Wikipedia

The Dresden Dolls

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by SmackBot (talk | contribs) at 16:02, 2 July 2007 (Date/fix the maintenance tags or gen fixes). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
This article is about the American alternative band. For the song by The Fall, see Live at the Witch Trials.

The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2001, the group consists of Amanda Palmer (vocals, piano) and Brian Viglione (drums, guitar, back-up vocals). They describe their style as "Brechtian punk cabaret", a phrase invented by Palmer because she was "terrified" that the press would invent a name that "would involve the word gothic,"[1] and are part of an underground dark cabaret movement that started gaining momentum in the early 1990s.

The Dresden Dolls

Career

The duo formed shortly after Brian Viglione witnessed Amanda Palmer performing a solo at a Halloween party. Their live performances soon gained them a cult following. During these performances the two band members often wear dramatic make-up and fancy clothing which push their cabaret/theater aesthetic. They encourage fans to become involved at their shows, with the fan's own performance art, varying from stilt walking, living statues, fire breathers, et al. The Dirty Business Brigade coordinates the fans' performances.[2] The duo has secured a loyal fanbase.

The name, according to Palmer, was "inspired by a combination of things", including the firebombing of Dresden, Germany and the porcelain dolls which were a hallmark of pre-war Dresden industry; an early song of the same name by The Fall; and a reference to the V.C. Andrews novel Flowers in the Attic where the classically blond and blue-eyed protagonists are called "the Dresden dolls." The name also evokes Weimar Germany and its cabaret culture. Additionally, she "liked the parallel between Dresden (destruction) and Dolls (innocence, delicacy), because it is very much in keeping with the dynamics of the music, which sometimes goes from a childlike whisper to a banshee scream within a few seconds."[3]

The duo was featured in a webcast performance at the 2002 Ig Nobel Prize ceremony in Cambridge, MA.[4] After a self-promoted demo, their first release was the mostly live compilation A Is for Accident (Important Records), followed in 2004 by a self-titled debut produced and recorded by Martin Bisi (Swans, Sonic Youth) at The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Two songs off the album ranked in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2004, "Girl Anachronism" at #30 and "Coin-Operated Boy" at #12. In 2003 they were crowned the winners of Boston's long-running WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble.

On October 6 2005 The Dresden Dolls were interviewed by the subject of one of their songs, Christopher Lydon, on the radio show Open Source.[5]

In March 2005, the duo supported Nine Inch Nails on tour. On June 5 2005, The Dresden Dolls hosted a free concert at the Paradise Club in Boston. When a power outage unexpectedly delayed their performance, city streets became a temporary stage for some of the many performers (living statues, stilt-walkers, and fire-breathers) who had come from across the world to entertain audiences. The entire event—both concert and street performances—was filmed and the resulting DVD, Paradise, was released on November 22 2005.[6] The Dresden Dolls latest album, Yes, Virginia, was released on April 18 2006.[7] Over the summer, the duo performed at South by Southwest, Bonnaroo, Britain's Reading and Leeds Festivals, and Lollapalooza, in addition touring with the rock band Panic! at the Disco as their opening act.

In June 2006, the Dresden Dolls Companion,[8] was published by Amanda Palmer. In it she has written a history of the album The Dresden Dolls and of the duo, as well as a partial autobiography. The book also contains the lyrics, sheet music, and notes on each song in the album.

On August 17 2006, the East Providence Community Theatre in East Providence, Rhode Island premiered a full-length fan-written musical titled The Clockwork Waltz, featuring songs from the Dresden Dolls' three albums. The show was encouraged by the band and their management.

In December 2006 and January 2007, the music of The Dresden Dolls was featured in an original production, The Onion Cellar, at the American Repertory Theatre's Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[9][10] The play is co-authored by duo member Amanda Palmer, from her original concept.

From January 14 2007 to June 7 2007, the duo was on a temporary hiatus. Amanda Palmer worked on the solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer, and Brian Viglione toured with Boston-based HUMANWINE.[11]

In June 2007, they toured with the True Colors Tour 2007,[12] including their debut in New York City's Radio City Music Hall,[13] and their first review in the New York Times.[13]

Discography[14]

Albums

Singles

Compilations

DVDs

See also

Trivia

  • In July 2005, the Internet Sketch Comedy Show Moron Life released their parody of "Coin Operated Boy" entitled "Beer Activated Girl" to the delight of both Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione.
  • Although their biography of the band states otherwise, both Palmer and Viglione have admitted that they met the day before Halloween, not the night of.[citation needed]
  • Throughout some of 2003, the band experimented with two other members, a guitarist and a bassist.
  • Their current "merch-girl", Laura, is the sister of ex-Rasputina cellist Zoë Keating.
  • The band often use burlesque performers in their shows.
  • They are considered to be an LGBT musical group. [15]

Notes

  1. ^ Deborah Speer (2006-04-03). "The Dresden Dolls". Pollstar. Retrieved 2006-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ http://www.thedirtybusinessbrigade.net/
  3. ^ Peck, Stacey (n.d.). "Undressing The Dresden Dolls". Newbury Comics. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
  4. ^ http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2002/1004/3
  5. ^ "Open Source » Blog Archive » The Dresden Dolls". Open Source Media, Inc. 2005-10-06. Retrieved 2006-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ BillH (2005-09-25). "Update on The Dresden Dolls "Paradise" DVD Pre-Ord". Retrieved 2006-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Amanda Palmer (2005-09-08). "Out of the Closet and into the Studio".
  8. ^ Dresden Dolls Companion, by Amanda Palmer, eight foot music publishing, June, 2006, ISBN 157560888X ISBN13 978-1575608884
  9. ^ http://amrep.org/onion/
  10. ^ "Dresden Dolls take the ART". The Phoenix Media/Communications Group. 2005-04-20. Retrieved 2006-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ http://www.humanwine.org/
  12. ^ http://www.truecolorstour.com/
  13. ^ a b http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/arts/music/20true.html?8dpc
  14. ^ a much fuller discography can be found at http://www.dresden-dolls.de/disco.htm
  15. ^ http://www.gaylinkcontent.com/prdetail.cfm?id=11589
 
Wikiquote has quotations related to The Dresden Dolls.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Dresden Dolls.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Dresden_Dolls&oldid=142031129"