The Dresden Dolls

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the American alternative band. For the nineteenth century German-made doll, see dresden doll. For the song by The Fall, see Live at the Witch Trials.
The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls: Amanda Palmer (left) and Brian Viglione (right)
The Dresden Dolls: Amanda Palmer (left) and Brian Viglione (right)
Background information
Origin Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Genre(s) Alternative rock, dark cabaret
Years active 2000–present
Website Official website
Members
Amanda Palmer
Brian Viglione

The Dresden Dolls[1] are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2001, the group consists of Amanda Palmer (vocals, piano, harmonica, ukelele) and Brian Viglione (drums, percussion, guitar, vocals). The two 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."[2] The Dresden Dolls are part of an underground dark cabaret movement that started gaining momentum in the early 1990s.

Contents

[edit] Career

The duo formed the day after Brian Viglione witnessed Amanda Palmer perform solo at a Halloween party in 2000. 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 fans' own stilt walking, living statues, fire breathers and other performance art becoming an integral part of the show. The Dirty Business Brigade coordinates the fans' performances.[3]

The band's first name, which was used until early 2001, was Out of Arms. At some point, the name became The Dresden Dolls. 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."[4]

The duo was featured in a webcast performance at the 2002 Ig Nobel Prize ceremony in Cambridge, MA.[5] After a self-promoted demo recorded and released in 2001, their first release was the mostly live compilation A Is for Accident (Important Records), followed in 2003 by a self-titled debut produced and recorded by Martin Bisi (Swans, Sonic Youth) at The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The album features fellow Boston-area musicians Ad Frank (guitar on "Good Day") and Shawn Setaro (bass on "Good Day", "Gravity" and "Jeep Song")[6]. Two songs off the album ranked in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2004, "Girl Anachronism" at #30 and "Coin-Operated Boy" at #12.[7] 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.[8]

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, Live: In Paradise, was released in Europe on Oct. 10, 2005 and in North America on November 22, 2005, shortly after the band's Fall 2005 tour.[9]

The Dresden Dolls' second studio album, Yes, Virginia..., was released on April 18, 2006.[10] Over the summer of that year, 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. During the support tour, the band presented "Fuck the Back Row - A Night of Celluloid Vaudeville". The events consisted of screenings of short films from friends and fans, performances by local artists, and a solo show by Palmer who performed mostly cover songs inspired from film soundtracks.[11]

In June 2006, the Dresden Dolls Companion[12] was released by Amanda Palmer. The book contains a history of the band and their first album - The Dresden Dolls - as well as a partial autobiography. The book also contains the lyrics, sheet music, and notes on each song on the album, as well as a DVD featuring a 20 minute interview with Palmer about the origins of the band and the first LP. The interview was conducted by a friend while Amanda compiled the artwork for the first LP.

On August 16, 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.[13]

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.[14][15] The play is co-authored by duo member Amanda Palmer, from her original concept.

On January 14, 2007, the duo took a temporary hiatus. Palmer worked on her solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, while Brian Viglione toured with Boston-based HUMANWINE[16] and other local Boston acts, along with touring with Jesse Malin and offering drum clinics.

In June 2007, they joined the True Colors Tour 2007,[17] including their debut in New York City's Radio City Music Hall,[18] and their first review in the New York Times.[18]

On July 10th, 2007, the DVD, Live at the Roundhouse, was released in the U.S.

From December 27, 2007 to January 13, 2008 they had their Winter Tour, starting at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC, and ending at The Norva in Norfolk, VA.[19]

On January 15, they entered the studio to record new material for their fourth album, No, Virginia.... Released on May 20, 2008, it is a collection of b-sides and rarities, along with new recordings of old favorites and cover songs that were previously only available as live versions. The album has spawned a single, "Night Reconnaissance".

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] EPs, live albums and compilations

[edit] Singles

[edit] Miscellaneous

  • "Coin-Operated Boy" on album A Dark Cabaret (Projekt Records) (2005)
  • "Coin-Operated Boy" on album Triple J Hottest 100, Volume 12 (2005)
  • "Coin-Operated Boy" on album Krock2 (2005)
  • "Pretty in Pink" (Psychedelic Furs cover) on album High School Reunion (2005)
  • "Life on Mars" (David Bowie cover) on album 2. CONTAMINATION: A Tribute to David Bowie [Failure To Communicate Records] (2005)
  • "A Night at the Roses" on album A Users Guide to The First 100 Important Records Releases (2005)

[edit] DVDs

[edit] Music videos

Note: Clicking on the link leads to YouTube presentation of music video.

