From Supertramp to Seinfeld: Session guitar legend Carl Verheyen heads to Seattle’s Triple Door

Carl Verheyen has been the guitar behind some of the most recognizable music in movies, television, and rock ‘n’ roll for more than four decades. On Friday, he brings his five-piece band to the Triple Door for a 7:30 p.m. show that he says will showcase the full range of a career spent moving between orchestral scoring sessions, arena tours, and smoky blues clubs.

Verheyen, who served as Supertramp’s lead guitarist for more than three decades, has been named one of the world’s top 10 guitarists by Guitar Magazine and one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time by Classic Rock Magazine. As a first-call Los Angeles session musician, his playing appears on the soundtracks of films including “Star Trek,” “The Usual Suspects” and “Ratatouille,” and on television series such as “Seinfeld,” “Frasier,” and “Cheers.”

But it’s live performance, and Seattle in particular, that lights him up

“The Triple Door is one of the best-sounding rooms,” Verheyen told “Seattle’s Morning News.” “I think it’s because it’s probably an old theater, so it seems to be built for sound. The crew there is amazing. I’ve actually shot video in there to use for promotion all over the world.”

He paused, then added: “I love the TD. Great people, great food.”

Verheyen, a Pasadena native, has also performed across the street at Benaroya Hall alongside Stewart Copeland of the Police in “Police Deranged for Orchestra,” a project that pairs Copeland, Verheyen, a bass player, and three singers with a full symphony orchestra to reimagine Police songs.

“We sold that place out,” he said.

That kind of versatility — pivoting from a 105-piece orchestra to a rock club in the same week — is what has defined Verheyen’s career. He described his approach to studio work the way a tradesman might describe a house call.

“I’m kind of like a plumber,” he said. “I look under your sink, and I go, ‘Yeah, I’m going to need an elbow and a quarter-inch and a street L. I need a pipe wrench, and I’m going to need the tape.’ It’s the same thing. I’m going to need to sound like ZZ Top. I’m going to need that guitar, that amplifier, that mentality.”

He recalled a session for the film “Walking Tall” that called for a Billy Gibbons tone.

“That’s a Les Paul guitar through a Fender Champ amp. Pinch harmonics. The Texas shuffle, which is different than the Chicago shuffle,” he said. “I can do that because I’m a fan.”

Friday’s show features a lineup of veteran musicians: bassist Dave Marotta, whose credits include Phil Collins and Burt Bacharach; drummer John Mader, who has backed Bonnie Raitt and John Fogerty; and keyboardist-guitarist Troy Dexter. Vocalist Hollye Dexter rounds out the group, adding four-part harmonies that Verheyen said transformed the band’s sound after she sat in during a gig in Austria about three years ago.

“I gave her a harmony part, and she sat in with us,” Verheyen said. “I said, ‘Wait a minute, why aren’t you in this band?’ Three months later, she joined.”

The addition, he said, pushed him to become a better singer and shifted the band’s focus from guitar-driven instrumental showcases to song-centered performances.

“Instead of this guitar-raging fusion shredding band, it’s now really great for all ages,” he said. “I learned a lot from Supertramp. There’s a spirit to the music that’s uplifting, and that’s what I want to bring across.”

Tickets are $30 general admission and $35 premium. The Triple Door is at 216 Union St. in downtown Seattle. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Manda Factor is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here. 

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