Photo by Joshua Lawton

F0506TRILOGY10_K.jpg CMYK Trilogy co-owners and sisters from left Jessica, Jill and Jennifer Emich have sold the business and are moving in a new direction. Photo by Joshua Lawton / Camera / May 2, 2008 F0506TRILOGY10_K.jpg

HELP CELEBRATE

WHAT: Trilogy's blow-out bash

WHEN: Saturday at 9 p.m.

WHERE: Trilogy Wine Bar, 2017 13th St.

HOW MUCH: $6

ON THE WEB: www.trilogywinebar.com

Trilogy will host a final Troubadour's Night on Sunday at 7 p.m., free. There will aslo be a final electronica night on Wednesday for $5.

The Trilogy triplets still remember the night that celebrity musician John Mayer was directly escorted by the police from Red Rocks to their club, hung out in their wine room, and performed a special benefit show at the venue.

It was all in a day's work for Jill, Jennifer and Jessica Emich. The three sisters had a wild eight-year ride as they operated Trilogy Wine Bar & Lounge -- one of the most successful downtown entertainment establishments and restaurants that Boulder has embraced. Viewing their venue as a multi-faceted building, the girls operated a restaurant, a bar, a front-room DJ scene, and a back room music venue that launched the careers of local and national musicians.

Saturday, the girls will host one last blow-out bash at Trilogy, as they get ready to say farewell to their venue. Not to worry, the building won't be empty for long. The Trilogy triplets handpicked new owner Betsy Workman to bring her b.side Lounge to the venue site.

"Selling Trilogy happened so quickly," said Trilogy booking agent/owner Jill Emich. "Now that everything's going through, we're really excited. We'll have owned and operated Trilogy for eight years. We got it when the place was pretty run-down and we built the venue from the ground up."

Trilogy had several components that drew in local crowds. The club was known for its front room, where the triplets operated a successful restaurant and bar. The dining area also played host to DJs and was often packed with Boulderites dancing to the progressive beats.

The back room of Trilogy was where the real action occurred. Jill made it a habit to book up-and-coming local acts to her club. Boulder bands MFA and spin-off projects by acts like String Cheese Incident could be found honing their craft in the Trilogy back room.

The club also brought in national music acts that were on the rise. The intimate back room allowed the John Butler Trio, Matisyahu, Brandi Carlile, The Thrills, Jet and Rachel Yamagata to break into the Boulder music market.

"It was exciting to bring in all these local and national bands," said Jill. "I learned as I went. There were so many local musicians we had play here - MFA, Sambadende and Gregory Alan Isakov. We brought in lots of national acts, too. Brandi Carlile played here before she made it big. Ray LaMontagne and Matisyahu played here before people really knew who they were."

Jill feels Trilogy helped bring music to Boulder that wasn't being featured in other local clubs. The venue hosted a long-running Salsa Night, featured electronica dance nights, and offered reggae parties.

Trilogy also became known for its national celebrity sightings. In the club's early days, actor Don Johnson (the original "Miami Vice") and one of his female co-stars were spotted hanging out at Trilogy's front bar. Ben Harper and Michael Franti (Spearhead) have also been known to stop by the popular downtown club.

However, Jill says one of her best memories of Trilogy was the night she got to hang out with musician/celeb John Mayer.

"I have a lot of great memories of Trilogy - it was never boring here," said Jill. "One of my favorite moments was when John Mayer played here. He had played Red Rocks and he had a police escort all the way to Trilogy! He hung out in Trilogy's dry storage room and he was checking out all the wines. Then he performed a benefit that went to help kids. It was so great, we had wine and talked - and then he played for two hours!"

While they had lots if fun, the Emich sisters logged in many hours at Trilogy. Eventually, the girls decided they wanted to expand their horizons and free up their time. The sisters developed the Trilogy Catering and Event company and decided to pursue other health-conscious projects.

The Trilogy triplets finally made the decision to sell their venue and decided to change the name of their operations to Blissful Sisters Organic Catering. The girls also plan to work with women's holistic retreats and work in the field of natural nutrition.

"It was hard and very traumatic to make the decision to sell Trilogy," explained Jill. "We've actually been thinking about selling Trilogy for the past year. We had some interest -- some people wanted to knock down the place and put up a chain! We had a hard time with that. Then we met Betsy Workman -- she had an event here. We had a great conversation and realized that she wanted to operate this space with a similar concept."

Workman will take over operations at Trilogy next week, but she will dub her new club the b.side Lounge. The new room will officially open May 26 and Jill said she's thrilled with the quick transition.

"Betsy had the right attitude and energy, and Boulder really needs to keep a concept like this downtown," said Emich. "She's had experience running teahouses, but this is her first club experience. I think she will be great. It sounds like the new club will have a similar vibe with small plates and live music."

Workman is also pleased to be operating her dream club in the former Trilogy location. The new club owner has lived in Boulder for the past seven years and has worked in a variety of food businesses. Now, she's ready to bring that experience to the b.side Lounge.

"I had the idea for the b.side Lounge a year ago," said Workman. "I developed this business plan and in March I was approached by the Trilogy sisters. It felt right. This is something I want to further develop - the sisters have developed a really great tradition."

Workman says she wants the b.side Lounge to be a "hip, chill place" that will attract locals. The restaurant area of the venue will serve up small plates of appetizing food and offer happy hours that will start earlier in the day.

The new club owner also has plans to provide a full schedule of live music and dance nights at the new b.side Lounge. And, the venue is already booked through the summer!

"We're going to continue to do DJs in the front," said Workman. "I'd love to continue to bring in local and national talent, so there's something for everyone. We're also going to give the backroom a 'face-lift' and work on the light fixtures and change the colors on the walls. The b.side Lounge will still have the same vibe."

The b.side Lounge's back room already has some hot acts booked for its opening week. The Motet Trio will help open the venue on May 26, and national indie rockers The Whigs are set to play the club May 29. The b.side Lounge will also work with the Fox Theatre to book select national acts.

However, this weekend belongs to the Trilogy Triplets. Saturday some of the triplets' favorite local acts will be playing a blow-out bash at the club. The roster will feature DJs, Roots and Fire Massive, Sambadende and members of Cabaret Diosa.

"We're happy with our move on," said Emich. "It will give us the chance to spread our wings. We started this club when we were 25 and now we're 33. There are so many emotions about leaving Trilogy with being here a long time. I do feel sad -- we've had so many good times, but we're excited to see what the future holds."