Video Album Recorded in Director Link
"Good Day" The Dresden Dolls 2003 - YouTube video
"Girl Anachronism" The Dresden Dolls 2003 Michael Pope YouTube video
"Coin-Operated Boy" The Dresden Dolls 2004 Michael Pope YouTube video
"Sing (The Alternate Cut)" Yes, Virginia... 2006 Michael Pope YouTube video
"Sing (Chapter II / Original)" Yes, Virginia... 2006 Michael Pope YouTube video
"Backstabber" Yes, Virginia... 2006 Michael Pope YouTube video
"Backstabber: The Dresden Dolls vs. Panic! at the Disco" Yes, Virginia... 2006 Michael Pope YouTube video
"Shores of California" Yes, Virginia... 2007 Andrew Bennett YouTube video
"Night Reconnaissance" No, Virginia... 2008 Michael Pope YouTube video

[edit] Awards and Honors

[edit] See also

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Band Tries to Make It Big Without Going Broke". interview by Chris Arnold. All Things Considered. National Public Radio. 2007-01-17. The web page has audio and a transcript of the interview, and links to several of their songs.
  2. ^ Speer, Deborah (April 03, 2006). The Dresden Dolls. Pollstar. Retrieved on 21 Aug 2006.
  3. ^ Dirty Business Brigade web site.
  4. ^ Peck, Stacey (n.d.). Undressing The Dresden Dolls. Newbury Comics. Retrieved on 12 Sep 2006.
  5. ^ "Not-so-Nobel Laureates" (4 October 2002). ScienceNOW 4 (3). Washington, DC: 2007 American Association for the Advancement of Science. 
  6. ^ See album liner notes.
  7. ^ Hottest 100 2004. Triple J. Retrieved on 11 Jun 2007.
  8. ^ Open Source » Blog Archive » The Dresden Dolls. Open Source Media, Inc. (October 6, 2005). Retrieved on 21 Aug 2006.
  9. ^ Bill H. (September 25, 2005). Update on The Dresden Dolls "Paradise" DVD Pre-Ord. Retrieved on 21 Aug 2006.
  10. ^ Amanda Palmer (2005-09-08). Out of the Closet and into the Studio. Retrieved on 16 Dec 2007.
  11. ^ The Dresden Dolls (2007-11-27). Fuck the Back Row. Retrieved on 16 Dec 2007.
  12. ^ Dresden Dolls Companion, by Amanda Palmer, eight foot music publishing, June, 2006, ISBN 157560888X ISBN 978-1575608884
  13. ^ The Clockwork Waltz. web site of the East Providence Community Theatre. East Providence Community Theatre (August 2006). Retrieved on 7 Dec 2007. “The Clockwork Waltz is an original concept and story, based on and including thirteen songs written by Boston-based punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls. The story is that of a school aged girl named Amanda, living with her overworked single mother, Jill. At first, Amanda seems like a typical girl with typical problems... but a freak accident at her doctor’s office starts to turn her life upside-down, inside-out, and sideways.”
  14. ^ THE ONION CELLAR. Web site of the American Repertory Theatre. American Repertory Theatre. Retrieved on 3 Dec 2007. “Inside the small confines of the mysterious club The Onion Cellar, the internationally renowned rock duo The Dresden Dolls provides nightly entertainment while a series of stories unfold around them. As singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Amanda Palmer and drummer Brian Viglione play their songs, the Onion Cellar becomes a space where rock and roll meets cabaret with humor and humanity.” World Premiere.
  15. ^ On The Download editors; photo by Kelly Davidson (2005-04-20). Dresden Dolls take the ART. On The Download. The Phoenix Media/Communications Group. Retrieved on 21 Aug 2006. “The Dresden Dolls are taking the world by storm. This punk cabaret duo from Boston are incredible musicians whose smart, personal, intricate songs and mesmerizing live performance have earned them a cult following. Now don't tell anyone, but there's a rumor that the Dolls may be appearing at a bizarre underground club somewhere in Cambridge – an Onion Cellar, where the audience peel onions for emotional release, where you never quite know who's sitting next to you, where your life could change forever.”
  16. ^ HUMANWINE web site.
  17. ^ True Colors Tour web site.
  18. ^ a b Chinen, Nate; photos by Hiroyuki Ito. "Power to the People (and Some Pop Too)", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, June 20, 2007, pp. B1,B5. 
  19. ^ The Dresden Dolls Show History
  20. ^ The Dresden Dolls. ThoughtWorthy Media, Inc.. Retrieved on 7 Dec 2007. “In the 2005 WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll The Dresden Dolls won Best Local Act and Best Local Album. Amanda Palmer also won Best Female Vocalist.”


v • d • e
The Dresden Dolls
Amanda Palmer · Brian Viglione
Studio albums
Live and compilation albums
EPs
DVDs
Singles
Related articles