0 Comments

Photo courtesy marxiano.com.

Comedian Mark Siano is, roughly, a quintuple threat. By day, the thirtysomething is a receptionist at a medical clinic. By night, he’s the Soft Rock Kid, mocking the hits of the ‘80s and ’90s with a troupe of backup Freedom Dancers. Or he’s crafting a Clandestine Cabaret show, or a Triple Door musical act (coming this March) called “Modern Luv,” about the perils of relationships in the texting-and-Facebook era.

Siano has developed a cult following with his music-comedy antics, but for his latest project, he’s staying offstage and playing producer to White Hot, the new psychodrama by playwright Tommy Smith. It’s a far cry from the silly fun Smith and Siano have as members of sketch troupe the Habit. Instead, tragedy unfolds onstage as a young couple’s marriage crumbles, thanks to Shakespearean-sized helpings of madness and betrayal. Siano found the show so compelling, he knew he had to be a part of it.

As we continue our new series of Fiendish Conversations, Siano tells us about the show, his busy days, and what’s up next.

What’s your preshow routine?
I work a 9-5 job, and as soon as I’m off the clock (and sometimes sooner, thanks to my uber-accommodating employers), I hit the emails, and get the word out about the show. Producing involves a lot of hanging up flyers, handing out checks, making spreadsheets, bugging people. My daily activities—mainly being a receptionist for an OB/GYN clinic where I talk to women about their problems on the phone all day—has made me a much better listener and problem solver.

How did you approach this show?
While I have produced dozens of shows over the last five years, this is the first time I have no artistic stake. I’m usually helping direct or performing on stage, but now I’m aiding someone else’s vision. [Director] Braden Abraham is a pro so I’m happy that I get to work with him. Also, this show is a drama, so instead of constantly making jokes that could be added to the script or scene, we’re making jokes to relieve ourselves from the really heavy material. The jokes are therapeutic—like a release valve.

What’s the highlight of this performance?
Great acting and a great script. I am particularly enamored with Hannah Franklin [a member of Washington Ensemble Theatre] who has the majority of the lines. She has been one of my favorite actresses to watch in Seattle the past couple of years.

What is the best performance in your field (local or touring) you’ve seen in the last year?
Tommy Smith’s Sextet at Washington [Ensemble Theatre] inspired me to do this show. I also loved Jose Bold’s December.

What local artist, performer, or producer in your field should we watch for?
Cafe Nordo is the new up-and-coming company—they’re rapidly going from small to medium to large. It’s art, food, and performance. Really groundbreaking work. Always entertaining. Always silly.

If you weren’t a performer, director, comedian, producer, etc., what else would you want to try?
I don’t know their actual title, but I’d be an Olympic event coordinator. I f*cking love the Olympics. When the US beat Russia in hockey in the 1980 Olympics, I was four years old and my dad immediately took me to the ice rink and laced up my skates. I grew up with fervent sports enthusiasm—my old world was sports.

What do you think of critics?
This sounds like a kiss-up answer, but I love critics. People get upset with a bad review, but that’s something you need to improve your game. They’re simply spreading the word—if there are people out there attending theatre, I’m happy.

White Hot
West of Lenin, Jan 20–Feb 11, $9–$18
UPDATED 1/19/12. The opening of this show has been pushed back to Friday, Jan 27.

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Tags: Fremont, Theater, Fiendish Conversation, West of Lenin

A Fiendish Conversation with Waxie Moon

In our new Q&A series, we chat with local artists and performers about their craft. Up first: the Rat King from A Burlesque Nutcracker.

Posted by: Allie Oosta on Dec 19, 2011 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

Photo: POC Photo

See this energy, and more, in Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker

Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker isn’t your little sister’s Nutcracker. There’s no little Clara, and come to think of it, no nutcracker. But for the past five years, the racy dance, shake, and jiggle of the sugar plum fairies has packed the Triple Door, where the dancers show a lot of skin, and a lot of skill. It’s one of the few “ballets” that features a man en pointe; and the aerial act—with two angels flipping through a hoop dangling from the ceiling—could compete with anything you’d see at Teatro ZinZanni.

Then there’s Waxie Moon, a self-proclaimed “gender-blending-queer-lady-boylesque-performance-art stripping sensation” who steals the show as the Rat King in a Louis XIV-style wig (a towering mess made of four regular wigs). Moon began performing boylesque in 2006—armed with an MFA in acting from the University of Washington and time spent studying ballet and modern dance at Juilliard. He’s polished and professional, and his nonstop charm demands your attention.

For the first in a new series of “Fiendish Conversations,” we chatted with Waxie about his in-season habits, the making of the Rat King, and the sexiest dancers in the country:

What’s your pre-performance routine?
I usually sleep in because I’ve been performing the night before. I watch something silly like Modern Family. An enormous lunch, shower, and shave. Meditate for five minutes. Seven sun salutations. Walk to the theatre. An hour doing makeup, because I like the elaborate makeup. That’s how I find the character, because the mask helps me find it. Warm up. Throw on my costume. Three deep breaths.

How did you approach this season’s Rat King?
At this point, the Rat King is deeply known to me, because I’ve been this character for a while. I can relax and be spontaneous now. And when I put on that Louis XIV wig, I feel fiery and ridiculous.

What’s the highlight of this year’s performance?
The opening act—the snowstorm. It has a touch of Rockettes, a touch of classic Christmas, as well as bump and grind. Plus, it actually snows.

What is the best performance (local or touring) you’ve seen in the last year?
This group of extraordinary boylesque performers from Chicago called the Stage Door Johnnies. There are three of them. Their sense of humor is awesome. Sexy, sexy, sexy. … They reinvigorate me for this form.

What local artist in your field should we watch for?
Inga Ingenue. I have the pleasure of performing with her in the pop dance trio Dance Belt. She’s also a great solo performer. One of the best burlesque performers in the world right now. My father is in love with her.

If you weren’t a performer, what else would you want to do?
Long pause …There’s nothing else.

How/where do you unwind after a show?
In my apartment, with my cat, Charlie.

What do you think about critics?
I really appreciate thoughtful dialogue about any art form—so as long as it’s thoughtful, I welcome it.

Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker is at the Triple Door thru Dec 24. Tickets are $28–$45. The feature film “Waxie Moon in Fallen Jewel” will make its regional premiere this October at the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

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Tags: Burlesque, Christmas 2011, Fiendish Conversation