This article is about the musician-artist-author. For the TV journalist, see Amanda Palmer (journalist).
Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer in 2008
Amanda Palmer in 2008
Background information
Birth name Amanda MacKinnon Palmer
Born April 30, 1976 (1976-04-30) (age 32)
Origin New York City, NY (born) / Lexington, Massachusetts (raised)
Genre(s) Alternative rock
Punk rock
Dark Cabaret
Occupation(s) Artist, Performer, Musician, Songwriter
Instrument(s) Voice, Keyboard, Piano, Ukulele
Years active 1994 - Present
Associated acts The Dresden Dolls
Evelyn Evelyn
Website http://amandapalmer.net

Amanda MacKinnon Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is a performer most noted for being the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the "Brechtian punk cabaret" duo The Dresden Dolls.[1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Palmer grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts. She attended Lexington High School, where she was heavily involved in the drama department, and received her B.A. from Wesleyan University. She worked for some time at an ice cream shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts called Toscanini's. She staged performances based on work by the Legendary Pink Dots, an early influence, and was involved in the Legendary Pink Dots electronic mailing list, Cloud Zero. She then formed the Shadowbox Collective, devoted to putting on theatrical shows (such as the 2002 play, Hotel Blanc,[2] which she directed) and street theatre, and busked as a living statue called "The Eight Foot Bride" in Harvard Square as well as in many other locations. She references this line of work on The Dresden Dolls' self-titled CD, with the song "The Perfect Fit":

"I can paint my face
And stand very, very still
It's not very practical
But it still pays the bills"

as well as on the A is for Accident track "Glass Slipper":

"I give out flowers
To curious strangers
who throw dollars at my feet."

A group of white-painted living statues appears in the music video to the single "Sing" from the Dresden Dolls' album Yes, Virginia....

Despite the fact that Palmer never learned to read music (though she briefly took lessons at two different times), she started a solo effort, appropriately named "Amanda Palmer and the Void."

[edit] The Dresden Dolls

In October 2000, Palmer met drummer Brian Viglione and together they formed the Dresden Dolls. In an effort to expand the performance experience and interactivity, Palmer began inviting Lexington High School students to perform drama pieces at her live shows. Currently, the Dirty Business Brigade, a troupe of seasoned and new artists, perform at many gigs. The invited costumed characters mingle with the crowd before and during the show, and veteran groups sometimes join in with a choreographed stage act. Life-sized marionettes, coin-operated boys, living statues, and other undergroundlings greet fans while circus and burlesque draw the audience into the Dolls' music, creating a participatory atmosphere that allows the audience to experience numerous types of art simultaneously.

In 2006, the Dresden Dolls Companion,[3] was published, with "words, music & artwork" by Amanda Palmer.[3] 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, all written by her, as well as a DVD with a 20 minute interview of Amanda about making the book.

In June 2007, as part of the Dresden Dolls, she toured with the True Colors Tour 2007,[4] including her debut in New York City's Radio City Music Hall,[5] and her first review in the New York Times.[5]

July 2008 saw the release of the second Dresden Dolls book, the Virginia Companion.[6] It is a follow-up to the Dresden Dolls Companion, featuring the music and lyrics from the Yes, Virginia... and No, Virginia... albums.

[edit] Amanda Palmer and the Onion Cellar

Palmer conceived a musical, The Onion Cellar, which the Dresden Dolls performed in conjunction with the American Repertory Theatre at the Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from December 9, 2006 to January 13, 2007.[7][8]

[edit] Solo career

Palmer's solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, was released on 16 September 2008.[9] Ben Folds produced and also played on the album.[10][11] The title is a play on an expression used by fans during Twin Peaks' original run, "Who killed Laura Palmer?"

“I think for a long time I felt like I had to scream to get my point across until I finally realized maybe that’s not the best way,” said Palmer in an article in Venus Zine.

In July 2007, Amanda played three sold out shows (Boston, Hoboken, and NYC) in rare "with band" performances. Her backing band was Boston alternative rock group Aberdeen City, who also opened along with Dixie Dirt.

In August 2007, Amanda traveled to perform in the Spiegeltent and other venues at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, and also performed on BBC 2's The Edinburgh Show. She collaborated with Australian theater company, "The Danger Ensemble"; both again appeared at the Spiegeltent in Melbourne and at other venues around Australia in December 2007.

