dresden dolls

The Dresden Dolls are a two-piece band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed mid-2000 and made up of singer/pianist Amanda Palmer and drummer/occasional guitarist and vocalist Brian Viglione. They describe their style as "Brechtian punk cabaret", and have exposed an underground dark cabaret movement that started gaining momentum in the early 90's with artists like Salon Betty and Gavin Friday.

History

The band formed shortly after Brian Viglione witnessed Amanda Palmer performing a solo set at a Halloween party. They found a cult following through the efforts of their dramatic live performances. During these performances the two band members often wear make-up and clothing which push their cabaret/theater aesthetic. They encourage fans to become involved at their shows.

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 prewar 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."^[1]

The band was featured in a webcast performance at the 2002 Ig Nobel Prize ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After a self-produced demo, their first release was the mostly live compilation A Is for Accident (Important Records), followed in 2004 by a self-titled debut produced by Martin Bisi (Swans, Sonic Youth). 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.^[2]

In March 2005, they supported Nine Inch Nails on tour. On June 5, 2005, The Dresden Dolls hosted a free concert at the Paradise Rock 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.^[3]

The Dresden Dolls latest album, Yes, Virginia, was released on April 18, 2006.[1]. Over the summer, the band performed at South by Southwest, Bonnaroo, Britain's Reading and Leeds Festivals, Lollapalooza, in addition to winning the coveted opening act spot for pop-punk heart throbs, Panic! At the Disco. Though the reception was less than laudatory, the band toured with Panic! At the Disco from June 27th through August 2nd -- all the while balancing their their own "celluloid vaudeville" show, Fuck The Back Row[2] each and every stop on the Panic! tour. Though according to Palmer's own blog, the tour was quite hellish, the band was able to create the video for "Backstabber" which has become a huge hit on the video-sharing site YouTube.

BACKSTABBER: The Dresden Dolls vs. Panic! At The Disco

Midway through the tour, DD's Amanda Palmer had a revelation, "Why not make a video with these guys? They're here, they're bored like we are, they're hilarious." She shared in her online blog. "We aren't making a 'real' video for our next single,' She proclaimed. "'What's more real than this?' We keep asking. Nothing."[3]

"It's not something that's going to be an official release to go to MTV, it's just that we were on tour with them and they came up with this idea to kind of do a funny thing." Panic! At the Disco's drummer, Spencer Smith, recently told online publication, Undercover. "It was just something that we were having fun doing at the time while being on tour and just something I guess for the fans of either of our bands to kinda see. It's just a fun bonus thing."[4]

"People are just arrogant and ignorant." Panic! frontman Brendon Urie told dose.ca midway into the tour regarding inspiration for the video. "We're actually going to make a movie with The Dresden Dolls about that one thing [the fans fighting] to kind of poke fun at our fans for not being nice to each other."[5]

The video is currently featured on YouTube[6].

Future Plans

In December 2006, The Dresden Dolls will be featured in an original production, The Onion Cellar, at the Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ^[4]

Discography

Albums

EPs

• “The Dresden Dolls” (Self Released CD-R, 2001)
• “A is for Accident” (Important Records CD, 2003)
• “A is for Accident (reissue)” (8ft. Records CD, 2004)
• “The Dresden Dolls” (8ft. Records CD, 2004)
• “Yes Virginia” (Roadrunner Records CD, 2006)

Singles

• "Good Day" (7" Vinyl) (Important Records, 2003)
• "Girl Anachronism" (Roadrunner, 2004)
• "Coin-Operated Boy" (Roadrunner, 2004)
• "Sing" (Roadrunner, 2006)
• "Backstabber" (Roadrunner, 2006)

Compilations

• "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" (cover) on album High School Reunion (American Laundromat Records and Face Down Records, 2005)
• "Life on Mars" (cover) on album 2. CONTAMINATION: A Tribute to David Bowie (FTC Records, 2006)
• "A Night At The Roses" on album A Users Guide To The First 100 Important Records Releases (Important Records, 2006)

DVDs

• The Dresden Dolls: Live in Paradise (DVD) (Roadrunner Records/8ft Records 2005)

See also

• Klaus Nomi
• Salon Betty
• Gavin Friday
• Nina Hagen

Trivia

• The term Brechtian Punk Cabaret for their musical style was invented by Palmer because she was "terrified" that the press would label them with something that "would involve the word 'gothic.'".^[5]
• In July of 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.

References

1. ^ Peck, Stacey (n.d.). Undressing The Dresden Dolls. Newbury Comics. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
2. ^ Open Source » Blog Archive » The Dresden Dolls. Open Source Media, Inc. (2005-10-06). Retrieved on 2006-08-21.
3. ^ BillH (2005-09-25). Update on The Dresden Dolls "Paradise" DVD Pre-Ord. Retrieved on 2006-08-21.
4. ^ Dresden Dolls take the ART. The Phoenix Media/Communications Group (2005-04-20). Retrieved on 2006-08-21.
5. ^ Deborah Speer (2006-04-03). The Dresden Dolls. Pollstar. Retrieved on 2006-08-21.

External links

• Official website
• The Dresden Dolls Diary
• The Dresden Dolls on MySpace
• The Official Dresden Dolls YouTube Channel
• The Dresden Dolls on MindViz
• The Dresden Dolls on purevolume
• The Dresden Dolls on TagWorld
• The "Official" Dresden Dolls Livejournal Fan Community
• The Shadowbox - Official Dresden Dolls Community Forum
• Automatic Joy - Dresden Dolls Mp3 downloading site, including unreleased songs and live shows
• The Dirty Business Brigade
• Kopydlow - Discography, including pictures
• The Dresden Dolls UK
• Ten Questions with Amanda Palmer
• First interview with Aural Minority
• Second interview with Aural Minority
• Punk Cabaret
• The Dresden Dolls at Discogs.com
• AllMusic.com info on Dresden Dolls
• The Dresden Dolls : Das Punk Cabaret
• The Dresden Dolls at MusicBrainz
• The Dresden Dolls Lyrics
• Dresden Dolls Photos
• Live Photos
• Dresden Dolls Album Reviews
• The Dresden Dolls Livejournal Australian Fan Community
• Yahoo Sheet Music Group
• Interview with the Dresden dolls on MusicTowers.com