In September 2007 Amanda collaborated with Jason Webley to release Evelyn Evelyn's debut EP "Elephant Elephant" via Jason's Eleven Records.

In June 2008, Amanda established her solo career with two well-received performances with the Boston Pops.[12][13][14]

She has amassed an online following of over 60,000 people.[15]

[edit] Personal life

Amanda Palmer performing with The Dresden Dolls at Kings Arms Tavern in Auckland, New Zealand, September 2004
Amanda Palmer performing with The Dresden Dolls at Kings Arms Tavern in Auckland, New Zealand, September 2004

Amanda's residence in Boston, the Cloud Club, was the subject of a 2006 Documentary on the Boston Channel website as well as YouTube.

Amanda practices meditation and has written an article Melody vs. Meditation,[16] for the Buddhist Publication Shambhala Sun on the struggle between being a songwriter and being able to clear one's mind in order to meditate.

She identifies as bisexual.[17] "I'm bisexual, but it's not the sort of thing I spent a lot of time thinking about," Palmer said. "I've slept with girls; I've slept with guys, so I guess that's what they call it! I'm not anti trying to use language to simplify our lives."[18] "I actually tend to like really femmey girls," Palmer said. "You can deconstruct this with armchair psychology and really nail me, but I like girls about my body type and about my mix of masculine and feminine."[19]

[edit] Awards and honors

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] As a solo artist

[edit] As part of The Dresden Dolls

[edit] Collaborations

[edit] Cameo appearances

  • '"Let Me Borrow That Top" (by Liam Kyle Sullivan aka. "Kelly") (2004) appearing briefly in the mall scene.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations 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 also has audio and a transcript of the interview, and links to several of their songs.
  2. ^ Boston Phoenix review of Hotel Blanc
  3. ^ a b Dresden Dolls Companion, by Amanda Palmer, eight foot music publishing, June, 2006, ISBN 157560888X ISBN 978-1575608884
  4. ^ True Colors Tour web site.
  5. ^ a b Chinen, Nate; photos by Hiroyuki Ito (2007-06-20). "Power to the People (and Some Pop Too)", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, pp. B1,B5. Retrieved on 9 Nov 2007. "A much more musical brand of theatricality animated the Dresden Dolls, a duo consisting of the pianist Amanda Palmer and the drummer Brian Viglione. Their set was a concise demonstration of cabaret-punk. Ms. Palmer, singing throatily at an electric keyboard, held her own not only on the band staple “Coin-Operated Boy” but also even amid the bombast of “War Pigs,” the Black Sabbath screed." 
  6. ^ Virginia Companion, by Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione, Cherry Lane Music Company, July 2008, ISBN 1603780793 ISBN 978-1603780797
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ 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."
  9. ^ [Amanda] (2008-05-10). "fish/people/belly". The Dresden Dolls Diary. Retrieved on 10 May 2008. "the solo record got re-mastered and it's.....mind-blowing. it's so good. it's sooooooo gooooooooooooooooooooooood. so i feel safe in a deep way. because as long as the record is amazing then i can fuck everything else up and it's technically ok. it will be released september 16th. that is now like christmas day for me. it is four months away. that seems long."
  10. ^ "Dresden Doll Preps Solo Debut". spin.com music for life. spin.com (2007-04-25). Retrieved on 8 Dec 2007. "The Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer chats with SPIN.com about her forthcoming solo effort."
  11. ^ Palmer, Amanda (2007-04-01). "here to dispel.". Speculation: Solo Album Title. The Dresden Dolls. Retrieved on 8 Dec 2007. "... i am recording the solo album....in nashville, at ben folds' studio, with ben, who is producing the record and playing on it."
  12. ^ Eichler, Jeremy (2008-06-20). "All dolled up at the Pops - Palmer brings the edge but the fest needs more". The Boston Globe. NY Times Co.. Retrieved on 07 Jun 2008. "Last night in Symphony Hall, Amanda Palmer brought some spark and much-needed edge to the Boston Pops's EdgeFest. On her own terms, Palmer, in strong gravelly voice, gave a richly satisfying performance that had this crowd roaring far more than most in Symphony Hall. But even she couldn't overcome the deeper tensions that make the EdgeFest a strained format."
  13. ^ [Rachel] (2008-06-20). "All Dolled up, Amanda Palmer and the Boston Pops, Symphony Hall, June 19, 2008". The Boston Phoenix. Phoenix Media/Communications Group. Retrieved on 28 Jun 2008. "Last night, Amanda Palmer kicked off this season of the Boston Pops EdgeFest, the orchestra’s collaboration with younger, “edgier” bands and performers drawing the iPod generation into Symphony Hall. The choice of pairing Palmer with the Pops lead me to wonder if the Pops had ever listened to a Dresden Dolls album or seen The Onion Cellar or, you know, met her."
  14. ^ You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.Palmer, Amanda (2007-04-01). "". Speculation: Solo Album Title. The Dresden Dolls. Retrieved on 8 Dec 2007. "... i am recording the solo album....in nashville, at ben folds' studio, with ben, who is producing the record and playing on it."
  15. ^ "Amanda Palmer - Alternative / Rock / Other". myspace.com. Retrieved on 07 Jul 2008. "Amanda Palmer has 61053 friends." This friend count is as of the access date, and is the number of distinct myspace accounts that have asked for regular bulletins from the artist.
  16. ^ "Melody vs. Meditation". May 2008 Issue, Shambhala Sun. original publisher = Shambhala Sun Foundation, but the article can be found, with permission at, theworsthorse.blogspot.com (09/19/2008). Retrieved on September 19 2008.
  17. ^ "Interview: Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer". 247Gay.com. GayWired.com (2006-07-17). Retrieved on 7 Dec 2007. "I figured out that I was bisexual when I was a teenager."
  18. ^ Bendix, Trish (2007-07-18). "Getting Real With Amanda Palmer", After Ellen, logonline.com, p. 1. Retrieved on 4 Dec 2007. 
  19. ^ Bendix, Trish (2007-07-18). "Getting Real With Amanda Palmer", After Ellen, logonline.com, p. 2. Retrieved on 4 Dec 2007. 
  20. ^ Spinner Staff; [hoto by Sarah Komar, WireImage (2007-07-15). "Women Who Rock Right Now: No. 6". Spinner. Spinner.com. Retrieved on 8 Dec 2007. "Who: Amanda Palmer Birthplace: Lexington, Mass. Sound: Cabaret punk Palmer -- one-half of Boston's Brechtian punk cabaret duo the Dresden Dolls -- ain't no damsel in distress. The former street artist chokeholds her demons, teetering between sinister screeches and whimsical whispers of alcohol, self-mutilation and sexual exploration, while discordantly pummeling the piano -- stocking-clad legs akimbo -- in a sultry, sinful self-deprecation exorcism."
  21. ^ Christopher Muther (2006). "Boston's Stylish 25". Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved on 8 Dec 2007. "Dresden Dolls lead singer Amanda Palmer, quite literally, has a rockstar wardrobe."
  22. ^ Mike Errico (December 2006). "Hottest Women of…Rock!". Blender.com. Dennis Digital, Inc.. Retrieved on 8 Dec 2007. "Amanda Palmer - The pianist and singer of Brechtian Boston duo Dresden Dolls mashes up punk rock and cabaret, sings about transsexuals and explores the elaborate deceptions that alcoholics commit daily."
  23. ^ Half Jack. "Amanda Palmer". Bestuff. bestuff.com. Retrieved on 8 Dec 2007. "In the 2005 WFNX /Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll, Palmer won Best Female Vocalist."
  24. ^ "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."
  25. ^ You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}."".
  26. ^ Evelyn Evelyn (2007). "Elephant Elephant". Eleven Records. Retrieved on 8 Dec 2007. "About a year ago Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls and Jason Webley received Myspace messages from the most unusual profile either of them had ever seen - conjoined twin sisters, both named Evelyn. Intrigued and charmed, they began corresponding with the twins hoping to lure them into the studio. The result is an EP that sounds like something the Andrews Sisters might have recorded if they had grown up in the circus listening to new wave music."
  27. ^ Evelyn Evelyn (2007). "Evelyn Evelyn". Retrieved on 8 Dec 2007.